Valeria treated Amata's father as best she could, with Amata hovering anxiously nearby. Eventually Valeria was forced to accept that the life of the Overseer was no longer in her hands. She sat back and nodded to Amata who immediately clasped her father's hand in both of hers. Suddenly Alphonse's eyes fluttered open and he took a shuddering breath as he turned his head and saw his daughter's tear-streaked face. His fingers tightened on Amata's, and his mouth worked as he tried to speak. Amata leaned her ear close to his mouth and listened intently as he tried to speak, then suddenly went limp, his hand falling to his side. Valeria immediately stepped forward and felt his throat for a pulse as Amata'a stricken face looked up at hers.
"He's still alive, but barely." Valeria announced. "The only thing we can do now is wait."
"He told me the Overseer's password." Amata said.
"He's right. Someone has to step forward and take charge before things get worse. Your father trusts you…and so do I."
Amata stared at Valeria for a moment, then looked down at her father. Her mouth set in a grim line, Amata stood and walked to the door of the medlab, which slid open with a hiss.
"Mr. Brotch!" She ordered. "I need you in here now!"
After putting their former teacher in charge of monitoring Alphonse, Amata then turned to the teenagers standing outside and sent them into the Vault to announce that Alan was dead and that she was acting Overseer until her father recovered. She also warned them to make no mention of Valeria. Valeria understood why, having already experienced the terror she caused in the Vault Dwellers.
When Amata and Valeria were finally alone in the room, Valeria said. "I don't know how to ask this, but can you help me search the Vault database?"
"Why?" Amata asked, and Valeria told her about Project Purity, the Enclave, and her father.
"Oh Valeria, I'm so sorry. Your father was so good to us, I can't believe he's dead."
"The last thing he told me was to go home, that the answers were there. This is the only home I've ever known Amata. I was on my way here when I got your message."
"So it wasn't a coincidence that you were in range of the broadcast." Amata shook her head with a rueful smile. "I guess it was egotistical of me to assume you came back just because I asked you to."
"I would have come no matter what." Valeria said gently.
"I'm sorry Valeria. Of course you would have. If you need to get into the database, I'll help you do it."
At that moment Brotch emerged from the Medlab to announce that Alphonse was in critical condition but seemed stable.
"Then there's no time to waste." Amata said turning back to Valeria. Follow me!"
Amata led Valeria down to the reactor level where the terminal directly accessing the Vault mainframe was located. Amata sat at the terminal with Valeria looking over her shoulder as she entered the password. Minutes went by as they both read Vault Tec documents, many signed by Stanislaus Braun.
"Oh my God." Amata whispered in shock, "Everything we've been told is a lie."
Valeria had experienced more than Amata, but even so the depth of Braun and Vault Tec's betrayal shocked her. Vault 87 and 112 weren't aberrations; they were part of an unspeakably cruel sociological experiment inflicted on people who thought the Vaults were saving them. As she read, Valeria began to feel grim satisfaction that she had avenged everyone who had suffered because of Braun's megalomania.
Further reading revealed that Vault 101 was the only Vault designed to work as advertised. This was done not for humanitarian reasons, but because a control group was needed. Because the Vault was to remain intact, it was the only one assigned a GECK Mark II.
"What's a GECK?" Amata asked. She did a quick word search for information, and to Valeria's surprise saw an entry for James. Amata highlighted it and found it protected by a password.
"Try 'Catherine'." Valeria said after staring at the screen. Amata entered the name and the document opened. Valeria's eyes widened as she realized she was reading a letter to her from her father.
"Valeria" It began. "If you are reading this, then you are poking where you shouldn't." Valeria smiled and continued reading. "But that also means you may be able to complete the work that made me leave the Vault. I have to finish Project Purity, too many people sacrificed too much for me to abandon it any longer. This Vault Tec archive has convinced me that the missing pieces lay with Dr. Stanislaus Braun. He took shelter in a Vault before the war, I hope to find which one and salvage whatever data he left. It's a gamble, but one I have no choice but to take.
I have also found that there is a GECK mark II secured within Vault 101. It is a wondrous device meant to terraform a sterile environment but also highly unstable. I hope I won't need it, since getting back into the Vault will be practically impossible, but perhaps you can. I'm leaving you with a choice Valeria. If you stay safe in the Vault, I would understand and even encourage that decision. However, if you can reach the GECK, hopefully with the blessing of the Overseer, you could succeed where I possibly have failed. However you choose, know that your father loves you.
James
Amata turned to look up at her friend as Valeria sniffed and rubbed her eyes.
"You're going to get the GECK?" She asked.
"Yes, if you'll let me." Valeria said.
"I'll do it." Amata said firmly as she rose from her chair. "It's not doing any good down here." The system door was off the mainframe room, and Amata quickly accessed the monitor with her password. The door slid open, and Valeria stepped inside wary for traps. There were none, only a thick silver briefcase sitting on a pedestal like the offering in a shrine. Valeria lifted the surprisingly heavy case, and then turned to Amata.
"Thank you."
"You're not coming back, are you?"
"No." Valeria said shaking her head. "Maybe one day, but you've seen how terrified everyone is of me. As long as I'm here, there's no chance anything's going to get better."
Amata nodded sadly and said, "I'll walk with you to the door."
Once again, Valeria found herself standing before the Vault door as it rolled open. She turned back to Amata and said, "Tell anyone who leaves to go to Megaton and speak to Lucas Simms. He knows me and he'll take care of them." Amata nodded, unable to speak.
"I know you'll take good care of everyone…goodbye Amata."
"Goodbye Valeria," Amata replied, her eyes shining. "Good luck."
The GECK heavy under her arm, Valeria turned and entered the tunnel. She had promised she would try to return, but she knew she wouldn't. Amata still didn't know the terrible price of her abilities, and Valeria couldn't bear to face her reaction when she discovered the truth.
Valeria opened the outside door and stepped out into the cold wasteland night, then froze in shock. Before her stood Colonel Autumn, flanked by heavily armored soldiers with miniguns all pointed at her with the barrels spinning. Behind him stood Dr. Madison Li, looking furious and defiant.
"Well, Well." Said Colonel Autumn, his arms behind his back. "Look what we have here. I recommend you to not do anything foolish. Access code or not, if you do anything other than exactly what I say you will be killed. Nod if you understand."
Valeria glared at Autumn, then jerked her head down once.
"Excellent." Autumn said with a nod. "You have proven to be a very troublesome young woman. I didn't know if you had survived the destruction of Raven Rock, but I suspected you had. You seem to possess an uncanny knack for survival."
Valeria's eyes shot about the clearing, looking desperately for an avenue of escape. She saw only one possibility, impossible for anyone not as strong as she was, but requiring an opening or she would be shredded by the soldier's guns.
"Instead of searching the wasteland I looked for your possible destination." Autumn continued. "I renewed my old acquaintance with Dr. Li, and she proved most informative about the Project and it's requirement of a GECK."
"I'm sorry Valeria." Dr. Li said, looking stricken, "I didn't know you were really James' daughter, I couldn't tell you everything."
"Yes, there isn't much of a resemblance." Autumn said not turning around. "Madison took some 'persuading' before she would coöperate." Dr. Li shot Autumn a look of hatred but said nothing as he continued. "Once I arrived at Megaton, a certain Moriarty was very helpful in confirming where you came from. After that it was simply a matter of waiting until you arrived."
Valeria snarled and tensed, causing the soldiers to shift the hold on their guns. "As I warned you, any sudden moves will get you killed. Now put the GECK on the ground…slowly."
Valeria slowly knelt and put the GECK on the ground before standing back up with her hands raised.
"Excellent." Autumn said with a nod as he turned to one of his soldiers. "Retrieve the GECK, and shoot her if she does anything but breathe."
The massive soldier set his gun down and pulled out a pistol. He then approached Valeria, kneeling down to reach for the GECK. In that second, screened by the soldier's back, Valeria spun and launched herself toward the rock wall to the south. Her feet hit the boulders at the base, then she hurled herself over the pile, bullets beginning to fly around her as the troopers tried to aim their heavy weapons. She hit the rocky slope on the other side and slid to the road below in a shower of stones and dirt. Scrambling to her feet, Valeria ran as fast as she could, her superhuman strength propelling her forward with astonishing speed.
Colonel Autumn cursed his overconfidence as he climbed into his Vertibird, GECK in hand. He had seen the data on James' daughter, and he still underestimated her abilities. He should have had her shot as soon as she put down the GECK, but the code stayed his hand. Now she was moving across the wastes like a rocket, the code with her. The engines began to scream as Autumn turned to the pilot.
"Get us in the air and terminate that fugitive!"
"You can't start it without the code Autumn!" Dr. Li shouted from between two soldiers in the cargo hold. Without turning around Autumn replied, "An inconvenience true, but far from insurmountable. James' daughter has proven too troublesome to be allowed to live."
Valeria had reached a hill overlooking the ruins of the town of Fairfax when she heard the rotors of the Vertibird growing louder. She looked back to see its dark shape emerging from the low hanging clouds. Valeria began to run as laser beams erupted from it, vaporizing the street where she had stood. Valeria knew she had to stay on the roads. Crumbling as they were, she couldn't run full speed on irregular ground in the dim light. She realized her only chance was to get into the DC ruins where she could use the buildings as cover.
As she hurtled through Fairfax, she could see a crude barricade of sandbags and sheet metal manned by raiders who began firing wildly at her. Ignoring the bullets whizzing by she cleared the barricade in one leap and sprinted past. The raiders scattered as the Vertibird roared over them in hot pursuit. Valeria's powerful thigh muscles propelled her forward, her speed keeping her alive as the Vertibird tried to target her.
Valeria was starting to breathe harder when she reached the DC suburbs and began to weave between wrecked cars. The Vertibird stopped firing, as it had to maneuver over overpasses and around streetlights while trying to keep Valeria in sight. She ran under another bridge, and then found herself facing a sprawling traffic jam of wrecked cars and busses. She leaped on the first car, and then began jumping from vehicle to vehicle. Suddenly, laser fire began strafing the cars ahead of her. For a moment she thought the Vertibird was missing by a wider margin until she saw flames erupting from the wrecked hulks. With a snarl, she realized what Autumn was doing. Unable to get her in his sights, he was instead igniting the fusion-powered wrecks all around her. The toll station was about to become an atomic inferno!
Drawing on reserves she didn't know she had, Valeria ran and leaped through the wall of radioactive fire, clearing it as the ground shook from the first thundering explosion. Valeria staggered as the ground shook and flaming debris flew around her. Speed was her only chance as she leaped forward, clearing the last wreck as a blinding white flash lit the night. The shockwave hit almost immediately after, sending her tumbling as mushroom clouds of fire roared toward the sky.
Valeria lay face down, stunned and deafened as burning junk rained from the sky around her. With a gasp of effort, she drug herself to her feet, forcing herself to run as the burning hulk of a car slammed into the street behind her. Valeria hoped the Vertibird had been caught in the explosions but more laser fire told her that it hadn't. In the distance, she could see the walls of the Citadel and she threw everything she had into one last sprint. She cleared a concrete barricade in one leap, but stumbled on her landing. Barely regaining her balance she dashed for the fortress preparing to leap the chain link fence when her luck ran out and her boot caught on a curb. Valeria went down hard, sliding to a stop at the base of the fence.
She could hear the roar of the Vertibird as it swooped down for the kill, as she desperately tried to force herself to her feet. Suddenly she heard the sounds of laser turrets firing, but not from behind her. She looked up to see gun emplacements on the wall of the Citadel firing. The Vertibird hovered for a moment, then a hit on its fuselage decided the matter and it swerved off, smoke trailing behind it. Gasping, Valeria watched Colonel Autumn flee, and then turned toward the Citadel. The turrets were silent, but she could see a heavily armed squad of Brotherhood knights advancing toward her. Shakily she got to her feet and limped toward the gate to meet them.