Vault 101 was a prison Lyle always thought he was doomed to die in. He was told many times by every citizen that he was born there and he was going to die there too. It was a useless existence and Lyle hated it, passionately. In his opinion the vaults were filled with spineless people who couldn't handle reality, excluding him of course. The idea of leaving never crossed his mind despite the constant inquiry of dwelling underground and why it was a horrible life. There was nothing out there, only his imagination could fill in the blank spaces. He fabricated a world full of ash, where the sun hid behind dust that clouded the heavens. Soot flurried onto the ground like snow and the sun; a figment of his imagination. Among the withered world there was a large steel door, each ridge locked into place. Huge white lettering 101 warding off any who desired safety. No on ever entered and no one ever left.
That was all he could think of; the big mysterious world beyond the vault. Inside, the ash and rubble was replaced with dull steel walls that emitted a cool wave onto anyone who passed by. All around it was a gloomy place lit with fluorescent lights, the only color matched those sewn into his Vault 101 jumpsuit. The halls had no personality, no pleasurable appearance, but inside each living space the residents were allowed to chose the decoration. Lyle was used to the tacky yellow paneling, the faded couch, salmon colored chairs and the metallic tables that attempted to imitate wood. There were a few pictures that littered the wall of scenery, one with a strange animal his father said used to be called, a duck. Other than that everything was generic, the people were close enough too.
At the age ten he got his pip-boy 3000, a party, a copy of Gronak the Barbarian and a BB gun. Sixteen he took his G.O.A.T and realized he was doomed to be a sanitation 'officer', specifically known as a janitor. It was an age to discover his true position in the spectrum of morality; choosing to side with the Tunnel Snakes, inflicting havoc onto the population in Vault 101. His outlandish actions were shunned and punished by everyone, even Butch Deloria found reason to throw Lyle under the bus when justice came knocking on their doors. Lyle took the fall for everything, mostly because he was the only one out of the Tunnel Snakes who had the balls to deal with any shit dished out, even when the Overseer set down his platter. His father always commented on Lyle's determination and fearlessness, attributes similar to his mother; qualities his father would never know.
Nineteen was an age of new frontier, even though the map only consisted of a female figure. His favorite landmarks were the twin hills and the cavern down below. As for his ambitions Lyle grudged against his job, he wanted to be an engineer, he wanted to fix and create things, not to mention he had tendencies he couldn't explain. He attempted to talk to his father, medically about having a mental illness and not something physical. James insisted that was myth from the past; evolution and advanced medicine fixed all those problems. Lyle tried to do some digging but never found out what his issue was. Common knowledge would diagnose him as a pyromaniac, which also lead to fascination with explosives. He didn't know that and probably never would be able to name it.
As for his relationship with his father, Lyle looked up to the man. He may have had terrible judgment, but he did make an effort to be on great grounds with his father. James was all Lyle really had in the hole he lived in. His mother died a long time ago during child birth and Lyle had only one loyal friend, Amata; whom he always had conflicts with. He treated her so badly and just like a naive puppy, she kept coming back to play ball. Her efforts were highly appreciated, but Lyle would never show it. Ha no. He was NOT the kind of man to melt to mush for a girl, real men didn't cry. If it weren't for the Overseer being a major chockablock, Amata would have found herself in Lyle's belt, but for now, Susie Mack fit the bill.
James' green eyes focused on the pixilated words on the terminal upon his desk, each word read was disrupted by a sudden tap of a ball hitting the floor and flying back up into his son's palm. He tried to remain calm even though irritation slowly built up inside him. Lyle's vision looked at his father intently throwing the ball to the floor and gingerly catching it when it came back, he aimed to get his father off track. James let out a long sigh as he took his hand to his chin and positioned it skeptically under his lip. Another tap. His eyes still searched the blank screen, he was pretending to still be occupied, casually ignoring his son.
Tap.
James moved the mouse to open and close files aimlessly, still not being constructive.
Tap.
"What is it Lyle?" He finally said, his tone showing a little bit of agitation. Lyle's fingers clutched the small red ball and slipped it into the pocket of his dark leather Tunnel Snake jacket. He composed his expression wittingly; demonstrating real concern and attempted a skeptical appearance. "Is it possible to get a different job than what the G.O.A.T assigns?" he asked pointing a finger to the air as he pressed his lips together in a flat frown. James turned his chair to face his son and he crossed his hands in his lap.
"Son…The G.O.A.T decides what you're going to be. If you fooled around and decided not to take it seriously, your results won't benefit you." he explained, he still had a disapproving tone. Recently, it seemed like James was avoiding conversation. Lyle was convinced he was hiding something and it had to be something good. His father told him everything, keeping only his mother vague. This was new and Lyle didn't like the way it made him felt. The expression on his face softened and he looked down at his entwined hands.
"I'm sorry dad." Lyle apologized moving his thumb over his knuckle. James' brows arched in surprise as he leaned back in his chair, brushing his chin briefly.
"Sorry? What ever for?" he stated. "Most of the time I don't understand why you do the things you do, how you treat Amata, especially how great she's treated you, but in the end, you're my only son, Lyle and I will always love you. You make your own decisions for yourself and you must face the consequences. You need to know these things. I'm not going to be around to hold your hand forever." James said turning back to the computer to actually get something done. Lyle understood that James told him he didn't need approval, but perhaps needing approval was a conscience? James' tone is what really got to him; people died, but he just felt like that wasn't the angle his father was aiming at. Little did he know; James' advice would apply to the rest of his life.
"Are you sick or something?" Lyle asked following his feelings. There had to be a reason he chose those words. "Or perhaps going away?" it was a silly question to ask because no one left the vault, but something about that advice did not settle right in his stomach.
James turned back and gave out a short laugh, almost mocking Lyle unintentionally. "No No. I'm just saying you're an adult now Lyle and I can't be accountable for you anymore. You're going to get older, get married and probably have kids. You're still interested in Susie Mack, right?" He had to mention Susie Mack. Lyle rolled his eyes as discretely as he could by turning his head away from James' gaze.
"She was just a phase." Lyle explained, James successfully changed the subject. "Her brains can fit in a Pork N' Beans can and she isn't any better at cutting the cake than Andy." Lyle was actually being serious, but James let out a short chortle from the commentary. "I wouldn't want to marry her." he said, of course he was going to omit his whole sex life from his father. He didn't really want to marry anyone, everyone just seemed incapable of compatibility with Lyle. James nodded briefly and turned back to his computer, Lyle could fill in the words:
Aw, what a shame….
He stood from the desk he was sitting on and left the health office, leaving his father to his work. It wasn't a shame, more options just needed to be presented. Walking down the hall slowly he kept his gaze to the floor, deeply occupied by thought. He walked by windows to every resident cell, ignoring all commotion that took place inside. Even Butch's cell felt rejected from Lyle's neglect. After a few more windows he slowly stopped and looked to his left, turning his whole body to retain full view. Through the clear glass he saw the bare back of a slender dark woman. It was not just any woman, he say flesh and structure of Amata Almodovar. He didn't understand why they put windows in the sleeping cells, because even his own cell had a window, but this was the first time he truly appreciated it. His green eyes from his father trailed down her figure, head to toe, taking in every detail of her curves. He could tell his jaw released and made his mouth gape open.
She had such a beautiful figure, she wasn't too curvy nor did she mimic a ten year old boy. A perfect balance between chest and hips, everything was nice and toned. He felt a tingling in his nether regions and casually looked down. The crotch of his jumpsuit felt significantly tighter, but all was explained when a newly formed bulge emerged from his pants. How embarrassing. Nothing was going to happen, unless he paraded in there, which would also be embarrassing, where's Susie Mack when an erection needs to be resolved? It was a perfect moment to make awkward as Lyle looked back up and stared into Amata's hazel eyes. His face composed a painful expression as he avoided grabbing his crotch. She was still naked.
It didn't make any sense, there he was standing outside her window and she didn't make any attempt to quickly clothe herself and shield her body from his eyes.
His pained expression changed to a curious frown, arching one brow he inquired her posture with a mere glance. Her pink lips pulled into a small grin as she walked around her bed closer to the window. She waved flirtatiously and then pressed the tint button on the window. The glass grew darker and the naked woman disappeared. Lyle was utterly disappointed. He continued on his way, walking a little haste, he did not want to run into anyone when he had an erection, especially Susie Mack; he admired making derogatory statements about her, nothing serious. The only person he encounter was Andy hovering outside Lyle's cell, right in front of James' door. Lyle casually clapped a palm over his crotch and slipped by the robot undetected. Once the door slid shut he felt secure in his own cell. "Inaccessible. Open on my command only." Lyle commanded and the door made two flat beeps as it locked.
The sitting area before his cell was a place James visited very little, he decided to give Lyle his own space because he was a man now. As a kid it was the main hype for social events, but now Lyle even ate dinner alone. He was his own independent person, he didn't need daily meals with his old man. Through another door was his room, with a desk, a bed and not much of anything. Before he settled he made it crucial to turn the tint on his window. On his desk was the BB gun his father had given him, his baseball cap and baseball casually thrown next to it. They all seemed untouched for years, but he still kept them on his desk like antiques to display. He sat down in the chair and leaned back, trying to sit as comfortably as possible. His hand moved to his desk and brushed his fingers along the wood stock of his BB gun his father had given him on his tenth birthday. It was Lyle's pride and joy to own that gun.
As for antiques he opened the center drawer to his desk, revealing the copy of Gronak the Barbarian. He reached for it and laced his fingers through the pages, briefly looking through the pictures, but failing to re-read his adventures. He sustained from tending to his sexual urges and soon the blood flowed back through his system. There was a quick noise as a door slid shut, but Lyle thought nothing of it, probably just James going to his cell for bed. Minutes etched by, he could feel fatigue weight down his lids and his eyes slowly fought sleep; his world plummeting into darkness.
Breakdown….
Lyle stood at the edge of a cliff looking down into the endless abyss below him. There was no sky, no horizon, no center and no end. It seemed that just the rusted metal existed under his feet and nothing else. He leaned forward to gaze down into the trench of shadow. Despite the intangible darkness he knelt down and lowered his hands past the jagged edge. A smooth black liquid coated the tips of his fingers, it was cool and thick like blood as he lathered it between his thumb and index. It started to wash away as clean water fell from above, he watched the black goo piece off in clouds as it dripped off of his flesh.
A hand shoved his shoulder and Lyle picked his head up from the desk with a distinct red mark coloring his cheek. His green eyes looked up to see the blurred shape of a figure shaking him awake. The smudges of color blazed as a yellow light flashed through his sight and his hearing soon tuned the blaring siren in. "Wha….?" he asked lazily as he lifted a free hand to rubs his eyes into clearer vision. Amata stood there looking frightened.
"Wake up, C'mon, Wake Up!" she urged shaking him. A smug smile spread across his face as he buried the side of his head into crossed arms on the desk.
"How weird, I was just dreaming about you." he claimed giving out a short snort. She shook him more and he moaned. Lyle may have treated Amata badly in front of the kids, trying to act cool for Butch, even though he already thought he was a tough man. It was just a bunch of idiocy, but Lyle indulged himself in a little bit of entertainment. As for her though, Lyle secretly had a sweet spot for her; she was annoyed he didn't show it, but in the end she always knew he had his own way of saying he enjoyed her company.
"This is no time to be a smart ass." she fired back shaking him more. Lyle's eyes opened and he saw the flashing yellow light again. There had to be something wrong. He lifted his head up once again from the desk and looked around past Amata.
"What the hell is going on?" he asked. The loudspeaker announced a Radroach infestation and Lyle was content with his indirect answer. "Ah Christ…you woke me up for some stupid infestation?" he asked lowering his head back into his folded arms. Amata shoved another hand into his shoulder and he shifted weight. "Jesus! What is it woman?" he exclaimed lifting his head up.
"It's your father, he's left the vault and my father's men, they're coming to look for you. Jonas is dead!" She sputtered out all in one sentence. Lyle took a moment to process it all. Out of all facts fed to him only one held significance. "My father…is gone?" he asked reassuring himself.
"Yes! He escaped the vault and now they're coming after you!" She said. That's all he needed to hear as he stood up from his chair, rubbing the blush from his face. Her gaze followed him slightly confused. "Aren't you going to run? You should go after him." she suggested placing one hand on his shoulder. He shook away her touch and grabbed his BB, pocketing the pellets as well. "What are you doing?" she asked turning to face him. Lyle held the gun in his hands and turned to her, he had to look down because she was a lot shorter than him. He'd grown like a bean stalk during the past few years.
He felt a sting pierce his heart and instead of blood it pooled anger inside his chest cavity. James was planning on going somewhere. Lyle felt betrayed, abandoned and furious. All the feelings rushed him at once and he couldn't think clearly as he shook his head.
"We're born in the Vault, we DIE in the vault." He took his baseball and slipped it into his pocket. Amata still wasn't getting the point. "I'm gonna go out there and bring that bastard back." he turned the safety off on the BB gun.
"Don't be stupid Lyle." Amata argued eyeing the gun. That encouraged Lyle even more.
"You want to know why we're held up in this god-forsaken hole underground?" he yelled pointing the gun to the faded yellow wall. "It's because there's nothing out there! We blew it all up, because we're fucking sick!" he yelled waving the barrel towards his temple. Amata took a few uneasy steps towards the door. "I'm gonna go out there and bring him back, set things right." he fumed shoving the gun in a holder on his back. His face scrunched with malice and disappointment; his heart boiling with fury. Amata finally understood, it wasn't about escaping, nor was it about her father sending men to capture him. She could see that it personally burned Lyle; feeling the sense of abandonment and the following resent.
"Hey.." she said walking towards him, putting another comforting hand on his shoulder. Through the years he got significantly taller, but that did not intimidate her. "It wasn't because of you or anything, it may have been something else, I'm sure there's more to this." He was currently looking at the floor and switch his gaze to look at her. His expression showed signs of comfort and he relaxed a bit, but that still didn't diminish the anger that swelled deep within his heart.
"Freeze! Right there!" a voice interrupted and Amata ejected herself from Lyle's side. They both turned to see Officer Kendall aiming a gun at him and firing commands. "Your father betrayed us and the Overseer wants you in custody." he explained still holding his shot.
"You think I don't feel the same?" Lyle asked dropping his own pistol onto the floor. "Take me in Kendall, I have a word or two with Amata's old man." he held his wrists out for cuffs even though there weren't any to be used. Kendall lowered his arm and motioned for Lyle to lead the way; Amata close behind him. Lyle walked into the room with the faded yellow couch before a double level coffee table and a few salmon chairs. Just a few hours ago he sat at the metallic table, supposedly resembling wood, but none of it mattered, it was obsolete. He walked with dignity through the desolate halls and held his chin up high passing the rest of the guards as a prisoner. Most doors were unlocked and allowed them to go directly to the Overseer's office.
Lyle entered, keeping eye contact with his prosecutor, silence was his friend. Amata directly went to defense. "He didn't know anything dad." she claimed in a pleading tone. Lyle didn't need her help, he had things handled.
"You better be turning yourself in. You're in enough trouble as it is, don't make things worse." The Overseer stated directly to Lyle, completely ignoring Amata's pleas. Lyle smugly held out his wrists again to emphasize intangible cuffs binding him.
"I'm all yours." he said. He was not a coward and he was definitely not one to stay on the safe side. Lyle always had decent cards to play, his silver forked tongue allowed him to get away with anything and convince the impossible. There was no doubt he was an intelligent and charismatic individual and it served him well. The plan was not direct rebellion, it was siding with the enemy and then stabbing that alliance in the back. As long as he slid himself out of trouble like butter his goal was achieved, his motives differed but never affected his obstacles. "I have a proposal for you. If you're willing to hear me out." he stated. The Overseer did not object to listening, so he requested an exclusive company.
Kendall took Amata out of the room and The Overseer allowed Lyle to take a seat. "What is it you want to discuss, don't take this time as leisure, you're still a felon in this vault." he strictly spoke.
"I feel the same way you do. Abandoned and Unsafe.." his fingers reached over the desk and he brushed the shield of the desk lamp. "Betrayed." his green eyes shifted to look at the commander and his face showed wit. "Allow me to redeem myself, by bringing my father back and you may be the judge of worthy punishment. I'll keep all progress recorded in holotapes and sent to you. If I feel like betraying you, I give you all means to banish me and kill me if I ever return, that is..if I return alive. I'll bring James back to set an example. To tell everyone else who may have gotten an inkling that it's a good idea to leave that it's really a punishable action, by death or torture." he was now messing with a pencil, holding it between his fingers, keeping a professional stance; even posture counted.
The Overseer took in the proposition and gave a long nod as he thought. His face deep with contemplation. "Lyle I am amazed that you are so loyal in a time like this, despite your rebellious reputation." he started stroking his chin briefly. "I do like this idea you've proposed, people like James and Jonas should be made example of. You will have to keep up to date daily and our deal will be a solid contract. You fail to report and I'll assume you're dead or your motive has turned for the worst."