Prologue:
~War. War never changes. Since the dawn of mankind, when our ancestors first discovered the killing power of rock and bone, blood has been spilled in the name of everything from God to justice to simple, psychotic rage. In the year 2077, after millennia of armed conflict, the destructive nature of man could sustain itself no longer. The world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation. But it was not, as some had predicted, the end of the world. Instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue to another bloody chapter of human history. For mankind had succeeded in destroying the world; but war…war never changes.
~In the early days, thousands were spared the horrors of the holocaust by taking refuge in enormous underground shelters known as Vaults. But when they emerged, they had only the hell of the Wastes to greet them; all except those in Vault 101. For on that fateful day, when fire rained from the sky, the giant steel door from Vault 101 slid closed, and never reopened. It is here that our heroes are born; it is here they will die. Because in Vault 101, no one ever enters and no one ever leaves. ~
Chapter One: Daddy Dearest
"Come on Catherine, you've got to push. Can't you find any more working lights?" the smooth male voice huffed as others around him fumbled in the dimly lit room.
The woman Catherine screamed and strained just as another light flipped on behind the man, who placed his hands lovingly atop her knees.
"There's the head! Almost Catherine!" he gasped and grabbed a navy blue blanket for the child.
Another shrill scream and as Catherine gasped from the final push, the cry of the child rang through the room. Just as James placed him in the blanket and clipped his cord, Catherine began gasping again.
"Twins! Here take my boy." The new father said as he handed him off to another in a white lab coat. "That's it, pace yourself Catherine. That's it!" he gasped as a small girl was born next, crying softly; though she started hiccupping after a few moments. "A boy and a girl Catherine." He chuckled with pride and joy, wrapping his small daughter in a brown blanket.
"Oh James…we did it. A son, and a daughter…they sound so healthy. Please let me see them." The mother's voice called, so tired from the labor but her tone was none the sweeter.
As he clipped and clamped the cord, making sure they were both wrapped snuggly, the two were placed in Catherine's arms. The boy was still fussing slightly, grasping at the air and kicking within his blanket. The small girl hiccupped still, few and far between though, and made smiling faces as she tried to look around and behind her.
"They're so beautiful; look, she has your smile." Catherine cooed and smiled tiredly at the two.
"Yes, though she has your nose. Hello little ones, I'm your daddy, dad-dy." James said with a bright smile, kissing Catherine's head softly. "Well, shall we use both the names we picked out? I think they'll fit quite nicely now." Another light flips on and the two can see each other much better.
Catherine's smooth complexion looking paler than normal, her eyes calm and tired as she leans against her love's shoulder. Her little girl had stopped hiccupping by now and was cooing gently as she grasped at the blanket and blinked as she tried to look up at James and Catherine. "Lindsey Anne, after my mother and yours." the two smiled and Lindsey Anne cooed at the warm expressions. The little boy continued fussing until Catherine rubbed his leg through the blanket, shushing him as he calmed down. "Tobias, after James' father. My little Toby." She sighed in exhaustion and leaned back on the delivery bed.
"Lindsey Anne and Toby. Perfect names…" James trailed off as he brushed a strand of Catherine's dark auburn hair from her eyes, parting it as she had it before. "Lets see how they'll look at 19." A screen rotated towards the two and scanned the children briefly as two images appeared side by side on the screen.
Toby's face resembled his father's so clearly, a well defined chin and a slight black stubble with a short moustache as well. His black hair was short and slightly shaggy, just barely ending above his striking green eyes from his mother. His nose was very straight and almost pointed like James', though his emerald eyes resembled Catherine's to show a more sensitive side. Lindsey Anne's picture was very soft and content looking, versus her brother's more hardened image. Her hair was a lighter auburn than her mother's and was very long with slanted cut bangs pulled back behind her ear. Both twins have very defining faces, like their cheek bones, though Lindsey Anne's were slightly higher, like Catherine's. Lindsey Anne's lips were full and turned in a soft smile, matching her button nose in such a calm expression.
"Just like us Catherine, so charming…" James said in a hushed and prideful voice.
"James…? James, something's…" Catherine began breathing heavily, her eyes rolling to the back of her head.
"Catherine! She's going into cardiac arrest, get the kids out of here!" James yelled as the children were snatched up from their mother's arms. "One-one thousand, Two-one thousand…come on Catherine!" James yelled as the babies began fussing for their mother, the heart rate monitor beeping rapidly.
One Year Later:
Inside a steel gated playpen, the two twins babble and play happily, flailing small toys around in the air while giggling. Lindsey Anne looks up to James and begins babbling, repeating what sounds like "lalala…" and looks to James with a smile.
"Your mother thought her child would be a singer, I thought a doctor though. Maybe Toby will follow in my footsteps." He said and kissed his son's forehead.
Toby let out a happy squeal and slowly started to gain balance on his stocky legs, just as he stood a black man in a white lab coat walked in and called to James.
"Alright, I'll be along Jonas." He answered and stood up from his crouched stance, Toby holding onto his leg now. "I'm sorry son, I have to leave for a bit. I'll be back shortly to take you two over to Amata's for a bit." He said and pat Toby's head and kissed Lindsey Anne's, both watching him as he closed the playpen door.
Lindsey Anne began fussing as her father left, rocking back and forth in order to stand up and banged on the door as Toby came over to her side. After fiddling with the lock on the playpen, Toby let the door swing out and hobbled over to the steel door and tapped on it, figuring his father was just on the other side. Lindsey Anne babbled a bit more and walked over to a small table with a little picture frame on it. Toby started squealing as he rapped on the door, finally plopping down in front of it and stared at his sister in a huff. Lindsey Anne seemed captivated by the picture frame, and no sooner did she try and reach for it, did the door open again with James behind it.
"False alarm…" James started and looked down to find Toby eliciting a happy squeal and instantly hold his arms out for James. "Clever rascals, I should have known that wouldn't keep you in easily. Up you go buddy!" he said with a soft grunt and hoisted Toby into his arms, letting him rest on one side of his chest. "Ah, look what Lindsey Anne found, Toby. Your mother's favorite quote from the Bible; Revelation 21:6. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."
Lindsey Anne squealed and looked to her father with a happy grin, holding her arms up to join Toby. James was used to scooping up the two of them by now, and as he cradled both in his arms, he kissed their foreheads and began to leave the room.
"Well, I promised Amata that you two would play with her, so let's go find her, shall we?"
Nine Years Later:
A bright light filled the room as noise makers and small party poppers went off, cheering and laughter echoed off the steel walls. Several voices rang out "Surprise!" and clapped afterwards, the twins holding their arms up to block the light. James stood before his children with a pleasant grin on his face and chuckled at the sight of Toby shielding his sister.
"Jeez Stanley take it easy on the lights, ya blinded the poor kids!" a Vault Officer commented and motioned his hand up towards the other.
"Happy Birthday kids, I can't believe the two of you are already 10 years old, you've both grown so much, I'm very proud of both of you. I just wish your mo-…" James was cut off as a much older man approached the twins and stood taller before them.
"Congratulations you two, I guess I don't have to tell you two how special this day is, now do I?" he asked, in a joking tone that sounded amazingly forced. "As you know, a 10th birthday down in Vault 101 means that you're ready for new responsibilities. So, as Overseer, I present to both of you your very own Pip Boy 3000's. So, get used to it, your first job will be tomorrow morning." He finished with a cackle as the two adjusted the device to their left arms.
"Thank you sir." Lindsey Anne replied sweetly and smiled up at brooding man.
Tobias had a sour look on his face as he fiddled with the Pip Boy, and nodded up to the Overseer eventually.
"Yeah, thank you…" he mumbled as the Overseer walked away, wrinkling his face at the older man's back.
"Look kids, enjoy your party, don't worry about those jobs until tomorrow, ok? But remember to thank everyone here for coming." James said as he walked behind the two and nudged them on, but not before getting a nice hug from his daughter.
"Happy Birthday Lala, Toby! We really surprised ya, huh?" the chipper voice of Amata called as Lala hopped into her friend's arms.
"Yeah, a little too well with the lights though." Lala said with a big grin and a sweet giggle.
"Wasn't that great…" Tobias grunted with a slick grin, getting a soft elbow to the side from his sister.
"Oh, then I guess you don't want the present I got for you then…" Amata said and held something behind her back teasingly, easily catching Tobias's attention.
"No no! It's a great party, now gimme." He said and pouted at Amata and started grabbing for the present.
"Ok ok, fine. I got this from my dad's office, he confiscated this the other week, and I know that he's your favorite barbarian." She said and held out a small, slightly tattered comic book with a muscled man on the covered, wielding an ax and battling some sort of snake dragon.
Tobias looked generally happy with his present and smiled at Amata and brought her in for a soft hug. "Ok, this is a pretty decent party now." He admitted and watched as the Pip Boy sorted the book for him in an electronic inventory in the device.
Lala's brows raised as she watched the device take his book, Tobias had been working with Stanley for a while now though, and knew his way around Pip Boys; he just hated wearing them. The party went along nicely, the elderly Mrs. Palmer had given the twins sweetrolls, just for them, Stanley gave Tobias a baseball cap and a book on science for Lala. Just as the two turned for their cake, the hovering robot behind the counter began sawing through the confectionary delight with a chainsaw rather than the knife it had.
"Aw man, way to go Bolt Head!" a whiny voice from a scruffy looking boy called, glaring at the mechanic menace.
"Aw geez, sorry kids, I thought I fixed that bug in him…" Stanley said with a sorry look on his face.
"But I'm hungry!" the boy whined again, and let out a frustrated sound as Lala and Tobias wiped the bits of cake from their face, smiling and licking away the frosting. "Hey, gimme that sweetroll you got from Old Lady Palmer." The boy demanded from Lala as James was called over to an intercom.
Lala looked at the boy rather fearful and looked to her Pip Boy with sad eyes to give the boy the sweet. Tobias stepped between the two, wide stance and fists partially raised, glaring at the boy.
"Back off Butch, those sweetrolls were presents for us, the cake's still there, go grab a chunk."
"Yeah right, who knows where that Robot's been! Give it to me!" he demanded again and stepped towards Lala again, who shrunk behind Tobias.
"Go stick your head in the toilet Butch, you're not getting it!" Tobias said standing between Lala and Butch.
Butch started swinging at Tobias and it took a Vault Officer to stop the two and settle down Butch, who was sore that Tobias was able to get a decent swing in. Amata helped Lala relax a little more and Officer Gomez reassured that Butch would be taken care of, and gave Tobias a pat on the back for looking after his sister. James came back to his kids and told them not to worry, and that he had a surprise for them waiting in the lower level.
"Another one?" Tobias kidded, getting his hair ruffled from his father for the comment.
"Yes another one, for both of you too. I'm sure the people here wouldn't mind if you stepped out for a bit. Go on ahead, I'll catch up."
Lala smiled and jumped right ahead, just missing running into Butch's mother, and Tobias was only a few steps behind her. The two raced through the steel hallways of the Vault and rushed down the stair case until they finally came about the Vault reactor area. There was Jonas, standing patiently yet looked at the two kids with a hardened face.
"Now what are you two kids doing down here? I thought kids weren't allowed down on the reactor level." His voice was deep and seemed reprimanding.
"Hey, we're 10 now Jonas, we should be allowed anywhere in the Vault now." Lala chirped and smiled up at Jonas as she tried to stand as tall as she could.
Jonas had to laugh and break his tough exterior and pat her head gently, nodding to her. "Right, right. How could I forget that? Happy Birthday though, kids. We'll get to your present once your dad gets here."
"I'm here Jonas, go ahead and open the door." James said as he jogged up behind his kids, clearing his throat slightly before kneeling before the two. "Now then, since you two are now 10 and have your own Pip Boys, I thought it'd be proper to give you two some special items." He said and hit a few buttons on his own Pip Boy and held out a BB Gun to Lala and a katana to Tobias. "It wasn't easy trying to fix that BB Gun, though thankfully Butch 'misplaced' his switchblade so we could use the spring."
"Where'd you find the sword though?" Tobias asked in awe as he studied the blade carefully.
"Down here as well, not sure how it got here though. Maybe someone long ago had found it before the Vault Door sealed. Anyway, Jonas and I helped setup an area for you two to practice in, go on and try them out."
Lala loaded up her gun and jogged in to the shooting range setup and steadied herself and fired the little peashooter. The target swung back quickly and then settled again, the same for the other targets as well. James chuckled at his daughter's progress and showed Tobias his wooden stakes that he could cut through. The blade sliced through the thin wood and Tobias was very quick to change his stance to the various stakes. He laughed a little and went for the last stake when a Rad Roach appeared; another did in front of Lala as well. The two stopped and looked at the insect before quickly taking aim at them.
Lala shot the ugly creature through the back a few times and watched it stop dead while Tobias ran his blade through the back and jumped back with his sword ready again.
"Good work kids, two less bugs to worry about down here. Let's get a picture together, capture the moment where you're truly growing up." James said proudly and stood between the two and held them close.
As Jonas steadied the camera, Lala and Tobias held their present in view and smiled happily as the flash went off.
Six Years Later:
"I'll never know why you kids try to fake sick when I'm the Vault doctor." James sighed and shut off the small observation light and looked at Tobias with a sour face. "You're perfectly healthy, which means you have to take the G.O.A.T., Tobias."
Grumbling and folding his arms over his chest, Tobias nodded slightly and looked over at his sister, who just shook her head slightly. Where Tobias had grown about as tall as his dad, if not a bit taller, Lala seemed to be at the shorter end of the gene pool, just above average height. James sat behind his desk and began typing at the computer terminal he had and took notes on the clipboard next to him, then looked to Tobias and gave him a warning look. With a huff, Tobias walked out with Lala and began walking for the classroom with her, still sulking and grumbling.
"Knock it off, Toby. It's just a quick test, and Mr. Brotch keeps telling everyone that there are no wrong answers." Lala assured her brother with a slight nudge to his arm.
"No, just shitty results for the other answers. If this was an actual test I wouldn't gripe about it this much…" he sighed and rubbed his neck sorely.
"Yeah, I'm so sure…" she scoffed at her brother as they turned the corner, looking at a group of leather jackets surrounding Amata. "Great, Tunnel Snakes again…" she sighed and walked between two of Butch's goons, standing between Amata and the 'leader'.
"'Ey! What's this shit? You gotta problem short stuff?" Butch huffed as he leaned against the cool steel wall.
"Butch, take your problems elsewhere, preferably to the bottom of a whiskey bottle." Lala retorted and stood tall between him and Amata.
"What? You wanna start something, ya twerp?" Butch snapped and suddenly moved forward, raising his fist to her.
Tobias jumped in and grabbed his fist before slamming it against the wall quickly, glaring at Butch. "Touch my sister, and watch what happens to your face, Butch. You'll wish the Mr. Gutsy unit malfunctioned during surgery instead of what I'd do." He hissed with a wild look in his eyes.
Lala gently held Tobias's free arm and tried to pull him away. "Toby, don't; they're not worth it."
After an aggravated huff, Tobias released him to his goons and watched them walk with their tails tucked between their legs into the classroom. Amata sighed and hugged herself until Lala gave her one.
"Thanks guys, I didn't know what to do." She smiled at them.
"They get on your case because of your dad again?" Tobias asked as he gave a short hug to Amata as well.
She seemed more at ease in his arms and nodded while wrinkling her nose at the idea. "Yeah, I mean it's not like I can help it! It's not my fault my dad's the Overseer, that's just how it is. Well, thanks, again." She seemed to finally relax as she walked into the classroom and took a seat.
"Come along you two, the G.O.A.T. will begin as soon as everyone takes a seat." Mr. Brotch called from the classroom doorway.
Lala pushed Tobias along with her and made sure he took a seat right behind her towards the front, that way he'd have to get a running start before Mr. Brotch caught up with him.
"Come on Toby, it's only 10 questions. Just get through it for dad's sake, ok?" Lala said softly as Mr. Brotch attempted to calm the class down.
Tobias sighed as the lights flipped off and the projector at the front of the screen switched through the first slide. As each question passed, both of the twins seemed to find them extremely odd and almost a bit simplistic, but in a mind numbing way. None of them seemed relevant to what they should be learning, and for the most part, seemed highly improbable in how they would react or how anyone else in the Vault would act. The final question, however, was the one question that they seemed the most disturbed by. They had nothing against the Overseer, since he was Amata's father and had never given them much trouble anyway. But, the thought of him being the only person that should matter to them did not read right to them.
"Well, that concludes the infamous G.O.A.T., finish up and hand your answers in to me please." Mr. Brotch announced as a back light turned on while the majority of the class handed in their answers.
Once Mr. Brotch gave someone their result, their Pip Boy flashed a green light and they viewed how it affected their skills and their overall Intelligence.
"Wow, guess dad wasn't kidding about our Pip Boys." Lala said with an impressed smile, though Tobias was more than familiar with the Pip Boy mechanics.
"Of course he wasn't Lindsey Anne, they're vital to how the adults live and work in the Vault. And it seems like your brother here knows that all too well, Mr. Pip Boy Programmer." Mr. Brotch said as he graded Tobias's test, and then Lala's. "Huh, curious. I thought Vault Loyalty Inspectors was a phased out result. Well, regardless, that's what you'll be young lady."
Lala seemed thrilled though Tobias seemed to know that he was going to wind up with his result. As Amata went to hand in her result, the twins passed by a distraught Butch going on about hair and being a man and demanding a retest. Once they were cleared of the classroom, the two began laughing at the poor bastard's test result, joking that at least he'll have to fix his own mess of a haircut first.
Three Years Later: (Ages: 19)
~Anything's possible, even an A… Haha!...Selfish and insubordinate, just like your father!...You need to know this, I'm not going to be around to hold your hand forever…~ Tobias was muttering in his sleep as Amata tried to wake him up, frantic and panting.
"Come on, wake up! Wake up! Tobias!" she demanded in a raised but hushed voice.
Tobias snorted as he gasped, his eyes flashing open in a haze as he looked at Amata rather confused. "Amata? What's wrong? Why's the alarm sounding?" he asked as he sat up on his bunk bed, Lala sleeping soundly above him.
"Oh God, my father…a-and Jonas! They're after you guys…you have to leave, but my father…and your father!" she was tripping over every word she spoke, gasping as if she hung from a cliff.
"Amata, calm down! What about my dad?" Tobias said as he stood and took a firm hold of her shoulders.
"Huh? Tobias? Is your alarm clock going off?" Lala asked as she looked down at the two, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "Amata? Why are you here?" she yawned as she sat up and continued rubbing her eyes.
"You guys have to wake up, and you have to get out of here. My father's men are looking for you, and they've already killed Jonas!" she said as she took deep breaths.
"What? Jonas?" Lala snapped to suddenly and hopped down from the top bunk, standing beside the two. "Why did they kill Jonas? Amata, what is your dad thinking?"
"My dad? Your dad is the one that left the Vault!" Amata snapped back, making both twins freeze completely. "My dad, everyone, thinks that you're a part of it too, and it just pushed my dad right over the edge. You guys have to get outta here before security catches up with you!"
"But…dad couldn't have left, the Vault door was sealed shut. Tobias, why did he leave?"
"I…I don't know, he never mentioned anything like that to me." He said solemnly and walked over to the desk with a picture of him and his father working on a model.
"Wait, neither of you knew he was going to leave?" Amata asked softly, looking between the two as Lala shook her head worriedly. "Then you have to follow your dad, no one is going to believe that you didn't know he was leaving. I've thought it through, if you use the terminal in my father's office, you can access his secret tunnel that leads right to the Vault exit. Here Lala, I know that you're the best lockpick around, these should get you into his office." She said and handed a bundle of bobby pins to her, letting the Pip Boy materialize them.
"Thanks Amata…" she said softly and went over to the desk and gathered up her things, as did Tobias.
"Wait…one more thing. I stole one of my father's pistols. I hope you won't need it, but take it just in case." She said and handed it to Tobias, who looked at the gun as if he would smite all who opposed him. "I'll try and meet you there, so hurry." As Amata turned away, Tobias kept the gun out as he took the sword his father gave him.
"Tobias…what's going on?" his sister asked as she bit back her tears.
"We're following dad, we're gonna escape. Get the things from the dresser and anything else. We need to get going before we get in over our heads." He cocked the gun and emptied the first aid box.
Once everything was cleared from their room, the twins took off down the hallway outside their room. A security guard rounded the corner and spotted them, but was surprised by a hoard of Rad Roaches that began biting at his legs and even jumping at him. The officer screamed and began beating the roaches with his baton, screaming for help as they tore into his sides and legs. Lala watched on in fear, frozen still at the sight and the sounds the man was making, shaking as she held onto her BB Gun.
Tobias leaped forward with his gun and began shooting at the bugs, trying to help the man, but by the time the last bug was dead, he was bleeding too heavily to be saved and collapsed as more Rad Roaches from the other end of the hall started to swarm the body. Tobias looked back at his sister and shook her strongly.
"Lindsey Anne!" he shouted desperately as she finally seemed to snap back from hysteria. "Don't you ever freeze up like that again, I can't always protect you after we get outta here and I need to know that you'll be strong enough to help find dad!"
Lala blinked at her brother but nodded softly and started running with him towards the exit. She ignored the body on the floor but they were stopped when they ran into a frantic and hysterical Butch.
"Please, help me! My ma, she's in there with the Rad Roaches! You gotta save her!" he gasped and pleaded at Tobias.
"You're fucking kidding me right? Remember how you used to treat us, especially Lala? Go save her yourself, coward." Tobias grunted at Butch and went to walk away, but Butch kept pleading with him.
As the two argued and Tobias tried to get away, Lala snatched up the pistol Tobias had and ran for the room with Butch's mother.
"Lala!" Tobias yelled and tried to grab her, just missing her shoulder.
Lala opened the bedroom door and nimbly jumped in and took aim with steady hands. She squeezed the trigger and felt the gun butt push into her hand, taking out one Rad Roach in the head, the other five fell the same way in a matter of seconds. They hissed as they dropped to the floor, Butch's mother holding herself where the Rad Roaches had bitten her. She seemed dazed and out of it, mumbling and groaning as she stood up.
Lala looked down and started gathering up beer and whiskey bottles from the floor. As she left the room and stood by Tobias, she nodded to Butch and started to walk away.
"Wait, I wanna thank you…" he said hesitantly and took off his leather jacket and gave it to Lala, then walked over to his mother and started treating her wounds.
Tobias sighed and shook his head at Lala, but had to pat her on the back for snapping to the situation so quickly. She smiled as her usual self and started running with her brother again towards the main atrium. As they ran, they narrowly missed being fried by the Mr. Gutsy as it attacked more Rad Roaches, and as they passed Officer Gomez, he nodded to them and went back to helping the others fight.
The atrium was in ruin, people were running and trying to get passed armed officers, but were shot down on sight. Tobias and Lala were right behind them though and managed to shoot both men in the legs, making them drop with a loud scream and several curse words mixed in. The twins took their guns and batons away, along with their security helmets and vests and headed through the door. They made their way to the higher level and passed by other resident rooms, getting cussed at by the people still inside.
Through the computer room, more officers jumped the kids and one managed to pin Tobias to the wall, holding a police baton to his throat tightly. The man was cackling wildly until he dropped suddenly from a bullet to the side of his head. Next to Tobias was Lala, holding her gun and panting heavily, then coughed hoarsely.
"You ok Lala?" Tobias asked worriedly, then saw a harsh red mark across her neck, and saw the other officer was dead as well, bullet to the head.
He held her tight and continued through the area and came upon the detention center, with the Overseer inside with Amata and another officer. Lala gasped and rushed over to the doorway with Tobias behind her.
"Amata!" Lala shouted as she ran in and held her friend, glaring up at the two older men. "How could you hold your own daughter in here like she was a prisoner?"
"This is none of your concern young lady, the only thing you should be worrying about is your father and the fate of you and your brother. Now tell me why he left and who helped him, and Amata will be safe." He said precisely, almost too calmly for the present situation.
"I already told you dad, they don't know why James left, no one does!" Amata said frantically, tears welling up in her eyes as she saw her father click a button on his Pip Boy.
"Tell me now, Lindsey Anne, and I will forget that any of this happened." He said with an almost cold expression in his eyes, his face stiff and rigid.
"You're crazy, you'd kill your own daughter just to get someone back into this brain washing steel trap? What the hell kinda leader are you?" Lala snapped and stood up before the Overseer with clenched fists and whitened knuckles.
"I am the Overseer! I am the absolute law down here, and NO ONE leaves here through the Vault door and lives to tell the tale!" he screamed maniacally and readied his gun to Lala's head.
Several shots rang through the room and everyone stood still for a moment. Lala's eyes were wide as well as the Overseer's, who's forehead slowly dripped blood before his eyes went blank as his knees hit the ground. The other officer had already slumped against the lockers behind him, a bullet through the chest where the vest guard didn't protect him.
Amata began crying and yelling hysterically as she huddled over the body of her father, Lala was shaking noticeably and nearly fell back if Tobias hadn't caught her.
"Toby…he was going to kill his own daughter, just to keep order in this hell hole." She whispered and held onto her brother dearly, her small frame shaking in horror.
"But he was still my father, you don't know if he would have gone through with it or not." Amata said softly as she looked up at Tobias, Lala turned to look at her friend with incredulous eyes.
"Amata, he was unstable as hell, just because our father left the Vault. He would have hurt you too eventually." Tobias said in a soft and reasonable voice, letting Lala stand up again.
"No! He was my father, he would have never hurt me!" she yelled and bit back her tears as she stared down Tobias, a wave of emotions in her eyes.
"Amata…" Lala said softly and stepped forward to console her friend, but was held back by Tobias.
"What's the password on his office terminal?" Tobias asked, though he already had a hunch on what it was.
She fumbled through her father's Pip Boy and threw the small piece of paper at him, sniffling and clenching her fists. "Amata, that was his password."
The twins lowered their heads, unable to cope with how rough this night had been, for all of the people they knew. They quickly took what they could from the lockers and ran towards the Overseer's office, leaving Amata to mourn. As they made it to the front of his office, they found the dead body of Jonas, his blood staining the floor and his lab coat. The two tried to move him in a more comfortable position, and took the cassette tape from the coat pocket. Covering his body with his lab coat, they left their friend and picked the lock to the office and entered the password into the computer terminal.
The desk slowly lifted up on hydraulic pistons of sorts and revealed the tunnel before the two. As they entered, they pressed the locking button and went on ahead as the desk returned to it's original spot. The tunnel was lit by a red emergency light and barely illuminated the Rad Roach in the corner until they heard it hiss as they ran passed. Through the bolted steel door was a solid wall, and until they flipped a switch did they see the sealed entrance to Vault 101.
As they walked over to the console and turned it on, Amata caught up to them and stood in awe as the crank moved into place and opened the Vault entrance.
"It's actually opening…" she gasped softly, her eyes still red from before as she glared at the twins. "At least you're leaving now, and I know that you thought you were helping me…but you didn't have to kill my dad." She sighed and turned towards the locked door.
"I'm sorry Amata…" Tobias said kindly and reached out to touch her shoulder, just as the Vault entrance opened.
Amata looked back with a longing look in her eyes; she cared for the twins so much. Lala was her best and at times, her only friend; while Tobias had been the one that she wanted to be beside so often. But now, as she looked at his defined features, she could only see the man who murdered her father, and nothing more.
"Just leave, and find your dad." She said and moved his hand from her shoulder, turning her back on Tobias.
Shutting his eyes tight, Tobias turned back and jumped down the steps with Lala behind him, who lingered back and wanted to take Amata with them. With teary eyes, she turned as well and jumped the stairs, Tobias waiting to catch her as she stumbled her landing. The other door opened and two guards rushed in passed Amata, who only walked through and left her friends behind. The two ran quickly for the light at the end of the cave, panting heavily and the new sensation of uneven ground greeted their tired feet, bullets whizzing passed their heads. As they reached the shack door entrance of the cave, the buzzing sound of the Vault door closing was the last sound they would hear from their home.
They burst through the shack door of the cave and groaned as the natural light of The Wastes blinded them, welcoming them to a new and bloody chapter of their lives.