"Doc! In the garbage again? Get out, go on!"
The dog scarpered from the bins, returning to his position by the playground in the centre of the neighbourhood. Doc was his name. Was it? It rang familiar, but he was sure there was something else. He'd lost count of how many days he'd been here. Not that it mattered since he couldn't seem to count any more either. He knew he'd arrived as a man. Well, as a child, which was strange enough; it appeared Dr. Braun, the Overseer of Vault 112, had given himself god-like powers in the simulation. Thus Doc had arrived in the body of a young boy. But after disagreeing to Braun's demands in return for information on the G.E.C.K. he'd suddenly found himself with four legs and a tail. This seemed to amuse the insane scientist well enough, as he had kept him like this ever since.
At least Braun (or 'Betty' as he was named in this simulation, choosing for himself the avatar of a young girl) had stopped teasing him. The bigger problem was with every day that passed here, Doc felt he was losing his focus on why he had come… and he was becoming worryingly obsessed with food, not to mention the neighbourhood cat.
Every day was the same. The residents of Tranquility Lane would wake up to another sunny Saturday and set about taking a walk around the block, mowing their lawns, visiting friends or relaxing in their pristine houses. The simulation was that of a pre-war suburban street, probably very similar to the one abandoned by the residents of Vault 112 when the sirens sounded. The people walking this virtual neighbourhood were avatars of the comatose bodies in the life support tranquility loungers of Vault 112- including his own.
How long had he been here? If he could exit, would his body have aged and withered beyond use? Or was virtual reality like a dream, and he would wake after only a few days had passed in the real world? He struggled to even ponder the concept anymore, compelled to scratch his belly with his leg (that was, his hind leg) whenever he tried to think about it too hard.
His only hope was that Betty would grow bored and return him to human form, or even expel him at some point… or that perhaps even Madison might have followed him here after he told her of his plans. Though that seemed unlikely- he struggled to remember her words now, but he could still feel their harsh tones. He whined involuntarily.
At least Betty had not toyed with the residents in a while. Her idea of fun was to play sick pranks on the people here, even to the point of murder. Murder which she would then reverse by 'resetting' the victim and wiping the memories of everyone else. He'd seen it several times since he'd been trapped here, and it was only the knowledge of Betty's power over his physical life that smothered the growl in his throat as he salivated over ripping out hers.
He was losing it. He couldn't have long before his mind was turned to mutt. Old Mrs. Dithers knew what was going on in some way, she'd told him all about it, mainly because he couldn't speak and call her crazy like everyone else. But she needed an outsider, like him only with thumbs, to do anything about it. As an original resident she was unable to tamper with the program Betty controlled. He prayed for a new arrival to somehow turn up while he could still be revived on the outside. He was thankful that in his current state he could still do that, even if it took the form of howling at the virtual moon.
Perhaps his prayers had been answered, for today there was a new kid on the block. Who, he couldn't say. The avatar was another child, a girl. She popped into existence at the end of the road, blinking as if waking from a dream. He cocked his head to one side as he watched her familiar behaviour. She looked around for recognition of anything, sweeping hands along her arms as she was almost certainly missing her usual clothing or equipment, then sweeping more thoroughly as she realised this was not her body. Probably another adult, bewildered to find themselves in one far too small than they were used to.
But she took this more casually than he had and seemed far more entranced with her surroundings. He had taken a few moments to appreciate the quaint and pleasant street built for the residents, but obviously it was an idealisation. More to the point, a virtual one. So he had moved onto the business at hand of locating Dr. Braun. But this newcomer was inspecting every stone beneath her feet, surveying the road as if it were the eighth (or would it be the first now?) wonder of the world. She stopped to smell the flowers, touch the hedgerows, and as a garden came into view she hopped the fence, bounding to the front door and knocking excitedly.
She raised her hands to her face when a lady answered, peering around her legs into the house. The lady laughed about something and pointed her to the centre of the neighbourhood. Telling her Betty would want to speak to her, no doubt. Instead, she continued along the sidewalk, speaking with everyone she saw, even Mrs. Dithers. He watched eagerly as they spoke for some time before the elderly woman waved her away, clutching at her head. Eventually she stopped at Timmy's lemonade stand. She didn't appear to hand over any money but got a glass out of him anyway. She guzzled it hungrily then scrunched her nose over the empty glass for several seconds in thought. His ears twitched at the expression. Something felt familiar.
She sighed and set the glass down, surveying the whole neighbourhood now with a small frown darkening her brow. She trudged to the centre where Doc lay, absentmindedly ruffling his fur as she passed. "Hey boy, are you make-believe too?"
No! I'm as real as you! You've got to get us out of here! "Woof," he said.
She left him and approached Betty at the other end of the playground. No doubt Betty would attempt to recruit her to her sick games. Still, he stayed back, too nervous to disrupt what might be his only hope of getting out of here.
They spoke at length, the newcomer presumably getting acquainted with how Betty ran things. Betty pointed over at Timmy. The newcomer shrugged and headed in his direction.
Oh no, Doc thought, a high pitched whine escaping his throat. What did she want her to do to Timmy? Why would the newcomer play along? Perhaps she was seeking something like he was, or perhaps Tranquility Lane now had two tormentors.
The new girl reached Timmy at his lemonade stand and simply punched him in the arm. The boy gawked, shocked, before tears filled his eyes and he ran away, wailing. Betty laughed and applauded from where she watched. The newcomer returned.
Doc's jaw would have dropped, only surprise worked the other way round as a dog. He closed it tight, pricked up his ears and tilted his head at the girl. The familiar girl. A distant memory from a previous life filtered through the mists of his fading mind… of a girl, small, lots of small people. A party. A… birthday party. Presents, food. Lots of food. Cake, hotdogs, sweetrolls- that was it! A girl, a boy, a stolen sweetroll. She had punched him. Just like the newcomer. Exactly like the newcomer.
Could it be… Talia?
He sprang to his feet and bounded after her as she set off on whatever new task Betty had set. But she only petted him briefly before shooing him away and disappearing into a house. He waited outside, vomiting with anxiety as he worried what she was doing to the couple inside. Wondering how she could even entertain Betty's sick plans.
He decided to wait on the central green instead after his dog brain contemplated eating his dinner a second time (he still retained enough of his own mind to resist the more disgusting canine urges). After an eternity of watching, the lady of the house emerged only to storm away angrily, shouting something about her cheating husband. The girl- no, Talia, he was sure of it- followed soon after, strolling back over to Betty.
He could barely watch as Betty congratulated her, and he swivelled his ears away so that he might not hear how his daughter could cavort with such a twisted soul.
She left a third time and he did not follow. He flopped his leaden snout onto his paws and tried to remember happier times. Where did it go wrong? Where did it go right? He'd expected life in Vault 101 to be good, safe. It didn't have to be just the two of them, she'd have a huge family down there. After all, he wouldn't be around forever. But it seemed to drive the two of them apart as she got older. She was resistant to everything the Overseer said, which told him she had good sense at least, but it wouldn't get her the life he wanted for her. She'd never seemed to care about that. She'd always been curious about leaving the Vault. And somehow she had followed him out. He should have known she wouldn't give up on something she wanted. In that respect, she was a lot like her mother.
"Daddy, why do I have to do all these chores? They're boring."
"Well, dear, you're ten years old now. You have to start pulling your weight around here," James chuckled as Talia scrunched up her face in distaste at her newly assigned work roster. Every child took on some light duties after they turned ten. It was the only way the Vault could keep running, and anyway, it taught them the value of hard work and made them a part of the team early on.
"But why can't I work in the clinic with you? Or do something more fun like shooting radroaches all day." She grinned manically, referring to the BB gun he'd given her for her birthday.
"Now sweetheart, you must keep that quiet, remember? You can shoot them downstairs whenever you like, in your own time. Maybe you'll become a doctor one day too, but for now you must do what the Overseer set you."
She crumpled her face in annoyance. "But I don't like it. What did Mommy do?"
Catherine… "Your mother… She was a doctor, just like daddy. She always wanted to help people. And you are helping people too, helping everyone here, by doing your chores." He tried to reiterate her good behaviour, despite his own bad influence in giving her that damn gun. He wanted her to be safe, but not to become a complete Vault drone.
"Why doesn't anybody talk about her?"
James blinked. "What do you mean, sweetheart? We talk about her all the time."
"But nobody else does. Did they think she was a bad doctor?"
James swallowed. "No, sweetie, not at all. I'm sure they talk about her. You must have forgotten. Or maybe they just don't think they should bring it up. Perhaps they think they'll get upset."
Talia was absentmindedly rolling her last potato back and forth on her plate. "But I asked Old Lady Palmer and she didn't remember anything."
God, forgive him. "Well, I don't think they knew each other very well. Come on, finish your dinner and we can watch a movie."
She stuffed the thing in whole and munched hurriedly as she always did when wishing to leave the table for something more fun, only she seemed a lot more preoccupied with their conversation than the movie. He heaved himself to his feet, guilt weighing a lot more heavily with each year.
James, that was his name, he remembered now. Eventually he kindled some sweeter memories, though they were patchy and he grew tired with the effort. He tried to doze, hoping more might surface in his dreams, but they were interrupted by gunfire. Gunfire? He jumped, the sound echoing from all the houses that encircled him. A scream put him in the right direction. Between the dwellings came the source- soldiers. The Chinese Army no less. What were they doing in the simulation? There had been only the residents plus Braun this whole time. Was this a new trick of his?
They were attacking the neighbourhood. War had come to the pre-war simulation. Assuming Betty would be safe, he scurried closer and laid low, watching in horror as the soldiers systematically mowed down each resident of the neighbourhood. He couldn't see Talia anywhere. He hoped she was as safe as he seemed to be for the moment. The soldiers weren't paying him and Betty any mind. In fact, as the screams died out and an eerie quiet reclaimed the streets, they stopped doing anything at all. It was over.
They waited in place as though for further instruction to be beamed to them. They must be AI, it was as if a program had come to an end. He began to connect the dots as Betty fumed about the deaths of the residents. Behind him, Talia returned.
Betty's voice faltered into that of Braun's, an old man with a thick German accent. "Do you realise what you've done! The failsafe. The residents will die… and I'll be stuck here in this hell. Alone! You've ruined everything. Everything!"
The newcomer met Braun's tantrum with an icy glare. Given their pre-teen avatars, the standoff was uncanny. He'd be glad to get out of this place. "It's all over. Now shut up, and answer my questions." She spoke with a weight and venom no small child should ever be capable of. And this was his daughter..?
Braun's voice retorted. "It is not over! It is not over until I say it is, understand?" He spluttered impotently before gradually trailing off, Betty's voice returning as reality sank in. "I just want things back the way they were. I feel so alone." If he didn't know what a sadistic mind lay behind that voice, he might have felt pity.
Ignoring Betty's misery, the newcomer pressed on. "I came here for my father. Now where is he?"
It's really her! His tail twitched.
Betty snapped in reply. "Oh he's been here all along, and you were too dense to figure it out. The dog you see. Man's best friend… and now you've taken all my friends from me…" The street's tormentor slipped back into self pity.
Talia looked at James and though her avatar was unfamiliar he sensed the recognition. He couldn't help but spin on the spot in excitement. It's true, it's me! "Woof," he said.
"So we can leave?" Talia asked Betty.
"Isn't it obvious? You've run the failsafe, disrupted everything! I have no power over you. There's the door. Go."
To their left a wooden door materialised on the grass. Talia approached it cautiously before grasping the knob. "Come on Dad, time for walkies."
He wished he could scowl at her for joking after all that had happened here. As it was, his tail involuntarily went haywire at the W-word and he bounded through the door as if his life depended on it- which to be fair, it sort of did.
Talia awoke in relief to find herself looking at the inside of her tranquility lounger. She hadn't been sure the door was really going to work, but she looked and felt like herself, and the memory of clambering inside the pod was already coming back. Honestly she hadn't been sure that she would survive the failsafe either. But when Betty's third task was for Talia to murder Mabel, one of the residents, she'd decided Betty could go fuck herself. She just wanted a day without being ordered to kill someone, after all.
And it turned out the creepy little girl was actually an old Vault Tec scientist- Talia had read his notes on his hidden terminal, the existence of which she learned from elderly resident Mrs. Dithers. While a scary end for the Vault residents, Talia would take that over an eternity of torment at the hands of a lunatic. If Dithers could see some of the truth, surely the others' minds were imprinted with hundreds of previous deaths in some way. She shivered at the notion of virtual reality all over again. She could deal with the danger and pain of the wasteland, but having your head messed with… she realised it was partly why she'd hated the Vault so much, with the Overseer's rather unsubtle efforts to brainwash everyone.
The roof to her pod popped open and she tried to get her realities straight while awaiting the arrival of a robobrain to help her exit. It was taking quite a while so she yelled, but nothing. Seriously? One of them had appeared when she opened an empty lounger, conceding to enter after finding no way to bring Dad out of the simulation from the outside, and it had hooked her up to the life support.
The Vault was designed to let the residents live in VR indefinitely. She supposed there was no programming for the robobrains to deal with anyone leaving. Which meant she would have to remove the various tubes and needles that were currently entering her body in wholly nauseating ways.
"Great," she sighed to herself. "Well, how hard can it be, really?" She glanced down at the cannula buried in the back of her hand and wondered if she should have just shot Jericho in the face when Burke ordered her the other day. She could have been having a nice hot bath or getting drunk karaoke going right about now.
"Ew ew ew ew ew," she shuddered when she was free, skipping across the atrium to her dad's lounger. She paused briefly before climbing up to perch on the edge. She hadn't seen him in months, and meeting him as a dog didn't really prepare her for this.
He was awake, but seemed weak. His hair was a greying mop and he had grown a thick beard like she'd never seen, suggesting he'd been here longer than even Talia knew. He'd removed his medical attachments and looked up as she appeared by his side, recognition slowly spreading across his face.
"You've saved me… I was afraid I'd be trapped there forever." His speech was slow as though he was remembering how to talk properly.
"Ruff neighbourhood… You're welcome," Talia muttered even though he hadn't actually thanked her.
Creases formed at his eyes as a smile tried to form. "It's so good to see you… but what are you doing here?"
She watched as he struggled to sit forward. He'd been here a lot longer than her. Her Pip Boy showed her adventure had only taken around an hour in real life, though it felt like most of a day in there. She was surprised he didn't bark- his stay must have felt like years. "What's wrong?" she asked, ignoring his question.
"I've been laid here so long... the system here has done a good job of keeping my muscles stimulated to an extent," he held up a pad just like those Talia had peeled off her own skin. "I'll just need a while to get used to moving myself around. Why did you come here?"
Interesting, he was stuck here for a while. "I want answers from you."
He attempted to scoff. "You came all this way, and risked your life for answers? They must be important to you."
"Wow, your powers of reasoning are amazing," Talia replied tartly. So she was wrong about him coming here for a new life. But she didn't let herself forget how he got here. "What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you just leave me like that?"
"That's where you belonged," he said with such certainty it made Talia's blood boil. "You were an adult capable of fending for yourself. You had a good life ahead of you."
"Yeah about fifteen minutes ahead of me," she snapped. "I was lucky to get out. Did you know they killed Jonas?"
He frowned. "Who did?"
"The Overseer. Or security, one of them. Did you see him? Because I did."
He paused before answering. "No… that's terrible. But we knew the risks when we agreed on the plan for me to leave."
"Oh, you got out, so everything's fine."
"That's not what I said."
"Well that's what it seems like. You don't care about anyone but yourself."
"That's not true, honey. I wanted you to stay in the Vault because it was safe. What's out here is my task, my responsibility. I never wanted you to have any part of this insanity."
"Well after you left it wasn't safe. For me, or Jonas, or anyone. Other people died, you know." She searched his face for any acknowledgement of the consequences of his actions. He answered too quickly to have given it any thought.
"I know it wasn't a perfect plan, but it was the best I could do. I didn't want my baby girl growing up on the surface."
Talia's eyes widened. "So you have been lying to me my whole life? I heard about it all you know."
He sighed. "Yes, I lied about where you were born. About where I was born. I admit that. At the time, I felt the truth would only encourage you to try and leave the Vault, to go looking for your past. Perhaps I should've handled things differently. I'm sorry."
Talia blinked. Her whole life she'd felt him hiding something from her. She didn't know what, or why; she was just a kid. "Sorry… sorry isn't enough Dad," she breathed.
"I'm afraid there's nothing else I can offer. When Project Purity is finished, we can sit down and really talk. I'd like to work through this. But first, I need to return to Rivet City. There is much to do."
Talia was stunned at the ease with which he brushed aside her concerns as little more than a childish tantrum. She supposed she shouldn't have been. Old habits die hard, they said. But she had been anticipating something far more climactic while she'd been studying how to open the machine. He gestured for a hand as he attempted to lift himself from the lounger, and she leant one unthinkingly.
"So what are you doing here? What is this 'project'?" She couldn't keep the teenish edge from her voice as if asking out of obligation. Habits and that.
He rested forward in his seat for a moment. "Project Purity. It was underway long before you were born. There were many of us, including your mother, who devoted our lives to it. We were going to purify all of the water in the tidal basin. Water that could sustain normal life and allow people to start over. The idea of free, clean water for everyone drove us to succeed. So many sacrifices were made for that idea. My responsibility is to see it through to the end, to make sure those sacrifices mean something."
"Why… what happened?" Talia probed when he got a familiar faraway look in his eye.
"There had always been something of a "mutant problem" in the city, but it became worse in the year before you were born. They attacked us at the purifier more frequently, and more aggressively. Support for the project eroded as time went on, when we couldn't produce any significant results. Progress came to a halt.
"And then you were born. Your mother and I had talked about what to do when that time came, but then I... We lost her, and I had to make a decision. I chose to leave.
"From what I understand, things happened quickly after that. It became too dangerous for the others to stay, and so the project was abandoned. Doctor Li and her team left for what became Rivet City, and Project Purity has sat waiting ever since."
"And it can't wait any longer? You're going to just go back now and fix it huh?" Insult soured her words. Burke, Amata, Dad. Was she just an actor in everyone else's grand plans?
"You must understand, this has been my responsibility since long before you were born. Too many people have made sacrifices to give up on it. I came back now because one day, in the Vault, I learned about the existence of the Garden of Eden Creation Kit. The only way I can describe it is that it's a miracle terraforming device, bringing life to the lifeless wasteland. It was developed by a famous scientist, Doctor Stanislaus Braun, who was working in Vault Tec's Societal Preservation Program. The devices were actually issued to some Vaults, though not Vault 101. However, I discovered Braun himself was admitted to this Vault.
"I realised this technology and Braun's genius could transform my work on Project Purity, could hold the key to getting the purifier working at full capacity. I came here looking for information on Braun's research, his work on the G.E.C.K.
"I wasn't expecting to find him alive or to get caught up in his twisted fantasy world."
Talia tried to digest what she'd just heard while James caught his breath. "Lucky I got here when I did," she commented with a raised eyebrow.
He checked the date on his Pip Boy. "Oh my, I am, aren't I? I was afraid I'd wake up an old man, if at all. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you found me."
"Older. Well, I was surprised. I just stumbled across you to be honest." She noticed herself looking for signs her words stung, though she knew if she wanted she could tell him she initially found him and left with no intention of going back.
"Then I really am lucky. Perhaps you were meant to follow me out. Well, you've obviously learned to look after yourself, but what are you doing out here?"
"Yeah I have, don't look so surprised," she replied defensively. "I'm not a baby. Even you said so. Got a job and everything, better than the Overseer would ever give me, that's for sure."
"Hmm, I think you might be right there," he grumbled, and Talia did a double take. It was the first time he hadn't just told her she should have tried harder on the G.O.A.T. "Well, good for you. Doing what?"
"What?" Make that a triple take.
"Work," he sighed, focussing on deepening his breaths for the first time in months.
"Oh, uh… deliveries, I guess, mostly," she answered vaguely.
"Well, I suppose that's important on the surface. Not everyone can travel the wasteland."
Talia responded quickly. "Oh, I never thought about it like that. I mean I still do some odd jobs and maintenance where I live. It's good to contribute like that, you know."
"That's my girl," he said warmly and Talia smiled, though not at his empty words. She thought of Burke expressing a similar sentiment some time ago… at least his actions had always backed it up. But then why was she out here?
"Why are you doing this?" she probed quietly. "Is this about Mom? Are you trying so hard because of what happened to her?"
James sagged. "Oh, my child. If only you could have known how much it meant to her. She believed in the work we were doing, and was so determined to see it through. She gave up so much for the project. We all did, and I don't want that to have been for nothing."
Talia fiddled with a latch on the pod while James continued exercising his lungs. "What really happened to her?" She wanted all the answers before he left this seat. "How did she really die?"
She saw him look at her from the corner of her eye. "I understand that you have reason to question a good many things I've told you over the years. But your mother…" He grasped her arm and squeezed until she looked back. "I've never lied to you about what happened. Not once. She died giving birth to you. It was a difficult time…"
She gave a small nod, ashamed she had even questioned it, and he let go. The pain in his eyes was still clear to her.
"She was so eager to meet you, to make a place for you in the world. If nothing else, please believe that she loved you very much."
Talia had never known her but James made sure to tell her who she had been. So much that she'd always felt like someone who would be coming home any day now, and Talia would remember everything about her once she did. She wasn't sure if that made things better or worse.
"So… did you find out what you needed?"
"I did indeed. The G.E.C.K. was designed to readapt living environments after the war, so I'm sure components of the technology are just what we've been missing all this time. I need to return to Rivet City. When Madison knows about this, I can get her to see that it will really work." The thought seemed to spur him on and he heaved himself from his seat. Talia hopped down from the lip, offering support as he tumbled out of the pod.
"Madison?"
"Doctor Madison Li. She worked on the project with me back then. She has a lab in the city now. Oh, are you going to introduce us?" He was looking at Dogmeat, who was eyeing him back.
"Didn't you learn to talk dog in there? You were one long enough."
"Very funny, but I'd quite like to forget all about what it's like to have four legs and no hands to be honest." He crouched and allowed Dogmeat to check him out.
"His name's Dogmeat. Which you will be if you try to walk all the way to the city like that. You can barely stand up, and it's cold out."
"I'll be alright with some more exercise," he countered while stroking Dogmeat's head. "But you're right, I got here in the summer. There should be some clothes left by the original residents when they changed into their Vault suits. With any luck someone was wearing a coat. Have a look for me would you sweetheart? I'm going to see if this place was built with a bathroom. I never want to see another mail box or fire hydrant again."