Knight in Power Armor

Chapter 10: Vault 112

A/N: BAH! Three months! Three fucking months! I guess that's what happens when you lose your laptop's power cord. This chapter, like the last, is being written on a barrowed computer, and I don't know how often I'll be able to use it for updates, so said updates will be posted whenever I can. I apologies for the huge delay, but there it is.

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"Bethesda!" I exclaimed.

"What's Bethesda?" Kess asked.

"The game company that made that game I told you about." I explained. "It's been bugging me ever since I got here and I finally remembered." Kess gave me an odd look. "What? I'm easily amused."

"And weird." She said.

"So you keep saying. Anyway, that shack up ahead should be the entrance to Vault 112."

"So, what does the game say about it?"

"Guy named Von Braun, the same one James talked about in his recordings back at Purity, has a bunch of people locked in suspended animation while their minds are stuck in a computer program that he runs. James is in one of the pods, hoping to talk with Braun about the geck, but Braun turned him into a dog."

"A dog?"

"Yeah, Braun has gone funny sitting in suspended animation for over 200 years. An override should be in an abandoned house. You'll have to interact with a few bits of junk in the right order to gain access to the override."

"You don't remember, and why are you telling me this?"

"No, I don't remember, it was a small part of the game that I never liked. I'm telling you because there is only one working pod left and James will recognize you. This next part is, well, morally difficult, if that makes any sense. The override will turn off the safety on everyone but Braun, and then kill them."

"You want me to kill people we've never met for some override!"

"Let me explain. Braun has been, for lack of a better word, torturing them for the past 200 years. The only other way he will let your father out would be for you to join in torturing them. I don't like it, I don't want it, but it's the lesser of two evils."

"How can you say that so calmly?" I stop. Stock still. Kess turns back to look at me a few steps ahead.

"Ten years. Ten years I dealt with some of the worst humanity has to offer. Both on the barrel end of my rifle, and those fighting beside me. I've seen friends die. I've killed those who, under different circumstances, might've been an ally. I've done things I'm not proud of. You ask how I'm so calm? It's because, despite my best efforts, the lesser of two evils is the only choice I can make most of the time. I've had to make that choice far more often than I would like."

"I, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"No, you didn't. *inhale, exhale* Right. Here we are."

After killing a radroach, we opened the floor door (oh goody, another rhyme) and walked down into Vault 112. While we were being given the speech by the brain bot, I had an idea.

"Hey Robby." I asked my left wrist.

"Yes sir?" It replied.

"You hacked the turret back at Purity. Can you do anything like that here?"

"I'm sorry, sir. The robots have organic components that I can't interface, and the rest is too heavily shielded for me to do anything."

"Oh well, it was worth a shot."

"Hey! It's my dad!" Kess had found the pod room. After looking around I opened the pod Kess was going to use.

"The sooner you get in there, the sooner we can get him out. I'll keep watch in case someone or something tries to do anything."

"Could they do anything?"

"Probably not, but better safe than sorry. Oh! I almost forgot. You'll be a little kid when you get in."

"What?"

"Braun is going to make it so that everyone, including you, will see you as a younger version of yourself, in a dress."

"A dress? You have to be kidding."

"Nope, sorry. Dress for you." I said with a smile. While Kess climbed in, she muttered about dresses being uncomfortable, impractical, and what not, I smiled all the way. After she was in, I took another look around and went to see Von Braun.

"You're a bastard, you know that?" I said, knowing he couldn't hear me, but still. "Torturing people, for 200 years, for no reason other than to amuse yourself. You deserve the prison you're about to find yourself in." That's when I heard something. I turned, shield raised, sword drawn, and laser pointed ahead. I looked a little funny aiming my wrist with a sword in my hand, but I didn't want to worry about drawing it.

"Did you hear something, sir?" Robby asked.

"You didn't?" I replied, making my way to the upper level.

"No sir. Must have been your imagination."

"Maybe. Maybe not." I continued searching, but found nothing but brain bots. Even looked around the shack and didn't find anything. Satisfied that there wasn't any threat, I returned to wait for Kess. That nagging feeling that I was being watched never left though.

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The Shinobi peeked around the corner. That was too close. No sound had been made, but still the Knight knew something was wrong. He was indeed proving to be a worthy adversary. Then he looked right at her. Only her training kept her from flinching, but the Knight say nothing, and went back to looking at the companion. This might be harder than she thought.