Chapter 2

Jacen woke with a start as the sun streaked in through the open spaces in-between the metal slabs that made up his house. He sat up and reached across the desk to his Pip-Boy 3000 that was laying on the desk right next to the bed.

"Fuck, 930 already…" he muttered to himself. "How long was I asleep for?" he asked no one in particular as he swung himself out of bed and stretched a bit, working to get the kinks out that months of exploring the Wasteland left in his joints.

Tabbing through the Pip-Boy, he cycled over to the radio section when he saw a new frequency. "Hmmmm…'Vault 101 Emergency Frequency'…what the hell is this?" Jacen muttered to himself as he read the small green display.

Flipping over to the channel he listened to a voice he had tried to forget. The message began with an automated message, but then her voice took over, and the feelings he thought he'd buried out in the Wasteland returned with a vengeance.

"This is an automated distress message from Vault-Tec: Vault 101. Message begins…" Here her voice took over from the automated, robotic tone. "It feels like you left home a long time ago, but I know you're still out there. I just hope you're still alive to hear this. Things got worse after you left. My father's gone made with power. If you can hear this, please stop looking for your dad and help stop mine. I changed the door password to my name. If you're hearing this, and if you still care enough to help me, you should remember it."

Jacen rubbed his hands through his hair as the message played on loop over and over again. After the third listening he opened up his desk drawer and poured himself a glass of whiskey. He slowly sipped it as he listened to Amata Almodovar's voice beg him for help over and over.

Jacen turned off the radio and poured himself another heavy glass of whiskey while he decided what to do. On the one hand, it was only about an hour's walk from Megaton to Vault 101, and he'd be able to collect a few things from his old living quarters that he'd forgotten to grab in the mad panic that was the night he broke out months ago. On the other hand, his last memory of Vault 101 was being shot at by the Overseer's overzealous security guards as he was running for the exit.

"Well, you did kill one of them, to be fair," he said to himself, feeling the effects of the whiskey on his empty stomach. "No wonder they tried to kill you back." The truth was, once the Overseer branded him an outlaw of the Vault, the security guards would have tried to kill him on sight regardless of any actions Jacen took the night he broke out.

"Killing that prick Mack was icing on the cake, not gonna lie," Jacen muttered to himself with a small smile as he got more and more drunk. He talked to himself a lot, especially when he'd been drinking.

Jacen drained his glass and decided against pouring another one. It wasn't his nature to sit around and drink himself into a stupor, but his thoughts grew cloudy when Amata was involved. The truth was, she was the biggest reason he was even thinking about heading back to Vault 101 and diving back into a world he literally ran away from months ago.

"Of all the people you've helped, for good and for ill, how could you not help her?" he said to no one in particular as he ran his hands though his hair.

Looking at the date on his Pip-Boy, Jacen sighed. How have I only been gone a few months? he thought to himself as he walked down the stairs and started putting on his Combat Armor. Feels like a lifetime ago.

Time moved strangely in the Wasteland. The lack of seasons – an aftereffect of the Great War – meant that it was always warm and always dry, so there was no way to really tell how many days passed without a calendar. Jacen had been only out of the Vault a few months, but he'd lived a lifetime and then some since his escape.

Strapping on his armor, he rubbed his hands together while looking over his arsenal, evaluating what weapons to take with him on his trip to the Vault. God willing I won't need any once I enter the Vault proper, he thought to himself as he strapped on his submachine gun on one hip, a combat knife on the other and his long-range hunting rifle on his back. No need for the energy weapons, just a waste of ammo I'll need later. He packed up a few clips for each gun, a couple bottles of water, some stimpacks and a few dozen bottle caps in a knapsack.

Leaving his house he realized how hungry – and buzzed – he was, so Jacen made his way down the crater to the Brass Lantern, a stone's throw from the atomic bomb that gave Megaton its name, and the best place in town for actual food that didn't come out of a two-hundred-year-old box.

"Jacen! How have you been dear, haven't seen you in a bit!" Jenny Stahl, one of the owners of the restaurant, said with a smile. People here really do like me, Jacen thought with a bit of wonder as he smiled back and took a seat at the outdoor counter. It wasn't that long ago that he was a scared boy wandering Megaton with salvaged Vault 101 security gear and a half-broken police baton. Now look at me…I'm a fucking badass, he allowed himself a small smile while reading the specials on a blackboard on the other side of the counter.

"I'm good Jenny, thanks," Jacen replied as he scanned the menu. "Can I get a plate of noodles and a glass of water?"

"Purifier was acting up a few days ago, should be ok now, but I can't promise it will be rad-free water…or noodles for that matter," Jenny answered with a sigh.

"Life is a gamble here in the Capital Wasterland, Jenny, I'll take my chances with the water."

"You got it hon. Give me a few and it'll be up."

Jenny wasn't kidding – only took a few more minutes for Jacen's breakfast to be served. Jacen passed his Pip-Boy over the bowl and accompanying glass of water. The built-in Geiger counter didn't crackle, so Jacen dug in. The food was a little salty – most Wasteland food was salty, either from the preservatives in the Pre-War packaging or because salt was the only real way to preserve fresh food these days.

Jacen learned on his travels that electricity was rare enough that only the largest settlements could afford it, and even places that had power didn't always have it full-time, so refrigeration was usually not practical. Hence the salt, he thought to himself. At this point he was used to the salt; it was as much a part of day-to-day Wasteland existence as the raiders and Super Mutants.

Jacen finished his meal, threw a few caps on the counter and headed towards the large gates at the north end of town. Jacen waited for the gates to open and pulled his hunting rifle from its resting place on his back. Only a fool walked the Wasteland without a weapon in hand, he thought bitterly as he started the walk back to Vault 101.

Jacen walked with a purpose, but still tried to remain somewhat hidden as he darted through the Pre-War town of Springvale. Jacen remembered the first time he was her, his head still spinning from his successful escape of Vault 101. He'd been back since, and more or less salvaged everything of value in and around the bombed-out houses on his last visit.

He gave the school, situated to the north of the town, a wide berth as the sun reached its high point in a cloudless sky. He'd cleaned out the school as well, encountering some especially greedy – and stupid – raiders a few weeks back. Turns out they tried to tunnel into Vault 101 before they encountered a giant ant colony. Several raiders were ripped to bits by the insects before Jacen even came onto the scene. The school didn't have much of value, besides a few Nuka-Cola Quantums and some halfway decent weaponry, but every little bit of trash was someone's – usually Moira's – treasure out here.

After another half-hour or so of uneventful walking, Jacen found the small door that led to the Vault's entrance. Pulling it open, he took off his sunglasses and put them in their specially-designed metal case in his knapsack so they wouldn't shatter. He wouldn't need them here.

Giving his eyes a moment to adjust to the light, he made his way down the tunnel, memories and even a fair bit of nostalgia flooding his being. Life in the Vault wasn't great during the best of times – few people, constant work and boredom were only a few of the problems, but it was safe, and the list of truly safe places in the Wasteland could be counted on one hand with fingers to spare.

The Vault Dwellers were lucky. Thing is, none of them really knew how lucky. Jacen remembered his shock and horror when he encountered raiders, ghouls and Super Mutants for the first time. That shock quickly dissipated as Jacen realized the number one rule of the Wasteland: just about everything out here is trying to kill you.

That rule was something the people on the other side of the multi-ton steel and lead door not only didn't have to know, but would never have to know. Because as bad as Vault 101 was – and Amata's message indicated that it was pretty bad – life in the Wasteland could be worse.

On the other hand, Jacen knew first-hand how tyrannical and oppressive the Overseer could be, so he certainly didn't blame anyone who wanted to follow in his footsteps and escape.

Just keep an open mind, see what's going on and get the hell out without killing anyone, he told himself silently as he walked up to the giant steel door. A small keyboard popped out of the Vault itself just to the left of where the door swung open.

Jacen grabbed the keyboard and slowly entered Amata's name, then hit enter. He didn't realize he was holding his breath until the large Vault door began to groan and slide open.

Jacen stood in front of the open door for a few long minutes, gathering his thoughts. "No time like the present," he muttered as he stepped back into the Vault.