Oh hi!
So this is what I wrote for NaNoWriMo this year. I hope you enjoy it. I put a lot of work into it.
Chapter 1
Life Underground
I remember it… barely. The moment I was born, the only memory I have of my mother.
I was brought out on a table with a doctor hovering over me, making sure I was healthy. Dad poked his head out from behind her.
His eyes widened in delight, and looked at Mom.
"It's a girl? A girl! Catherine, we have a beautiful baby daughter!" he said in pure glee.
"Oh, James… James we did it! A daughter, a wonderful baby daughter!" I heard my mother say, weary from childbirth.
"You have a bright future ahead of you, sweetheart. I'm sure of it…" Dad said, smiling.
"Look at you. Look at you… Hi there. I'm your daddy, sweetheart, daddy." He said, careful to pronounce the word 'daddy' as clear as possible.
"You're going to need a name, aren't you? Your mother and I have been talking. How about… Crystal. Ah, yes. Crystal. Fits you perfectly. My little gem." Dad said, pinching my cheek.
"It's a beautiful name, Crystal… Oh! James! Let me see her…" I heard mother say again.
Dad handed my to her, and I looked up at her for the first time… now only a blur in my memory. She held me close to her chest, and looked up at Dad in adoration. She had succeeded in having a child, the worlds greatest miracle.
"Now, lets see what you will look like when you are all grown up." Dad said, pulling towards me a Gene Projection. I saw what would become me in the future, I was so confused… so many questions even from the moment I was born.
"She looks just like her daddy." Mom said, rocking my slightly in her arms. She was so weak…
"She's got your eyes, Catherine." Dad noticed, smiling down at Mom and I.
Suddenly mom's heart rate started getting faster and faster. Panic rose in her arms, and they began to limp. Dad rushed to catch me right on time, and handed me to the doctor with him quickly.
"James? James… something's… wrong." Mom barely spat out.
"She's in cardiac arrest, get the baby out of here, now!" Dad nearly yelled, and the doctor rushed out of the room quickly.
"Catherine! Catherine, stay with me, please! Just hold on!"
I had enough time to hear Dad pleading Mom to live before my memory ended. It's all I have left of her… I cherish this memory like nothing else. And I hope to never forget it.
One year later.
"Come here, sweetie." Dad said, crouching down and motioning me to walk to him. I took one small step, trying to keep my balance, and then another. This was the first time I didn't fall with in the first few steps! I ran towards Dad, laughing and squealing.
"Dada, Dada!" I squealed, tripped over my feet, fell on the ground, and rolled to Dad's feet.
I looked up at him, and he smiled.
"Haha, take it easy Crystal. You're already walking like a pro. Your mother would have been so proud of you." He said, patting my head. I smiled up at him, and reached my hand to touch his face.
"Dada…" I said again. It was the only word that I knew. I remember Dad being so proud of me when I first said it…
"It's time for Dada to leave. I have to do some things quickly." He walked across the play pin, and turned around to face me. I followed him until he stopped me to close the gate. I put two hands on the gate, raddled it a little, and then looked up at him with pleading eyes.
"Sorry, sweetheart. Daddy will be back soon." And with that, Dad left the room. I had remembered how to open this play pin door; I had figured it out before when he wasn't looking. I sheepishly pushed the door open, then crawled out to my toy box. There was a small book that said "All about me!" on the cover. Curious, I opened it. In it were cute pictures of a monopoly man doing different things, and beside it was my Dad's hand-writing. I didn't recognized what he was writing, and I didn't know what the book was saying either. But the pictures were cute, so I enjoyed it. I closed the book and hopped into my toy box, picking up the toy car that I loved.
"RRRrrr." I mimicked what a car would sound like and dragged the toy across the edge of the box. Then I heard the doors open, and I looked up suddenly to see Dad staring down at me. I dropped the car, jumped out of the toy box, and ran back into the play pin. The speed made me fall over and land on my hands, and Dad ran towards me.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" He asked, and picked me up and carried me in his arms.
"Dada." I said, reaching up and touching his beard.
"Good, you're okay. Be more careful next time." He said, stroking my head.
He's breath smelt strange, it didn't smell this way normally… it smelt very bad. I wrinkled my nose up, and pulled my hand to my face trying to cover up the smell. Dad's smile slimmed, and he put me on the ground again, crouching down to see me eye to eye.
"I told you to stay put, Crystal. But I guess that's what I get for trying to lock you in. You always find a way out." He said, pinching my cheek. His fingers were warm, and I held them close my face.
Dad frowned slightly, "Your senses are very high, aren't they?" He asked. I looked at him, not knowing what he had just said. I didn't understand English very well.
He laughed again "Sorry, Daddy uses big words sometimes." He picked me up and carried me across the room to a picture frame with a bible passage in it.
"See that? That was your mother's favourite Bible passage. I am alpha and omega. The beginning, and the end. I will give unto him what is a thirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."
I looked at it, puzzled. Not knowing what it meant.
He stood up, grabbed my hand and started walking to the door.
"Come on, lets see if we can play with your friend Amato." We both walked out the door, and I squealed in delight to see my best friend again.
Nine years later.
I walked into the diner my father instructed me to go in. He said there was a little surprise for me. I had no idea what it would be, and honestly I was a little nervous. But despite my anxiety, I opened the door, and walked in. The lights were turned off, but I saw a few figures of people standing near me. I tried to make them out when suddenly somebody turned on the lights, fast. I was blinded for a few seconds, when I could see again I saw my Dad standing in front of me, and Amato behind him wearing a birthday hat. There was a sign above him that wrote "Happy Birthday, Crystal!" and balloons rose to the ceiling gracefully.
"Surprise!" Everyone yelled happily. I smiled, it was my tenth birthday today, and nobody forgot.
"Stanley you turned the lights on too fast, you blinded the poor kid." Somebody said. I turned to look at who said that, but was distracted by my guests.
"Can you believe it? She is growing up so fast." Old lady Palmer said, proud of me. I smiled and looked at my Dad.
"Happy Birthday, sweet heart! I can't believe you're already ten, I'm so proud of you. If only your mother…" Before Dad could finish, the Overseer interrupted him.
"Congratulations, young girl. I don't have to tell you how special today is, do I?" I was slightly mad at the Overseer for interrupting my Dad, but we both listened politely. Nobody messes with the Overseer… I'm not too sure why, but you just don't. Probably something to do with something called 'etiquette'. I was just learning about it in class, and so far it's been nothing but boring. Still, I let the Overseer ramble on.
"Here in Vault 101 when you turn ten, well, your ready to take your first Vault responsibilities." The Overseer pulled out something from behind his back.
"So, here you are. As Overseer I hear by present to you your very one Pit Boy 3000." He grabbed my hand, and snapped it on my wrist. I squealed slightly as it squeezed in position.
"Get used to it." He grunted.
"Dad…" Amato whispered from behind the Overseer, but he didn't do anything.
"You will be getting your first work assignment tomorrow. Ha ha ha ha!"
His laugh gave me chills, and he went to sit down at a booth, making sure to ruffle Amato's hair roughly while he passed him.
I looked to my Dad again; and he smiled down at me "Enjoy your party! You're only ten once, so enjoy." He put his hand on my shoulder, his eyes pleading for me to be calm, and he walked towards the counter of the diner, and took a seat on the stool.
"Happy Birthday! We really surprised you, didn't we?" Amato said, as I walked towards him. He was smiling hugely.
"I was afraid you were on to us, but your Dad told me you didn't know. Sorry if it scared you." He said. I smiled; Amato was one of the sweetest guys that I knew.
"It's okay, I don't really get scared too easily." I said, shrugging. The Pit Boy adjusted more, pinching the hairs on my skin.
"Ouch." I grunted, lifting my arm and grabbing it in frustration.
Amato frowned.
"Sorry my dad was a little hard on you, he was with me too." He said, putting a hand on my Pit Boy, assuring me he knew the pain. Sighing, I put my hand down next to my side.
"Thanks again so much for the party." I said enthusiastically.
"You're welcome, but really, your Dad did most of it. I just helped with the decorations."
"The decorations are the best part!" I said, smiling looking and around at all the hard work he put into it.
Amato blushed at my complement, making me smile. He was so cute when he blushed.
"So, uh, ready for your present?" He asked, grinning widely.
I nodded quickly. Presents are the best part of birthdays!
"Well, you have to guess first." He said, crossing his arms in arrogance.
I frowned at him, and punched him lightly.
"Ow, okay fine." He said, trying to hide a smile. He pulled out a comic book, and my eyes widened as I looked at it.
My hands clutched it slowly "Yup, Grognak the barbarian, issue fourteen. I knew you'd like it. I found it in my dads box of old things. I guess everybody was ten once!" Amato said, I could hear the thrill in his voice.
I wrapped my arms around him suddenly.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I said, I felt his arms come up shyly to hug me back, and he gently patted me on the back. I giggled, and backed away.
"Sorry 'bout that. It's just this is the best day of my life!" I nearly shouted.
"Haha, that's great! Glad I could make you happy." Amato said, still blushing from my 'attack'.
"Well, go mingle with the rest of your guests, don't want to keep you behind." He said, and with that he went to the bar and sat down.
I walked forwards to talk to Old Lady Palmer, when the Overseer grabbed my arm and talking to me.
"I hope you appreciate the effort Amato put into this party. He really seems to like you, for some reason." He said, grumbling at the last part of his sentence.
"He did a great job. But… couldn't you have helped out a little bit?" I asked. The Overseer took his job very seriously… too seriously. In fact, it almost scares me how seriously he does take his job. It's as if he thinks he is the best person ever known to mankind, and we should all bow down to him.
"I do not allow the fact that Amato is my son to compromise my position as Overseer. I gave him all the appropriate parental encouragement, of course, but I could not contribute extra vault recourses. That is simply what my position requires. No more, no less. I know Amato understands that perfectly well." He gave his speech to me with such arrogance I wanted to puke. Although, I had no idea what he was saying, so I just stood and smiled.
"Are you having a nice party? Ten years old, my, my. It seems only yesterday that your daddy came…" Old lady Palmer said to me when I walked up to her. Wait, what?
She laughed nervously, trying to draw my attention to something else.
"Oh, listen to me ramble. Not making any sense, am I? Would you like your present now?" She asked, flustered. My eyes narrowed. She is trying to hide something from me, I just know it. But what? Something about my Daddy coming… did she just mean when he was born? She was old enough to have seen that…
"Yes ma'm." I said politely, shuffling my feet.
"Such a polite young girl you are! Don't ever lose your gift of speaking your mind directly. We could use more of that down here." She said, smiling. "Here you go, a nice sweetroll that I baked just this morning. All for you! No sharing, you're the birthday girl!"
I grabbed the sweetroll, and suddenly my pit boy beeped. I looked at it, and there was an alert on the side of the screen, it said 'Sweetroll added.'
I frowned in concentration. It senses everything that I take! That is so cool. I smiled at it, and poked the screen playfully.
Suddenly I heard a whining noise starting up beside me, and I turned to see what it was. Andy was bringing his saw hand towards the cake, and he plunged it down into it. The cake exploded into pieces, and all that was left was a huge clump of destroyed frosting.
"Andy!" I whined, walking over towards my ruined cake.
"Er….Allow me to wish you a happy birthday, I would offer you a piece of cake, but… I'm mortified about the cake, ma'm, absolutely mortified." He replied
"It's okay. There's plenty of other cakes out there." I sighed, and restrained myself from crying.
Suddenly I heard Butch start to yell at me from behind. I turned around in a flash and glared at him.
"I'm hungry, and that stupid robot destroyed the cake! Give me that sweetroll you got from Mrs. Palmer." He demanded.
He's such a jerk! It's my birthday, and he wants my birthday present?
"What's wrong, Butch? Mom drank all the ration coupons again?" I teased.
"Hey, don't joke about my mum like that! Just because you don't have one. Ha, I bet she never even loved you!" He teased right back, brutally. "Now give me the sweetroll." He said, getting up.
I felt the heat of my anger raise in my face, and I clenched my fists so hard my knuckles nearly popped out of my skin. I remember Dad telling me that when my anger flares up I just need to take a deep breath. I closed my eyes and inhaled slowly through my nose. I opened my eyes and stared at Butch.
"Go soak your head, Butch, I'm not giving it to you." My words came out sharp and violent. I hid a smirk as my words caught Butch off guard. Not a lot of people stand up to the Vault bully.
There was a silence in the room, and I knew everyone was shocked by how harsh I was.
Butches eyebrows narrowed slowly.
"We'll see about that!" He yelled, and blew a punch to my face. It hit my cheek ruthlessly, and my head turned at the impact. The heat of my anger was too much, I couldn't handle it. Suddenly everything became slow motion, my senses were becoming sharpened. I swung my fist back at Butch, and hit him square in the face harder then he hit me. The blow sent him into the booths, and he landed with a hard thud. His anger blew up, and he struggled to get up and hit me back. My senses sharpened again as I hit him in the shins, making it so he couldn't get up but wail in pain.
I felt someone's arms grabbing my forearms and pulled me back roughly.
"Hey! Stop it! Break it up!" I heard officer Gomez yell from behind me.
"I'll brake your face next time you talk about my mom like that!" I screamed at Butch who was still laying on the booth, grabbing his leg in pain.
"What is going on here?" Dad asked, coming up to us. I could tell he was disappointed in me.
"He made fun of mom, and tried to steal my sweetroll!" I screamed, trying desperately to get Dad on my side. Officer Gomez looked at Butch "Is this true, Butch?" He asked. Butch looked like he was about to cry, then he put on his tough guy face.
"Yah, so what?" He was trying to be tough, but he couldn't really pull it off considering he was just beat up by a girl.
"Come over here with me." Officer Gomez said sharply, and grabbed Butch's hand and dragged him to the corner, whispering something harshly to him.
"Listen here, you little good for nothing piece of…" was all I heard when Dad distracted me by crouching down and grabbing my arms lovingly, yet sharply.
"I understand Butch angered you, but violence not the way to solve your problems. You have to be nice no matter what people say, you understand?" He asked. I felt a bit better that my Dad was treating me better then how Officer Gomez was treating Butch right now.
"I understand. I'm sorry, Daddy." I mumbled.
He squeezed my arms lovingly, and smiled up at me, making me smile as well.
"That's my girl. Now, that's enough lecture for now. It's your birthday, so have a good time." He smiled up at me proudly.
"Okay, daddy." I said, and he gathered me in his arms.
The intercom beeped, and Dad hurried to get it.
"Jonas?" He spoke into it.
"Hey doc. We're all set down here." I heard Jonas's familiar voice on the other end.
"Good. I'll send her down right away." Dad said, and turned to me.
"Hey. That was Jonas on the intercom… oh, you probably already know that." He laughed and tussled my red hair as he realized I was standing right next to him.
"He and I have been cooking up a present. Jonas is waiting for you on the Reactor Level. Go ahead, I don't think anyone would mind if you slipped out for a few minutes." He smiled down at me.
"Okay, Daddy. I'll go right now." I said, and opened the door to the hall of the vault to see Beatrice standing right at the door.
I held in an annoyed sigh as she smiled down at me. I'm going to have to talk to this annoying lady.
"Happy Birthday, young one! My goodness, I hope you didn't miss the party!" She said in an overly cheerful tone.
I swallowed a snicker at her.
"Yeah, my Dad and Amato threw a great party, didn't they?" I asked, trying my best to be friendly and patient.
"They sure did. My, my. Ten years old already. Why, I can remember helping your Dad change your diapers…" She began to ramble. "And now, look at you! A great big ten year old, with your very own Pip-Boy. Since this is such a special occasion, do you know what I did? I wrote a poem! Just for you. Hope you like it."
She pressed a button on her Pip-Boy, and mine made a beeping sound.
"There you are, downloaded and everything." She explained.
"Umm… thanks. I-is that all?" I asked, confused. What good would a poem do me?
"Of course! Run along now, dearie, and have yourself a good birthday!" She smiled, and walked passed me down the hall.
I watched as she turned the corner to her room.
"You've got to be kidding me…" I said under my breath, and made my way to the stairs to the Reactor Room. I was not going to read that poem anytime soon.
When I got there, Jonas was standing in front of the door to the storage room, waiting for me.
"Hiya, Jonas!" I greeted him, waving at him.
"What are you doing down here, Crys? I thought kids weren't allowed down at the Reactor Level." He joked.
I chuckled.
"Oh, shush! I've been down here so many times I lost count." I stated, making Jonas chuckle. "Anyway, I came down here for a little 'present'."
"If you wait one more minute I think your Dad would like to give you the surprise himself." Jonas explained.
"Right. Better that way, huh?" I asked.
"Yup, considering he is your Dad." Jonas explained.
I smiled.
"That he is."
I was startled when I heard Dad's voice behind me, and I turned around quickly.
"Are you ready for your surprise?" He asked patiently.
"What kind of surprise?" I asked, crossing my legs impatiently, eager to see what he had gotten me.
There's not much to get down here in the vault. A comic book is a very rare treasure down here.
"The Overseer gave you a Pip-Boy, which means your old enough to do some work. So, I figured your old enough to have this."
Suddenly he had a gun in his hand, and before I could ask how it just appeared there I realized it was a BB gun, and I got excited right away.
"Your very own BB gun! It's a little old, but it should would perfectly. Jonas found it down here. It was in pretty rough shape… took us a good three months to find the parts to get it working again. You know how tough it is to find a spring that small? Well, good thing Butch 'misplaced' his switch blade of his." We all started laughing.
I knew there was something wrong with that picture.
Butch never looses anything, not ever. It was very strange when he screamed in the middle of class that he had lost something, let alone his switchblade…
"So, what do you think? Wonna give it a try?" Dad asked.
I nodded my head excitedly, and grabbed the gun from him.
"I love it, Dad!" I said, and wrapped my arms around him.
"It was me who found it!" I heard Jonas behind me.
I turned around and gave Jonas a hug as well, holding on tightly.
"The Overseer won't see to kindly to this. Your Dad and I set up a little something for you. Come on." Jonas said, patting my head awkwardly, then pulled away to open the door to the storage room. At the end of the room were some targets set up just behind some grates.
"Go ahead, give it a shot." Dad said, and I ran towards the end of the room excitedly.
"Whoa, hold on there, girl." I felt Dad's hand on my shoulder, and I looked up at him sadly.
"Don't go running with guns, now. You may trip and really hurt yourself. Take your time." He said patiently.
I took a breath and walked as slow as I could, which wasn't slow at all… it kind of morphed into a fast walk.
Dad came behind me and taught me how to aim the gun, and then together we squeezed down on the trigger and send a BB flying straight towards one of the targets.
The target banged and flew backwards, spinning around a few times.
"Whoa!" I said, eyes wide with delight.
"Good one. Now try it on your own." Dad said, stepping away.
I aimed towards the target, and pulled the trigger quickly. It squeaked as it spun around in a full circle.
"I did it! I did it!" I screamed, turning around with excitement.
"Whoa!" Jonas wailed, and ducked behind one of the empty crates.
Dad put his hand on the barrel of the gun and looked down at me patiently.
"Don't point guns at people, okay?" He asked.
"Okay." I muttered, ashamed. Dad looked over my shoulder suddenly.
"But you can shoot rad roaches. Go on, there's one right over there." He said, and turned me around to see a giant rad roach behind the crates.
"Just point and shoot, just like I showed you." I heard him say as I approached the crates again.
I aimed my gun at the giant roach, and narrowed my eyes at it.
There was something very strange about these creatures… they're so annoying down here in the Vault. I pulled the trigger, and it flinched, aggravated.
Quickly I pulled the trigger down all the way and sent a wave of BB's into the roach, and after a while it stopped moving.
I let the gun drop, and looked down at the blood stained floor.
"Let's take a picture of you two. Smile!" Jonas said, taking out his camera.
Dad and I turned around and posed, Dad putting his arm around me and me pointing up my gun in the air triumphantly, smiling until my cheeks hurt.
As Jonas took the picture the flash blinded me, yet again.
Six years later.
I shuffled my feet as Dad took a scope to my eye, examining it thoroughly.
The bright light made me squint uncomfortably. I was nervous… I didn't want to take this test that everyone in the vault has been talking about.
It's called the G.O.A.T., and it sounds like the worst thing imaginable. It tells you what you will be good at for a job in the Vault. I did not want to take it. So, I pretended to be sick so I could skip a day of school. Only trouble is… my Dad's a doctor.
"As far as I can tell you are a perfectly healthy young girl. So yes, you have to go to class and take your G.O.A.T. exam." Dad said, slipping the scope back into his jacket.
I groaned, aggravated.
"But Dad, I'm really sick." I whined, and tried coughing but with no success.
"No, you're not. When I first started studying medicine the first thing I learned was how to tell if a kid was faking being sick to get out of doing a test. You'll do fine. It's not so bad. Everyone has to take it when they're sixteen. I had to, you have to, and so does everyone else. Almost everyone makes it through without a scratch." Dad said patiently, as always.
I rolled my eyes and sighed.
"Anything I need to know about the G.O.A.T?" I asked.
"The Generalize Occupational Aptitude Test. Everyone in the Vault takes it when they're sixteen. Helps to figure out what sort of a job you'll have in Vault 101 when you get a bit older. So, pay attention, and try not to fall asleep. You know what the Overseer says 'We're born in the vault. We die in the Vault. Each is tested to determine their abilities, that they may work for the betterment of all Vault residents.' Sound familiar?" Dad asked.
I chuckled, we both knew the Overseer was full of shit. We could never speak it out loud, though. Not unless we wanted our heads chopped off.
I looked at the ground slightly; building the courage to ask this question I've been dying to ask for ages now.
"What is it, Crys?" Dad asked, looking slightly concerned.
"Can we talk about, you know… mom?" I asked, and I felt Dad tense. But his loving nature got the best of him.
"Yes. What about her?" He asked.
"Well… what was she like?" I asked.
"Well, you have her eyes." Dad smiled and reached out to stroke my hair.
"Your mother, she… she was beautiful. But beyond the beauty you've seen. There's just so much those old photo's could show. And she was passionate. About life. About love. And most of all… most of all she was passionate about you. When she became pregnant it was the happiest I had ever seen her." Dad sighed sadly. "She had great things in mind for you…You remind me of her. She had your red hair, and spirit to go along with it." He said, and I calmed at his touch as he stroked my hair.
I smiled, trying to think of what she was like.
"Would she be proud of me? Now? If she were here?" I asked. Dad's eyes filled with love.
"Of course, sweetie. She would be so proud of you." He said softly, and then pulled his hand away.
"And so! Time for you to stop stalling and get to class. Please honey, please, take these achievement tests seriously. The last thing I need is your mother's ghost haunting me because her only child became a garbage burner." He begged.
"Fine, I'll go." I groaned, jumping off the counter.
I hugged Dad one last time.
"Love you, Dad." I whispered, and he hugged me back, stroking my hair again.
"I love you too, sweetie. Take care, I'll see you later, and good luck." He whispered back.
I made my way out of the lab and into the hall, where I saw Amato getting tossed around by Butch and his friends, chanting 'daddy's boy, daddy's boy.'
They called themselves the tunnel snakes.
They thought there were all that and a box of potato crisps. Normally they would ignore me, ever since that 'incident' six years ago at my birthday party when I beat up Butch.
But whenever they mess with Amato, it becomes my problem.
"What's wrong, Amato? Gonna call the Overseer on us?" they laughed as they pushed him into a wall, chanting again. I heard Amato's breath break as he hit the wall with a thud.
"What's the matter? Daddy's boy gonna cry?" Butch teased.
"Yeah, show it to him, Butch!" Paul encouraged.
My anger raised, and I clenched my fists tight.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing with him?" I yelled as I ran towards them.
"Oh, look who showed up. Little miss ginger. Come to rescue your little boyfriend?" Butch snickered at me, Amato still behind him, coughing.
I pushed Butch against the wall, my hands on his shoulders, and looked into his eyes fiercely.
"Didn't I tell you not to call me that?" I asked angrily.
I could tell Butch was scared, but with his friends around I guess he didn't want to look like a pussy, like he normally is around me.
"And what makes you think I can take orders from you?" He asked daringly.
I put my forearm against his neck, making it so he could barely breathe.
"One last warning, Butch. You leave Amato alone, or we can have another repeat of the last time I put you in your place. Would you like that? Huh? Would you enjoy getting your assed whooped again by a girl, momma's boy? Huh?" I asked nearly yelled, putting more pressure on his neck.
I smirked at the memory of me throwing him into the trashcan he threw Amato in before.
He may never learn.
"Okay, okay." Butch croaked under the pressure of my arm.
I smirked and let him go.
"See, isn't that easy?" I asked.
Butch frowned deeply, but knew that if he even tried to punch me I would hit him harder, so he let me off with a little "You're not worth it anyway, ginger. Tunnels snakes out!" and walked away from us towards the class.
I put my hands on Amato's shoulders and looked him in the face.
"You okay?" I asked, studying his eyes.
Dad taught me how recognize a concussion by looking at the eyes.
"I'm fine. I'm fine." He said, coughing as he looked away from me.
I grabbed his cheeks and pulled his face up so I could see him.
Everything looked fine.
"You're good." I said, and pulled away.
I could tell Amato was frustrated.
He wanted to show the bullies that he wasn't to be messed with.
"I can handle it on my own." He mumbled.
"Ha, no, you can't." I corrected him.
"I was doing okay until you came in."
"Yeah, you mean when they threw you against the wall?" I asked harshly.
There was a tense silence, and I felt bad for blurting out at Amato.
"I'll teach you how to fight. How about that?" I asked.
Amato smiled half heartedly.
"Okay. Sounds good." He said.
I smiled triumphantly.
I knew he wouldn't pass down some alone time with me. Ever since we both became teenagers there's been this kind of… bond between us.
I don't want to call it romance, cause I didn't want to jinx it, but it was pretty damn close to it.
We walked to class together, laughing at jokes I made about Butch.
Our hands brushed together awkwardly… but neither of us did anything.
"You nervous?" I asked just before we walked in.
"Yup. I need to get Overseer, otherwise my Father will be so disappointed." Amato said anxiously.
"Don't. Just go with what your gut tells you." I said encouragingly.
"Yeah, unfortunately Father doesn't like my guts, he likes the idea of me carrying off his 'legacy'." He said, and I put my hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
"It's okay, Amato." I said, and he smiled at me.
I took a quick drink of water before walking in the class.
When the doors opened almost immediately Mr. Brotch started talking to me, like he usually did.
"Hey Crys, you made it. All set for the G.O.A.T? Trust me, it really isn't that bad. Just something everybody has to go through." He said, smiling at me.
"Yeah, I guess so. Just hope it'll pass by fast." I joked.
"Don't worry, it'll be over before you know it. We'll start when everybody has taken a seat." Mr. Brotch said reassuringly.
I found my usual desk and sat down as gracefully as my nervous would allow me too.
I looked over at Amato who was sitting on the other side of the class, who was mouthing the words 'kill me now!'
I tried to hide a giggle as Mr. Brotch began to talk.
"Well, now that everyone as managed to find the classroom, we can finally get started. And keep your eye's to yourselves."
I looked over at Amato again as the anthem for Vault 101 started to play. He smirked, and pretended to put a gun to his head.
I couldn't hold it in, I laughed a little too loud and Mr. Brotch gave me a dirty look.
"Yes, I'm talking to you, Miss Crystal." He said sternly as he handed out the papers.
I looked down at it, reading all the questions quickly. It was horrible. The questions were unbearably boring, and the last one left me in shivers. But I got through it. Barely.
By the time I was done I must have chewed my lip off from nervs, hoping I got a decent enough job.
I walked up anxiously to the desk, clutching my paper a little too hard, cause when I gave it to Mr. Brotch it was pretty well crumpled.
"Nervs?" He asked.
I nodded my head quickly, wanting to get this over with.
"AAhh, you're heading to be just like your Dad. Looks like we got ourselves a doctor here." He said, smiling up at me. I smiled back at him patiently. Great. I'm going be a doctor. I should be so thrilled. I wanted to be a security guard, you know, shoot rebels and stuff. But no, I have to be a stinking doctor.
Mr. Brotch held his hand out to me for a hand shake, and I took it half heartedly.
I felt a piece of paper slip into my hand, and Mr. Brotch winked at me.
Quickly I walked out of the room, as if I didn't notice, and rushed to the washroom.
Once I was inside I slipped the piece of paper out of my pocket, and un folded it to read it.
Check your pip-boy in a few minutes, please.
I waited for as long as I had to, pacing the bathroom floor with annoyance.
Finally, my pip-boy beeped to life, and I clutched it excitedly. There was a note from Mr. Brotch.
Crys, I know you're not happy with your scores, so I'll tell you the truth. You scored a fifty on guns, and a thity in melee. I'm not allowed to tell you this, but I'm good friends with your father, so here it is.
I think you would make a fine soldier. I dream of becoming one myself, but the only thing I could do was teach.
I know this whole test is a joke, but I've seen the way you look up to the vault bullies. But please, don't become a security guard. It will only break your poor fathers heart.
I'm doing this for the best.
Mr. Brotch
I blinked a few times down at the message on my pip-boy, not believing my eyes…
You would make a fine soldier.
Three years later.
I woke up to Amato shaking my shoulders violently.
"Come on, wake up! You've gotta wake up!" He begged me desperately.
At first I was angry for him awakening my sleep, but when I looked in his eyes I knew something was going on.
I got up quickly, suddenly worried.
"Huh? What's going on, Amato?" I asked, running my hand through my tangled red hair.
"You've got to get out of here! Your Dad is gone, and my Father's men are looking for you." He said in such a rush all I understood was 'your Dad is gone'.
"What do you mean my Dad, 'gone'?" I asked sternly.
"He's left the Vault! I don't know how, but he's gone. And my father, he's gone… sorta crazy." He said, panic thick in his voice.
"Amato, I've never seen you this scared, what happened?" I asked, worrying for my friend.
"It's Jonas… they killed him! My father's men, they took him and… oh my god, you need to get out, now!" He screamed, grabbing my arms and pulling me towards the door.
"Wait! I need to know more! My Dad couldn't have left, the door is sealed!" I said franticly.
"Not anymore, apparently. Are you honestly telling me you had no idea your Dad was leaving? Didn't he tell you?" He asked in disbelief.
"No. I had no idea he was planning to leave… How could he do this to me?" I asked, betrayal sinking in, as well as everything else…
"Oh. I'm sorry. Maybe Jonas was meant to explain everything to you?" he asked.
I shrugged.
"Yeah, maybe." I mumbled, looking at my feet solemnly.
Amato grabbed my face and pulled it up to look at him.
"Listen. There's a secret tunnel that leads directly from my Fathers office to the exit. You'll have to hack the computer in his office to open it." He said hopefully.
I smirked slightly.
"Shouldn't be a problem. Who's up against me?" I asked, and Amato let go of my face and tossed me a 10mm pistol.
"All of the vault. Now go, I'll meet you at my Fathers office." He said, and turned to leave.
"Watch out for Rad Roaches! They've gone loose!" He shouted back at me, and then ran down the hall.
I looked down at the gun in my hands… a real gun! Not a weak BB gun, but a real, actual gun!
But before I could marvel at its beauty, I needed to concentrate on escaping the Vault.
I pulled my backpack from behind my bed and started filling it with the ten stimpacks, two med x's, some books, pictures of mom, a switchblade, a baseball bat, ball and glove, and my BB gun with all my pellets. Then I pulled it behind my back, and started out the door.
My head swam with all the information.
Dad gone, Jonas dead, men looking for me, have to leave, got a real gun… it was all too much.
But I didn't have time to think, cause when I walked into the hall a security guard came running after me with a baseball club.
"Hey! It's her!" he yelled, and I pointed his gun at him daringly.
Just point and shoot, just like we practiced. I heard Dad's voice in the back of my head.
Don't become a security guard. It'll break your poor Dad's heart. Mr. Brotch's words rang through my head.
I froze as the guard started getting closer, when suddenly he stopped, his eyes wide, and fell on the ground. I hadn't noticed the Rad Roach climbing his head.
It was feasting on his brain for a little, and then looked at me, making it's disgusting clicking sound.
I raised my gun at it, and before it could come after me, I shot it twice. Once in the body, and once in the head. It was dead at the first shot.
"Don't wonna waste my ammo." I whispered, and tore the baseball bat from the security guard.
I looked down at his armor and decided it was best to wear them, just in case.
I pulled out my switchblade and cut up the front of the armor so it didn't look obvious, and pulled it over me. I refused to wear the helmet, though.
Quickly I ran towards the stairs to get to the Overseer's office when a voice startled me.
"You gotta help me! My Moms trapped in there with the rad roaches!" I heard Butch's voice behind me. I turned to glare at him.
"Why should I help you?" I asked, my voice high pitched under the stress.
"I know we have our differences, and we fight all the time, but she's all I have left! Please, just put the past behind us! You know I never meant any of things I said. Just, please, help her!" He begged. Something twisted inside me, and before I knew it I was running full tilt to his house, base ball bat in hand. I opened the door to his room and heard screaming from his mother's bedroom. I opened her door to see her being attacked by four rad roaches all together.
Blood stained the sheets, and her wounds looked pretty deep.
I hit the rad roach that were biting at her leg sharply, exploding roach guts all over. I grunted as I hit the last roach, and helped Butch's Mum up.
"Go lie down, put some pressure on your leg and elevate it." I ordered her.
"Thank you!" she said, and made her way to their living room. Her breath smelt heavy with vodka.
"You did it! Everything's gonna be okay! You're the best friend I ever had, man!" Butch yelled, and threw his arms around me. It was awkward. Considering we've been enemies since I could remember. When he pulled away I clutched my base ball bat, ready to leave.
"Hey, I know it isn't much, but I want you to have my tunnel snakes jacket. Think if it as a thank you gift." He said, pulling off his jacket and handing it to me.
"Butch…" I said.
"Maybe it'll give you luck when you're out there, in the wasteland." He said.
I smiled, and swung it around my shoulders, putting my backpack on afterwards.
"Thanks. Keep safe." I said, and ran out the door.
"Good luck!" I heard Butch yell, and then his door slammed shut.
I kept running, until I ran past the diner I spent my tenth birthday in and was shocked by what I saw…
Four rad roaches, scrounging around Grandma Taylor's dead body.
Anger ran through me and it wasn't long until I killed all the roaches in a fit of rage.
I looked down at Grandma Taylor's body sadly, everything was getting crushed.
My childhood… my whole life… just in a few minutes.
I crouched down and closed her eyes, then set her on the counter, putting a table clothe over her.
I just kept running, running up stairs, killing rad roaches as they went by.
Suddenly I ran into Officer Gomez, and I raised my gun at him, ready to fire when he ran towards me with his hands up.
"Oh, your lucky it's me who found you, the others won't be so forgiving. I don't know what you're up to, and I-I don't want to know. Just clear out of here and I'll pretend I never saw you." He said in a rush.
"And I'll pretend you don't work for a homicidal maniac." I spat, all my anger flowing to the Overseer.
"Don't think I don't know it. Why do you think I'm letting you go? I guess you're trying to follow your Dad… outside." He stammered. I nodded my head sharply.
"Good gravy, if I didn't know what the Overseer would do if he caught you I wouldn't try for it, but it's your only shot. You take care now, hope you find your Daddy." He said, going to shake my hand.
I shook it once, saying a brief thanks, and continued running.
Suddenly I was shocked to see Andy flame throwing some rad roaches.
I smiled as they all died instantly.
"Good on, Andy!" I shouted.
"Thank you, ma'm!" He shouted back.
I walked into my Dad's trashed lab to see Stanley walking towards me.
"Me and Andy were in a tight spot there, make no mistake. Good thing he loves toasting roaches so much." He laughed.
I chuckled and tried to find as many stimpacks in the lab. I needed all I could get out there.
I stumbled into my Dad's office and was shocked by the sight. Everything was knocked over, totally trashed. I noticed Dad's treasured bobble head and picked it up. It was the monopoly guy from the book I had as a kid, holding a stimpack. It was limited addition for a doctor.
I threw it in my back pack, and headed out the door.
"Hold still, Andy!" Stanley begged.
"I am holding still. You're levitating up and down." Andy corrected, and I chuckled one last time before leaving the lab forever.
I was happy to have at least a glimmer of my old life, Stanley's okay, and so is Andy.
As for everything else…
Finally, I got to the door to the Atrium level, and when I opened it I heard a young couple arguing outside.
"We should just go back to our courters." A girl begged.
"It's our only chance, don't you see? We're getting out of here, just like the doctor. I won't let anyone stop us." I heard a young man's voice.
"Tom! Be careful!" The girl screamed as 'Tom' ran towards an opening door to the exit of the Vault.
"No." I whispered as I saw who was behind it.
"Tom! No!" The girl ran towards the door as bullets went flying into Tom, and then into her.
I slammed my back to the wall as they both fell to the ground, dead.
"What has my Dad done?" I whispered, watching the vault fall into chaos.
I peeked my head at the guards, still behind the door.
Right beside them was a door that was jammed open by a locker, and I smiled. My way out. It's now or never. I picked up my feet as fast as they would take me, and ran full tilt to the other end of the room.
Bullets went flying, but none hit me, luckily. I kicked the locker out of the way, closing the door behind me, and I locked it carefully.
I ran up some stairs to find yet another roach, and with one hit it was down.
Running still, I made my way to the door where the Overseer's office was.
Some random guy banged at the window beside me, and I slowed down to see him.
His face was red with anger, his eyes wet from crying… he looked insane.
"You! This is your fault! You and your stupid father! He had to leave, didn't he? He had to mess things up for everybody!" He yelled at me.
"It's not my fault!" I yelled back, when suddenly the blinds closed and I heard him yell "guards!"
I ran into the electricity room and saw a guard pointing a gun at me.
"Found you!" He growled.
A bullet went flying into my vest, bouncing off as a small chunk of metal.
Good thing I picked up the vest, huh?
I pulled the gun from my belt and shot the guards leg without thinking, making him fall on the ground in pain.
His screams made me freeze, until I saw him point his gun at me, and I expertly shot his hand, making him let go of the gun to grab his hand in pain. All the target practice really paid off.
Point and shoot, just as we practiced.
The man screamed some more, sending chills down my spine.
I pulled off his helmet, and pointed my gun straight at his head.
You'd make a fine soldier. Mr. Brotch's words came back to me.
They killed Jonas! Amato's voice ringed.
I clenched my teeth.
"This is for Jonas." I snarled, and pulled the trigger. Of course Dad would be ashamed. He would be heart broken. His pride for me would shrivel into nothing when he saw the blood all over me. But I had no time to think about that, more guards on the move.
I fled the area, not wanting to look back at what I did, and I heard Amato's voice in a panic as I approached his window.
"I told you, I don't know anything!" He yelled.
I ducked under the window to hear better.
"Be reasonable, Amato. Officer Mack may enjoy this, but I sure don't. Just tell us where to find your 'friend' so we can talk to her." His words slurred.
"She's my friend. I was worried about her. What does she have to do with any of this, anyway?" Amato asked, I could tell he had been crying.
"Probably nothing. Which is why you should tell me where she is so I can talk to her."
His words angered me.
When Amato didn't answer, the Overseer got stern.
"One more time." He said firmly.
"You'd better talk, boy." Officer Mack said, and I heard the sound of a police baton hitting an arm, followed by a grunt.
I knew Amato wasn't going to say anything.
"Stop it!" I heard Amato scream.
I opened the door quickly before Officer Mack could hit Amato again, and startled him.
"She's here!" He yelled, and ran towards me with his baton.
I shot him in the skull in one hit, and he fell to the ground instantly.
"Run, Amato!" I screamed.
Amato ran as fast as he could out of the room, not bothering to look at me. Now it was just the Overseer and I.
"I hope you've come to turn yourself in, young lady. You're already in enough trouble as it is. Don't make it worse for yourself." He growled.
"If you lay another finger on Amato then you're going to regret it." I snarled at him.
"I place the good of the vault before everything, even my own paternal feelings. We must not allow settlement to cloud our judgment! But I admire your protective instincts. Very well. I give you my word that Amato will not suffer because of your actions." He spat at me.
I gritted my teeth, swallowing bitter anger.
"Now then, if you really care about Amato you will see how dangerous your Fathers actions were. Hand over your weapons, and put an end to this dangerous situation! There is no need to join your Father in a traitor to the Vault." He ordered. I narrowed my eyes.
"Is that what you said to Jonas before you killed him? Time to die, old man." I spat.
"A regrettable incident. But sometimes harsh measures are necessary for the good of the Vault. Such as always been my lot. Think a moment. If you really care about your fellow citizens, killing me is the worst thing you could do. Without an Overseer, the vault would be plunged into chaos and disaster. Surely you can see that as well as I!" He begged.
I took a deep breath and clenched my fists, ready to shoot the Overseer's head, when my Dad's words came back to me.
I understand you're mad. But violence is never the answer. Understood?
The words soothed me, and I was able to think clearly.
"You've convinced me. Now hand over the key's and password and I'll be on my way." I said patiently.
"Do you think I'm scared of a little punk like you? I was running this vault before you went crying for your dead mother!" He shouted, anger filling him now.
My eyes widened, and my own anger brought the gun to his forehead again, ready to shoot.
"You'll get nothing from me. I'll die before I see the safety of the Vault compromised again." He spat.
Suddenly I saw my Dad again, looking at me sternly, yet gently.
Violence is never the answer, sweetheart.
I gritted my teeth, and with all my strength lowered the gun.
"I'll escape without your help, then. I'm not the one who started killing people." I said.
"Save your sanctimony. The world is a dangerous place and I make no apology for doing whatever it takes to keep the Vault safe." He snarled, and pulled out a switchblade.
"I don't want to fight you, Overseer." I said calmly, putting my gun in my belt.
"Oh, but I want to kill you!" He yelled, and started running after me with a switchblade.
I pulled out my switchblade quickly, and crouched just as the Overseer was running towards me, and I made a gash straight up his leg.
He fell to the floor, holding his bleeding leg in agony.
"You under estimated me." I growled, closing my switchblade and slipping it in my pocket.
I tossed him a bandage that was laying on a counter.
"Wrap that up real tight. That's not gonna heal it, but can stop the bleeding." I spat, and walked out of the room.
"You mean… you're not going to kill me?" He asked desperately.
"Killing you is not going to change anything. It's not going to bring peace to you and I, and it certainly is not going to bring my Dad back." I said simply, and ran down the hall after Amato.
I turned the corner to the Overseer's house and looked at a desk at the corner of the room.
What I saw made me want to scream.
Jonas's dead body, just lying there out in the open.
Nobody bothered to cover him, or do anything.
I slowly walked towards him, sadness sweeping over me at the sight of my long life friend, dead.
I pulled off his glasses and closed his eyes.
Slipping the glasses into my pocket for a memento, I searched the rest of his body for anything else.
I found a holo tape, and with the words "Note from Dad" on it.
Tears were raised in my eyes, first tears since this whole nightmare began.
I slipped it in my pocket, and layed Jonas on his desk, pulling his lab coat over him.
A stimpack fell out of his pocket, and I slipped it in my pocket quickly. Twelve stimpacks.
Should last me a long time.
I rushed into the living room to find Amato sitting at the table with his head in his hands.
"Amato!" I exclaimed, and gathered him in a hug.
"Crystal!" He replied, and hugged me back. "Thanks." He whispered softly into my hair, which I still haven't brushed.
"No problem." I replied. I pulled away and held him by the shoulders.
"Come on, I've got to get out. Come help me escape." I commanded, and ran towards the locked office door.
I had never done this before… it was all a bit new, and I tried unlocking the door three times, but the damn bobby pin broke each time.
"Let me do it." Amato said, and grabbed a bobby pin from me, unlocking the door in one smooth motion.
"Whoa. Good job." I marvelled at his skill. He passed me the bobby pin back, trying to smile.
"No problem." He said.
The door opened and I immediately ran to a locker that was hidden in the corner and found three stimpacks, one med X and the terminal password.
Once I was in I choose "open tunnel" and the Overseer's desk lifted up, revealing a stairway.
"Ha! Brilliant!" I remarked, and ran down the stairs quickly, Amato right behind me.
We opened a door to a tunnel, and a rad roach came running towards us.
I pulled my base ball bat from my belt and hit it over the head.
"I'm sick of you guys!" I screamed as guts went flying everywhere.
Amato just stared at me, but I pretended not to notice.
"Come on." I said, running down the hall some more and opened another door to what looked like a wall.
"A dead end." Amato said, hope extinguished.
I flicked a switch that was just in front of the wall and it sunk down.
"Good one." Amato said, running through it.
That's when we first saw it… the way out.
The door to Vault 101, the only exit.
The one place we never thought we'd go.
I ran towards a control panel and pulled a lever, making an alarm go off.
But it worked, cause steam started pumping, and the gear door was torn away from its resting spot, sending sparks everywhere, then rolled away.
"Oh my god, you actually opened it!" Amato exclaimed. I turned to Amato.
"Come with me." I begged.
Amato shook his head.
"No." He said.
"Why not? I can't just let you stay here with a psycho Father who tried to kill you." I said angrily.
He grabbed my hands, reassuring me.
"Just trust me. I think I should stay here a little while longer." He said.
I bit my lip, not wanting to go alone. Finally, I sighed.
"Fine. But be careful." I said, and turned to walk down the stairs when Amato turned me back to him.
"One last thing." He said, and then he kissed me.
It was my first kiss, and I never thought it would be in front of the exit to the Vault, but it was a kiss, none the less.
I know we liked each other, but we didn't do anything about it.
We just stayed friends… until everything changed.
I held on to the kiss for a long time, until I heard guards running towards us.
We both pulled away at the same time, knowing it was now that I had to leave.
"If you ever need me, send me a message through the radio signal. I'm always listening." I said, and Amato nodded his head.
"Over there!" I heard a guard yell, and I forced myself away from Amato.
"I'll come back!" I yelled.
"Promise?" He yelled back.
"Promise!" I replied, and with that I ran outside the door and into the Capitol Wastelands.