Leah and Charon hadn't slept a wink throughout the entire night. She was clutching her knees to her chest, staring down at the Pip-Boy between them on the bed and listening to her father's voice in rapt attention. Charon alternated between watching the tiny marker move across the track on the screen and glancing up to make sure that his smoothskin was still all right.
Neither were sure how long they'd been listening to the soft, accented voice of James Norman Montgomery, but they'd both fallen into a sort of trance. His story was long, complicated, and full of history that neither of them could even grasp at.
As her father's voice went on and on, Leah slowly reached over and pulled Charon's hand into her own. She didn't look up at him, but her fingers clung tightly to his. He squeezed back. He'd be whatever she needed.
He was exactly what she needed.
"Do you know how many Vaults there are, sweetheart? There were hundreds made. A lot have fallen off of the map, either from discontinuation or destruction, but a large number remain. It's the absolute truth that I snuck us into Vault 101 right after you were born, but that's not the first of them I was involved with. I was born in Vault 3, all the way on the west coast in Nevada. It was much like Vault 101, but better. Freer. We were happy there, not held under the tight first of a tyrannical overseer.
I don't know if you knew this, sweetie – you probably worked it out – but the Vaults were almost all meant to be social experiments. My original home, Vault 3, was a control vault. We got lucky. There was nothing different or special about us. Its purpose was exactly as was advertised – survival. But the same could not be said for other Vaults. Vault 19, for example, was broken up into two different teams that were brainwashed to discriminate against each other. Vault 27 was purposefully, and cruelly, overpopulated by about double the sustainable amount. Vault 101 was a different type, an experiment to see how people would function over the all-encompassing rule of an Overseer. Our government was not stable, but they could unify when they wanted to. They had scientists and social psychologists running the entire Vault show. It was sick, and it was cruel, but that is the truth of the world, isn't it, darling? Nobody looking out for you but yourself.
Anyways, Vault 3 was my home, and Catherine's home. She was a little older than me. We were friends since childhood. I admired her intelligence and her curiosity. She was a bit of a rebel, to be honest, and quite an awful influence on me. Your grandparents positively loathed her." There was a low chuckle here, the dry sound like dust in the desert, the ghost of laughter shocking Leah's nerves so much she jumped a little on the bed and jerked further against Charon. "Things went very well. We fell in love in my late teens and her early twenties. Life was wonderful.
Quite abruptly, there was a water leak. It started flooding the lower levels and we were forced to open that Vault door to seek help. Most people were terrified, but your mother and I . . . we were invigorated. It was the most exciting time of our lives. We were young, strong, curious, and ready to see the outside world. Most of the other Vault-dwellers opted to stay behind and merely trade with outsiders, but Catherine and I weren't satisfied with that. Her parents had died years ago, your grandparents, darling. Her mother suffered from extreme claustrophobia and went so crazy living down there that she had to be constantly medicated, and in that condition, she wasn't functional. Your grandfather killed himself over the stress of it all and Catherine was left tending to her mother until she took too high of a dose of her medication and died, too. It left Catherine hardened, but stronger – and with nothing to leave behind. I bid goodbye to my parents, much to their hatred, and ran off with Catherine.
The Wasteland was like nothing I'd ever imagined. I know what it was like for you, darling, when you stepped outside of Vault 101 for the first time. I was your age and that first step . . . absolutely breathtaking. Catherine and I had nowhere to go, but we loved it – the freedom of it all. I proposed to her, that night, in the middle of the dessert in front of the red sunset."
Charon gave a low chuckle then, surprising Leah. She paused the recording and shot him a quizzical look; he smiled sheepishly. "I apologize that it wasn't quite as romantic for you, smoothskin."
Leah shook her head, understanding at once. She kissed him hard. "I'll always remember that, sunset or not."
"If you say so. Let's continue."
She nodded and pressed play.
"We wandered for days, our food and water dwindling. We only had a couple of measly pistols. We hadn't expected the people outside to be as dangerous or aggressive or violent. Understand, sweetheart, we were raised in a Vault that was completely safe. You trusted everyone there with your life, knowing you'd sacrifice the same. I'd been shot in the shoulder and it put a lot of extra pressure on Catherine. We wandered toward the city of New Vegas. We'd heard rumors about it, about its luxury and abundance.
It surpassed all of our wildest imaginations. We tried begging our way onto the Strip, to no avail. A man named Mitchell spotted us, poor and half starved, and got us into the Strip. He led us to his home, Vault 21. Catherine and I were sick of the metal walls and close quarters, but this one was different. Vault 21 was an experiment as well, honey. Quite fittingly, I supposed, its inhabitants were all gamblers. They gambled to make all big decisions, who would be overseer and so forth. Surprisingly, it was one of the most successful Vaults there was. I always wondered what that said about our society." Another tired laugh. "Anyways, Mitchell took us under his wing. Catherine enjoyed the people of Vault 21 much better than our original home. She learned to cook and clean and gamble. She fell in love with the children there. I think that's where she learned she wanted to be a mother, in that Vault.
I myself spent most of my time with Mitchell. He was the Vault doctor and he taught me everything he knew. I was his apprentice of sorts. I helped him with surgeries, delivering babies, treating common illness and injuries. I learned it all under him. After a few years, I'd mastered every medical book in his library and I started treating a lot of the Vault patients by myself. Mitchell was more a father figure to me than your grandfather was. Your mother and I were married, right there in the middle of the Strip, amid cheers from people we didn't even know. But, just as before, Catherine and I grew restless. The small quarters just weren't for us.
We went back out into the Wasteland once more, but better equipped. I'd earned us a lot of money in the Vault med bay, and Catherine had gambled us a small fortune. We bought good quality weapons on the Strip and took off into the Mojave Desert.
There's something you should know about the west coast, sweetheart. It's not the same as here. There isn't just Outcasts and Brotherhood. There are more factions, and getting close to one could mean instantly being vilified with another. It's a tough balance to make and it took your mother and I years to master. We fell in with a group called the Followers of the Apocalypse. They were short-handed, but they seemed to want the best for the world around them. I became a doctor and Catherine took care of other jobs they needed around the camps. We traveled a lot for them, helping as many people as we could. On our travels, we came across the brilliant Lost Hills bunker of the Brotherhood of Steel. We'd never heard of them before, only rumors, old myths, and yet here they were in Power Armor and armed to the teeth with energy weapons. We abandoned the Followers and clung to their high aspirations, their big promises and dreams. They were impressed by my scientific and medical knowhow – and your mother's way around a gun. The Brotherhood had just decided to send a small group to the Capital Wasteland, to salvage any technology there and fend off the growing super mutant problem. We hitched a ride in that caravan with Owyn Lyons, Rothchild, and an infant Sarah Lyons.
We arrived in the Capital Wasteland who knew how long later. Years, maybe. It was a long trip. Your mother and I built up a team of scientists and immediately began work on Project Purity. You know the rest, sweetheart. A few years later, your mother gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, died in childbirth, and her husband and daughter were left scrambling back into a Vault just to survive.
I hope this has all made sense, Leah. I just wanted you to know everything, the truth, finally. Everything I've ever done . . . I . . . I did for you. I love you so much, sweetheart. You are my everything.
Charon, if you're listening . . . I know you're older than me by centuries, so don't let me lecture you, but please take care of my girl. She's all I have. She's all I'll ever have.
Well . . . that's all, darling. I love you. Please, please, be safe. You don't need a lecture either, but I know you're reckless like your mother. Take care of yourself.
I love you, so, so much.
Goodbye, Leah."
Leah continued to stare at the Pip-Boy long after it had gone silent, her father's voice ringing in her sensory memory. She clung to it desperately, following the tendrils of her own memories, but eventually had to return to reality, that he was gone, dead.
"Well," she sighed, meeting Charon's wary gaze. "Wow. West coast." Her tone turned teasing. "You ever been, babe?"
Charon rolled his eyes, but hesitated to speak. ". . . a few times. I've had employers who took me through the west coast once or twice."
She squeezed his forearm. "Sorry to bring it up."
"It's all right. You're tired. You should sleep."
She smiled and pulled back the covers. They ducked underneath and Charon pulled her to his chest. She kissed his shoulder and nestled closer, wiping away a stray tear. "Thank you, for listening with me."
"Anything for you, smoothskin. Sleep."
With her father's voice echoing in her mind, Leah obeyed and finally tumbled into unconsciousness.
"You look like shit."
"Good afternoon to you, too, Butch," Leah replied sourly as she took her seat. "Good to see you're feeling better."
"Fit as a goddamn fiddle," he shot back with his customary grin. His hair was slicked up and he was back in his leather jacket, as arrogant as ever. He shrugged and leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms and sending Knight Captain Dusk a fat wink.
"Does he have to be here?" she demanded shrilly, turning her deadly glare to Leah.
"'Does he have to be here' Elder Montgomery," Glade corrected with a conspiratorial smile in the honorary elder's direction.
"Jesus," Leah sighed as Gob burst into laughter, "everybody shut up! Thanks for that, Glade, but not even Dusk has to call me elder. That is Sarah Lyons' title and I don't care what anyone has to say about it. But since you guys are giving me the responsibility, I've thought up a few ideas. First thing's first though. Cross? Status update on the injured?"
Star Paladin Cross nodded and turned to the table at large. "Elder Lyons has recovered to good health, but has yet to wake up. The Outcast has awoken."
"Casdin?" Leah interrupted, looking shocked. "I thought you said you drugged him."
"The other one."
"Then you mean Knight Rockfowl," Leah corrected pointedly. She cleared her throat and raised her voice. "Let's get this straight. Rococo and McGraw got out there and fought with all they had just like the rest of us, so they deserve the same respect that we give each other. They're not to be called Outcasts ever. If they are and I find out about it, I will personally make sure you never forget it. While I'm on the topic. . . ." She glanced at Cross, who nodded for her to continue. Leah got to her feet to make sure everyone was paying attention. "The Outcasts split from the Brotherhood because they thought our priorities were in the wrong place. Fine and fair enough until they attacked us. To prevent something like this from happening in the future, I am hereby appointing McGraw to be Head of Advanced Technology. I know it's not a real position, do I look fucking stupid?" she snapped when Dusk made to complain. "Jesus, I know you don't like me but put a sock it in for just a second and let me finish. If there is someone who is permanently in charge of salvaging and researching technology, then the elder will be free to go for the more noble purpose of helping the surrounding settlements." She paused and looked back at Star Paladin Cross. "Erm, I'm not really sure what the protocol on these kinds of decisions are. . . ."
"Usually we put it to a vote," she replied helpfully.
"Oh-kay, then," Leah exhaled, not liking the sound of that. She turned back to the table and swallowed hard. "Then I'll put it to a vote, if that's how things go. All those in favor?"
There was a moment of silence. Charon was the first to put a hand up. Star Paladin Cross followed suit immediately after. Hands went up left and right until only Dusk and McGraw hadn't voted. Even Gob was lifting a shaky hand, glancing around uncertainly at the others.
"We're good?" Leah asked in excitement. "It's actually going to pass?"
"He deserves it. You deserve it," Gallows added to the new Head of Advanced Technology.
"Thank you," McGraw breathed with a tired smile. "To all of you. Especially you, Leah."
"Like Gallows said, you deserve it. Now. Where were we? God, I'm bad at this."
"Status report on the injured," Cross reminded her pointedly. "We'd just finished establishing that Knight Rockfowl is on the path to good health. Your friend, the girl . . .?"
"Amata Almodovar."
"Ms. Almodovar is also awake and her hand is bandaged up. She is on detox and being treated to overdoses of Med-X."
"Thank God," Leah murmured, squeezing Charon's hand as she retook her seat.
"Amata was there?" Butch demanded, sitting up straighter in his seat. "What the fuck was she doing there?"
"Casdin took her for the same reason he took you," Leah explained quietly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
Butch shook his head. "That's okay, poindexter. I know you just got done fighting. I . . . I think I'm gonna go see her, if that's okay."
Leah nodded. "Go. Tell her I'll be there once this is over."
"Thanks." He got up and left the room with an air of nervousness.
"Casdin remains drugged, as you wished," Cross finally managed to finish.
"Right. That's another thing I wanted to bring up." Leah took a big breath and glanced at Charon for strength. "I had Casdin towed back, as you all know. It seems he survived the trip back, by some unjust goddamn miracle, so I have him sedated until we make a decision. I want him dead, but I didn't know if any of you wanted to wake him up and demand he justify his means or if you wanted a word with him, McGraw."
The old protector quickly shook his head. "No. That motherfucker deserves to die a painful death."
"I'm gonna agree with him," Glade volunteered.
"Agreed," Kodiak added.
"Are we all just gonna go with painful death, then?" Leah asked. There was a chorus of "yes" and a gaggle of nodding heads. "Well, that makes it easy. I wanted to let Sarah Lyons kill him, but it looks like she won't be able to anytime soon and I hate to waste resources on that bastard."
McGraw fidgeted in his seat. "Leah . . . do you mind if I do it? He . . . he killed Specialist Olin. I know she was no angel to you, but she . . . meant something to me." The admission of weakness seemed to go right through him. His face was pale, hands clenched into fists.
"Go for it," Leah allowed at once. "It's your right as much as ours, if not more so."
"Thank you."
"Is it going to be a ceremony?" Colvin asked, looking a bit ill.
"No, God, no," Leah insisted. "We will have a ceremony for Vargas, because he deserved it. Casdin gets no such honor. McGraw can hit him over the head with a brick and then shove him into the garbage incinerators for all I care."
"Good," Colvin breathed in relief.
"Yeah, I agree with you on that one." Leah fiddled with a pencil on the table in front of her, glancing down to look at the notes she'd prepared for this meeting. Charon squeezed her thigh encouragingly and she nodded, taking strength from that. "I have one last proposal, but it's got a personal edge to it."
"Go ahead, Leah," Glade offered supportively. "We're listening."
"God knows you deserve it by now," Kodiak added.
"Thanks," she laughed nervously. She cleared her throat and drummed her fingers on the edge of the table. "I have a question first. What ever happened to the original branches of the Brotherhood of Steel? The Lost Hills bunker?"
A hush of silence fell over the table and she was horrified to think she'd asked something insensitive, a social faux pas committed on the first day of this temporary goddamn job.
Star Paladin Cross was the first to speak and interrupt her panic. "We do not really know all the details."
"That's bullshit," Glade interrupted. His face fell. "Respectfully, I mean, Star Paladin Cross."
She nodded for him to continue, but her eyes were narrowed.
"Erm, right. Anyways, Leah, once Jeremy Maxson took control, he got greedy. He started really going for that pre-war tech and it pissed off the NCR."
"NCR?" Leah was immediately self-conscious as nearly everyone gave her an 'are-you-kidding-me?' look.
"The New California Republic. They came about after the defeat of a huge super mutant army and they did a balancing act with the Brotherhood. For a while, it worked out, but only just," Colvin explained. "When Jeremy Maxson kept pushing for more tech, the NCR were incensed. A war broke out between the two factions. We had better tech, but the NCR had so many soldiers that it was impossible for us to win. The Lost Hills chapter was defeated.
"The next closest one," he went on, "was the Mojave chapter. They, too, were fighting with the NCR, but they had a hold on Helios One – a solar plant. It created enough energy to be a decent stronghold to whoever had control of it. Elder Elijah was in charge of the Mojave chapter and he couldn't see the big picture. He had this tech fetish, had to have everything and know how it worked, so when the NCR got big enough to want to get Helios One, Elder Elijah refused. Just like before, NCR kicked us to the curb."
"And now?" Leah asked, not liking the sound of it.
"That's where nobody knows," Gallows finished. "They simply disappeared. Wiped off the map. A lot of people think they're still out there, hiding away somewhere, but I don't know. . . . Why do you ask?"
"Ooh," Leah sang, having gotten too caught up in the story. "I ask, because . . . well, for a few reasons. This whole Outcast fiasco shouldn't have been such a big deal. We should be a little stronger, or at least a little stronger in our name. I was hoping we could reconnect with Brotherhood chapters all over the country."
Silence again, only this time thicker, pensive, as they all thought about her words.
"I mean," she continued quickly, "doesn't it make sense that we're stronger in numbers? If we always have these little wars like the ones between the Brotherhood and the NCR or the one we just had against the Outcast, why doesn't the Brotherhood just bulk up so that when one chapter needs help, another will be right there to assist?"
"Interesting," Star Paladin Cross admitted quietly from beside her. "An interesting idea."
"A smart idea," McGraw grunted with a smile.
"A terrifyingly smart idea," Gallows agreed. "Who put you in charge again?" he asked teasingly.
Leah chuckled, still anxious.
"You said there was a personal angle to this as well?" McGraw hinted.
"My father lived in Nevada before he came here. I'd like to learn more about him, if I can," she confessed in a rush of words.
"You are saying you would like to be the charter, flying all the way across the country to initiate contact?" Star Paladin Cross realized, her eyes widening in the first real human reaction any of them had ever seen of her.
"That's correct," Leah confirmed. "Well, Charon and I."
"Of course," Glade said in a faux cough, winking when she glared at him.
"I think it's a brilliant idea," Kodiak interjected. "We haven't made contact with any other Brotherhood factions before. Maybe it's just what we need to solidify and strengthen ourselves. It's fantastic, Leah."
"Thanks," she muttered with a blush. "But let's put it up to a –,"
"Fuck the votes," Dusk interrupted. "Whatever it takes to get you the hell out of here."
Leah turned away, pointedly ignoring Dusk as the rest of them glared at the knight captain and Cross let out an actual hiss of anger. "All in favor?"
"Oh, just go already," Glade said as there was a general murmur of assent. "Who's gonna take over while you're gone?"
"Well, I won't leave yet. We'll wait and see if Sarah Lyons wakes up. If she –,"
Rapid footsteps made them all look up and Butch came bursting into the room. "Blonde," he gasped. "She's awake. Wants to see you, Leah."
Leah inhaled deeply. If that wasn't just perfect timing, absolutely perfect. She grabbed Charon's hand and pulled Cross after them by the shoulder. "She'll want to see you, too," she promised.
Cross actually smiled. "I would like to see her."
"I know you do."
"Haven't you heard?" Glade joked as they passed. "Leah knows everything."
"I wish I did," she admitted quietly. "God, I wish I did."
Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! It means a lot!
Dolly-Cola, you asked a question that this chapter will just begin to answer haha. If you stick around, the rest of your questions will be answered as well :)