CHAPTER 11
This is Paladin Glade with the Brotherhood of Steel, broadcasting on a short range frequency. We've cleared Megaton of all hostile presence. We will be standing by for the opening of the Vault door. Repeat. This is Paladin Gla-
Dante switched his Pip Boy radio off, looking over to his lover and commanding officer, who at present was repining her messed hair back into its usual bun. The Sentinel and Knight were the only two waiting in the access tunnel leading to Vault 101, while the others kept Megaton under lock down.
Sarah glanced over to the door, which had so far stood still and silent. "You're sure there's not a door bell somewhere we can ring?"
"Huh. Good idea. You start searching, I'll guard the tunnel." He didn't smile at her attempt to relieve the tense air around him. It was clear he found at least one deceased friend of his.
"So, just how many refugees could this Vault hold?" She inquired.
"Well, when they were first sealed, there was enough room for one thousand. So, space isn't the issue. It's having enough trained people to run and maintain the water system and reactor, and just having enough food with the increase in number of people. The lack of food would be their biggest problem. I hope Amata was able to handle it alright."
"Old girlfriend of yours?"
"What?" He ran his fingers through his hair once again, as he always did when he was nervous. She raised an eyebrow. "No. She was my best friend growing up. That's all. And the Overseer's daughter, so... there was always that." He asserted, somewhat unconvincingly.
"What happened to the old Overseer?"
Dante looked like he was about to ignore her question, looking over to the old slotted wooden door that hid the vault entrance. Bright orange light was shining through the gaps now that the sun was beginning to set as the day was coming to an end. He was silent for a long moment before finally admitting. "I killed him."
Suddenly, the large cog door of Vault 101 pushed back, sending the sound of scraping steel on steel echoing through the rocky cave. There was a crowd of people waiting just inside the next room. There were faces Dante recognized: Moria Brown, Billy Creel and Maggie, Andy and Jenny Stahl, Lucy West, Doc Church, Nova and the late Lucas Simms' young son, Harden, as well as a dozen or so other neighbors of his that he had not known so well. A tired and worn-looking Amata glared at Dante and Sarah from her place at the door control panel.
Sarah took the opportunity to step forward. "I'm Sentinel Lyons with the Brotherhood of Steel. My team has your town secure. It's safe to go back when you're ready."
Jenny pushed through the crowd. "Where's my brother? I couldn't find him when we had to run. Please, did you find him?"
Sarah spoke up first "We didn't find anyone alive in the settlement but we did find casualties. I don't know about your brother. It's still possible he got out in-"
"He was killed, Jenny. I'm sorry." Said the Lone Wanderer softly.
At those words, Jenny folded her arms across her chest, tears quietly streaming down her cheeks. She was the first to step over the threshold of the vault door and past them, stopping to place her hand on Dante's on her way out. "Thank you." She whispered. At her lead, other Megaton refugees braved the tunnel as well, her other brother, Andy Stahl, included, who didn't seem to share the same grateful attitude of his sister, shooting Dante a dirty look when he walked past.
"Dante, I need to speak with you in my office." Amata turned on her heel around and headed down the stairs, to the heart of Vault 101, expecting him to follow. The Sentinel needed to give him a push on the back before he voluntarily headed down with her at his side.
The graffiti left over from the Vault youth's revolution had been washed off the best it could be, but some of it was still distinct enough to read: Fuck you Overseer. "So this is what a Vault looks like." Sarah wanted him to say anything at all.
But Dante didn't offer a response. Instead, he was preoccupied with the anger, disgust and depression he felt after their failed mission. Once again he had to tell someone that a loved one had died, and that he had been unable to stop it. And Jenny wasn't the only one who would be faced with that reality today.
"What the hell is going on? I thought they were all dead and gone after what you pulled, but it sure seems like all you did was piss them off." An irate Amata asked from behind her semi-circular desk. "What did you do this time?"
"I did nothing." He growled. "We only know what you know. That the Enclave are back. They must have called in reinforcements from another-"
His words were cut short. "You continue to be a danger to us. We should have never let you and your dad in..."
Dante was quiet, clearly shocked to have heard such a thing from Amata, who had been one of the only constants in his life growing up. Sarah could see the hurt in his eyes and the fire in hers.
Sarah took it upon herself to break the awkward silence. "They took the nuke from Megaton."
Amata turned to Sentinel Lyons. "Really? Why? What are they planning?" Fear was written all over her face.
"I wish I knew." Dante found his voice again. "I'll be leaving, right after I get my father's possessions."
"They're still in your old living quarters. And Dante, I want to be perfectly clear. You're not welcome here. Ever."
"You're so much like your father." Were his last words before he stomped out of the new overseer's office.
Sarah added nothing of her own, following Dante out into the poorly-lit hallway, yet she couldn't help noticing by the look on the Overseers face just how much pain his parting comment had caused her.
In the old apartment he had shared with his late father, Dante was busy stuffing his weapon bag with things he had left behind before, including old books, photographs and some other little trinkets as Sarah waited, leaning against the door frame. The place looked the same as it always had, with the same cold, steel walls and glaringly bright florescents that made his head hurt.
"I'm done here. C'mon. Let's go."
"Dante. Stop acting impulsively for one minute." Sarah grabbed her boyfriend by the shoulder and spun him around to face her. "And consider the possibility that she just said something stupid because of all the stress she's been under. She can't be that bad, or she wouldn't have let those people in here in the first place. When do you think was the last time she ate?"
"I'm doing as she asks. And leaving it at that." He shrugged her off and left.
"Think about it. I know you're stubborn, but not stupid." She shouted at his back. "We may need them as allies in the future."
"Get another diplomat. I want nothing to do with this place."
"How are they?" Sarah asked, returning from her father's room where she had been briefing him on what had happened in Megaton and was now wearing her fatigues instead of power armor. After she had for the Elder, he insisted on talking to Dante as well and sent her off to retrieve him before they continued.
Dante too had undressed from his armor, wearing only boxers and an undershirt. At present, Rothchild was busy checking Dante over, who was back on the same medical bed he had spent his most recent coma on. Sarah didn't like the sight of it. He had barely managed to stumble into the infirmary as soon as they made it back to the Citadel as they split ways.
Gallows was there as well, sitting on the other side of the room, rubbing his calf that was freshly bandaged with clean white gauze. For being attacked by a deathclaw, Gallows wasn't that worse for wear. For Dante, however, Sarah knew his injury was nothing to laugh at when Rothchild readied a stimpack needle, providing some relief to his stiff, crippled limb.
"Broken. Again. You keep this up, boy, and we'll have to put a metal pin in that bone. It can get a lot more serious than just a break. You could lose your leg. I'm sorry, Sentinel, but I'm taking your Knight off active duty for a while, until this heals."
"And how long will that take?"
"No way of knowing for sure. But a month, at least."
She shook her head. "No. Sorry Rothchild, but I need my explosives expert. And actually, I need him right now. The Elder needs to see him immediately."
If that really was the case, the Head Scribe knew he wasn't going to win this argument. "Fine. Sentinel, if you could go get his brace from his room. I'll release him. For now."
"Uh, and some pants, please." Dante chimed in.
"I can do that." She said flatly. "Gallows, how are you holding up?"
The Knight Captain jumped down from his seat to answer her question. He was always eager to please his commander, and Dante thought he knew why but kept his mouth shut about it. "It's just a flesh wound. I'm able and ready, Sentinel."
"Glad to hear it. Your orders are to rest for the rest of the day, though."
"My leg won't be a problem, Ma'am."
"Orders, Gallows." She wasn't in the mood for his constant soldiering.
"Sentinel." He saluted and walked out in the direction of the Den.
After retrieving the needed items for Dante, she led him down to her father's residence. She had to help him keep balance the whole way, with his arm around her shoulders and her own around his waist. Luckily, they were similar in height and strength or the trek down the hallway could have been even more challenging.
"Sentinel. Knight." Owyn Lyons greeted them in the doorway of the Solar.
"Hail, Elder Lyons." Dante answered for both of them. The Elder let them in, shutting the door behind them for privacy.
"Please, have a seat." He extended his arm to direct them to the green, frayed chairs set up around a wooden coffee table in the center. Sarah helped Dante ease into the nearest one before she and her father sat down as well.
"Knight Kennedy, I need to know everything you know about the nuclear bomb the Enclave has captured. You lived in Megaton. Was it still functional?"
"Sir, I can't tell you that for certain. For years - hundreds of years - it was dormant, but supposedly still operational. Nothing just never set it off. Months ago, maybe a week after I left the Vault, there was a man, 'Burke', lurking around Megaton who works for Allistair Tenpenny. He offered me a 'job' to rearm it and set it off in the middle of Megaton. I refused and disarmed it instead. As far as I know, that guy is still alive, if that's relevant." Sarah's mouth was agape by the end of his story.
"We'll check into it. Can the bomb be reactivated after what you did to it?" Elder Lyons asked in an unusually anxious tone.
"I don't know." Dante held Owyn's gaze. "But we have to assume it can. At the very least, the uranium was still inside it. If it were me, I'd take the fuel and use it to create another bomb with a more reliable trigger mechanism."
"That's what I'm afraid of." The Elder agreed.
"Sir, if I may, do we have any idea where these Enclave soldiers are coming from? Did they rebuild Raven Rock?"
"They may well have. We'll have to look into it by running reconnaissance missions. But the last real stronghold they had after Raven Rock was all the way back in Chicago."
"I'll be talking with Rothchild and some of the other Scribes before we take our next step." Lyons began to stand, as did Sarah, while Dante was forced to remain sitting because of his injury. "You two, go get some sleep. You'll be getting new orders in the morning."
Sarah nodded. "Yes, sir."
By the time they made it to his bed, he collapsed on the mattress with a pained grunt.
"Good night." He called after her, but adopted a confused look when she shut the door and turned back around, kicking her boots off and letting her hair down. "You're... staying here tonight?"
"Yep."
"What if someone comes looking for you. Your father... to give you those orders?"
"He knows where I'll be if he does need me. You're hurt and I'm not leaving." She crawled into bed, making herself comfortable in the crook of his arm.