I still don't own anything.

My eyelids felt heavy as the slowly opened a bit. My vision was blurry; my head was pounding, and my body felt heavy. I blinked a few times and as my vision cleared a brown ceiling entered my vision. I was on a stretcher; a thin sheet covered my naked body.

There was a wall made from a dirty Byobu from the Prewar times. The room was surprisingly clean despite what I thought when I first took notice of this town. Another thing that struck me odd was why I was naked with just a thin sheet covering me. I looked at my shoulder to see that my wound was stitched and the blood had been cleaned off.

I slowly sat up, holding the sheet to my chest, black dots danced in my vision. I closed my eyes and took a shaky breath. I didn't recall what happened after I opened the door. I looked around and saw my Pipboy and sunglasses on a table next to the stretcher.

"I'm sorry to say, but she passed away shortly after the operation," I heard an elderly man say. He was on the other side of the Byobu.

"Damn, only if I was just a little bit faster," the second man who spoke sounded familiar to me.

"It's not your fault Simms," the first guy said, and I quietly grabbed my Pipboy and put it on.

"Easier said Doc," the man muttered.

I quickly scrolled through my Pipboy and a fresh pair of undergarments materialized in my hand. I stood up and immediately put them on before going back into my Pipboy and clicking on my other Vault Suit. Once it was in my hand I slid it on, my wounds twitching in pain.

"Well her body is still in the back on the stretcher," the Doc mumbled. "Should we bury her or just leave her for the Mole Rats?" The Doc asked as I grabbed my sunglasses.

"Well," Simms sighed. "We don't have a spot to bury her in town. She came from the Vault, right?"

"She was wearing Vault 101 jumpsuit, and those aren't something you can just buy anywhere," the Doc said as I put on my sunglasses.

"Then I'll bury her up by the Vault. I'll recruit a few people to help out. Do you have an idea of how tall she is?"

"She approximately 5'10," the Doc answered, and I walked past the Byobu.

"Alrig-" Simms started but stopped once he saw me.

Simms was dark skin, tall and middle age. He wore a leather duster, brown cargo pants, a brown t-shirt and a sheriff's hat. The Doc was a senior man, dark skinned and around the same height as Simms. The Doc had white hair and a white goatee. Both of them looked surprised to see me up and moving.

"How are you alive?" The Doc asked as he walked up to me. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. I died?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Shortly after I stitched up your wounds. Your heart stopped, and I tried to resuscitate you, but you remained dead," the Doc said.

"I feel okay now," I said. "How long was I out for?"

"Well the surgery to remove the bullets took about ten hours, then stitching you up, so you didn't bleed out took about an hour. Ten minutes later, when I was checking your pulse and switching your blood pack your heart stopped. I tried to revive you for around ten minutes, and when I couldn't, I called it." He said, and I nodded.

"So I was out for eleven hours and ten minutes?" I asked, and he shook his head.

"No. I drank for about an hour then went to find Simms which took half an hour. So it was about twelve hours and forty minutes," he said, and I swore under my breath.

"Is something wrong?" Simms asked me, and I sighed.

"I'm looking for someone, and now they have a half a day start," I said, and Simms nodded.

"Who are you looking for?" Simms asked.

"My father," I replied. "He's middle age, he has graying brown hair, and he has a mustache, and he should've been wearing a Vault 101 jumpsuit. His name is James," I said, and Simms was quiet for a second.

"He did come into town, but he spent most of his time in Moriarty Saloon," Simms said.

"He bought some supplies from me, but he didn't say anything about where he was going," the Doc said, and I nodded.

"Thank you for everything. Do I owe you anything for the surgery or the stitches?" I asked Doc, and he shook his head.

"Simms already paid for it," he muttered.

"Thank you, Simms," I said, and he smiled and nodded, "Can I buy some medical supplies before I go?" I asked the Doc.

"Put it on my tab and get her the Wasteland kit," Simms said, and the Doc nodded.

"Um thanks," I said, and Simms smiled.

"No worries," he said as the Doc walked away to his supply cabinet.

"What is this town?" I asked him.

"It's just a quaint little town where we all put up with each other. I'm the Mayor and Sheriff. Moria works up at Craterside Supply. The Brass Lantern is just across the way, and it's the best place to get food. Moriarty is up in his Saloon, keeping the drunks drunk." He said, and I nodded. "Then there are the Children of the Atom who stand around the bomb and talk about it," he said, and I arched my brow.

"There is a bomb in the town?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah. It's about ten feet from the Brass Lantern," he said, and I nodded.

"Is it armed?" I asked, and he sighed.

"Here you go," the Doc said as he walked back in with a decent side medical bag. He handed it to me, and I smiled and thanked him. "You should get something to eat before you go too far."

"I will," I assured him and he nodded.

"Come, I'll pay for your breakfast," Simms said, and I nodded, feeling a bit strange.

We walked out of the Doc's and straight ahead was the Brass Lantern, right next to the walkway to the Doc's office was a two headed cow and a settler and across from the Brass Lantern was the bomb. Simms and I walked up to the Brass Lantern and sat at the bar on the dirty stools.

"Now I know I've never seen you around here before," a lady said as she walked up from the other side of the bar.

She had shoulder length brown hair and hazel eyes. She was wearing a dirty Red Racer jumpsuit. She was smiling at me.

"I'm new in town," I murmured, and she nodded.

"We had a newcomer, but Doc told me she died," she said, and I smiled uneasily.

"That would be me," I said awkwardly, and her eyes widened.

"Oh my," she mumbled shocked. "I'm Jenny Stahl," she said sticking out her hand.

"Louise," I said as I shook her hand.

"It's nice to meet you," she said as she released my hand. She seemed a bit shaky, but I brushed it off. "What would you two like to eat?"

"Brahmin steak please," Simms said, and I sighed.

"I'll have that too, please," I said, and she nodded.

She looked up, and her smile slowly faded. I turned my head to see what she was looking at. There was a middle age man wearing leather armor with a Chinese Assualt Rifle on his back. He had a bald spot on the top of his head, and the rest of his hair shaven. He was Hispanic, and his eyes were hazel, and he had a goatee and a beard.

Jenny became a bit shaky, and the man slowly started to walk towards the Brass Lantern. Jenny disappeared into the door, and the man sat down next to me. I averted my gaze, but I could feel his eyes on my body. I didn't understand what I was feeling, but this entire town made me feel hostile.

"Hey baby, where did you come from?" He asked me and I looked at him.

"The Vault," I replied, keeping my voice calm.

"Then you've never been with a real man before," he said with a short laugh. Jenny came back out holding two plates of Brahmin steak.

"Here you go. Would you like anything to drink?" She asked, and I looked at her.

"Two Nuka Colas please," Simms said, and she nodded.

"Anything for you?" She asked the man without actually looking at him.

"Nothing you can give me," he said as he continued to look at me.

"Okay," Jenny said as she turned to the refrigerator that leaned against the wall. She unlocked the door and grabbed two Nuka Colas before closing and relocking the door. She put the two bottled down and walked back into the Brass Lantern.

"So how many people did you sleep with down in that Vault of yours?" The man asked me, and Simms looked over at him.

"Jericho, leave her alone," Simms snapped at him, and he scoffed.

"Whatever," Jericho muttered as he got up.

Jericho left, and I looked over at Simms. He cut into his Brahmin steak, and I looked down at mine. We both ate silently. Once we've finished, he paid Jenny for the meal and bid me a good day.

I decided to go up to Moriarty's Saloon. As I was walking, I saw a senior man with dark skin and grey-white hair. He was looking at a piece of paper and had a pencil tucked behind his ear. He was wearing a dirty blue jumpsuit.

"Is everything alright, sir?" I asked him and he looked over at me.

"Huh? Yeah, I guess. Our pumps aren't as reliable as they should be. I think there are about three leaks in the pimps. Will you please take a look around to see if you can fix them? I'll pay you for fixing them if you do," he said, and I smiled.

"I will take a look," I assured him and he nodded and went back to looking at his paper.

I continued on my way to the Saloon. I made it to the Saloon, and I opened the door. A rotting human was cleaning the bar and behind him was two people arguing. One of them was a senior man with shoulder length light gray hair, blue eyes, and a bushy goatee. The other was a girl. She had short dirty blond hair and blue eyes. She dressed like a whore. The man she was arguing with looked at me for a second before turning back to her.

There was only one man at the bar. He dressed in a white t-shirt and gray cargo pants. To my left was a girl with blond hair that was pulled up into a ponytail and blue eyes. Behind her, sitting in a chair was a senior man. He wore a white business suit, white fedora, and sunglasses. He had a glass of whiskey in his hand, and I could feel him looking at me.

I sat down at the bar, and the rotten human looked at me. He walked up to me, and he had faded blue eyes and patches of brown hair. He was wearing a dirty white shirt and dirty cargo pants. He was the only person thus far that didn't just irritate me just by looking at him. Maybe because he was like, different.

"What can I get you smooth skin?" He asked me, his voice hoarse.

"No thank you, sir," I said politely, and he smiled softly. "Well, I do wish to bother you with a small question."

"What's on your mind?" He asked me.

"I was wondering if you saw someone. He's middle-aged, graying brown hair, a mustache, he's tall. His name is James, and he should've been wearing a Vault 101 jumpsuit. Have you seen him?" I asked him, and he sighed.

"There was a man like that here, but you would need to speak with the owner of the Saloon, Moriarty," he answered, and I nodded.

"Thank you," I said with a small smile. "I'm Louise," I said holding out my hand.

"Gob," he said shaking my hand.

"Pleasure to meet you," I said, and he nodded, and we released hands.

"Nice to me you. Can I get you anything?" He asked, and I sighed.

"Um, no thanks. I'll just wait until Moriarty is free," I said with a small smile, and he nodded.

He went back to cleaning up the bar top. Moriarty was still hush arguing with the girl, and I sighed softly. I ran my finger over the bar softly, and I heard someone sit next to me. Even though I went through the things that I did, it didn't bother me in the slightest. Part of me didn't even want to find my father, and the half of me that did was split into two. One part wanted me to find him just to scream at him for leaving me in the hell hole all alone, and the other part missed him and just wanted him back.

"May I buy you a drink?" A calm voice reached my ears. I looked up to see the senior man in the white suit sitting next to me.

"Are you talking to me?" I asked him and he chuckled softly.

"Well you are the only beautiful woman in the Saloon," he said with a smile, and I turned to see the blond haired girl was gone.

"I'm not much of a drinker," I mumbled as I looked back at him.

"Well, you sound like you could use one. You seem to have a lot on your beautiful mind. Would you like to speak about it?" He asked.

I looked up to where Moriarty was arguing with the girl, and they were no longer there. The girl was leaning against the wall off to the right; Jericho was sitting on the right side of the bar looking, and the person that was there earlier was now gone. Moriarty was cleaning glass, standing behind the bar and Gob was washing dishes in the back.

"It's nothing special," I replied slowly, slightly confused.

"You seem distressed," he said worriedly as he took my hand in his.

"How long have I've been sitting here?" I asked him, and he sighed.

"Well I left around one in the afternoon, and I came back for my ten o'clock drink and you here when I got here, and I've been here for about an hour," he answered, but for me, it felt like thirty seconds. My stomach rumbled softly, and he smiled softly. "You seem to be hungry, let me buy you dinner down at the Brass Lantern," he offered, and I was quite annoyed with people.

"Sure," I replied softly and he stood up, keeping my hand in his.

I stood up, and I could feel Jericho staring at us. I heard Jericho's feet touch the ground as the suited guy reached for the door. Jericho took a quick pace as he approached us. Mister Burke opened the door, and I felt Jericho's hand wrap around my arm. The suited man looked at Jericho, and I could feel the anger radiating off him. Moriarty chuckled, and I felt something slowly snapping inside of me.

"Now hold up," Jericho said, and the man's hand slipped from mine.

"May I help you?" The man asked, and Jericho chuckled.

"Not you old man, but this beautiful thing can," he said.

It was like an electric rush like a dam finally broke. I gritted my teeth before pulling my arm away from Jericho. I had a want, a need for bloodshed. I couldn't explain the way it tickled my bones, the way the thought of Jericho's blood pooled on the floor made my heart beat faster than a nuclear blast. I felt a darkness start from the deep inside of me, slowly radiating out, spreading over my body like the plague.

"Why would she want to spend her time with a Neanderthal?" The man asked Jericho, and he chuckled.

"At least when I fuck her I won't break my hip," Jericho snapped back.

Before I realized what happened my fist crushed into Jericho's face, making him stumble back and fall backward into the bar. His head slumped downward and, I could hear him groaning in pain. Moriarty was smiling and looking at me, the girl dressed as a whore was rushing to his side, and Gob seemed pleased with what I had done. But I wanted more. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves, and lock up this untold darkness. Nova reached him, calling him baby, and holding his face softly.

"Would ya look at that," Moriarty said, and I looked at him. He walked around the bar and started to approach me. "When I first met'cha I thought you wouldn't amount to anything," he said, his voice thick with the roots of the Irish.

"I'm sorry?" I asked not remembering ever talking to him.

"Back when you were a wee little baby," he said, and he smirked. "Your father never told you."

"No, he was pretty good at keeping his secrets," I replied. "So this was before we were locked away in the Vault?" I asked him and he smiled.

"So you know you weren't born and that metal hole?" He asked, and I nodded.

"I'm not a fool Colin," I said, and he chuckled.

"But you make the boys around here act like fools," he said looking back at Jericho then at the suited man. "I figured you'd go up ugly. You were a fat little slime ball," he joked, and I chuckled.

"Explains what happened to you," I said, and he laughed.

"I like ya kid. Come back, and we'll talk about your father," he said, and I nodded.

"Thank you," I said, and he nodded and walked away. I turned to the suited man. "Are you still interested in dinner?" I asked him and he smiled.

"Of course dear," he answered, offering me his hand.

I smiled and I took it, learning now how to play the game.