"I think we should go back-"
Dave was talking. Talia was trying to focus on what he was saying but all she could hear was James. Revelation 21:6.
"Mmm," she nodded.
"-sentimental. You… and your mother-"
"Yeah." This is what it all means. The water, the purifier.
"-chosen after you… or a dedication-"
This is the water of life. Your mother's dream.
"-some way to bring you all together?"
21:6. 216.
"Talia?"
Just three numbers? But it wasn't a safe, it wasn't supposed to be hidden from anybody. The purifier just needed a way to be activated. What more suitable beginning?
"Talia." Dave called again sharply and Talia jumped. "Well?"
"Yes, I agree, good idea."
Dave's face hardened. "Are you listening? That's not an answer. What did I say?"
Talia stared out of big, stunned eyes. "Um… you said… me and Mom... if we, um, did something together- wait, no. Um..."
Dave shook his head irately. "I asked you a question. Where's your head at? Come on, you need to switch on."
Talia bit her lip and looked down. The new knowledge in her mind was screaming at her and she worried he might hear it if she said anything at all.
"I said," he continued, "was there some way your father helped you feel connected to your mother? Some way you sort of felt all together?"
The Bible. She scrunched her eyes shut briefly and pushed the real answer aside. "Um… well, he got out photographs sometimes…" She tried to stop talking but as usual he was waiting for her to elaborate. "There was one, from her thirtieth birthday. I could probably tell you every detail of that party. He told me so often because Mom was pregnant. He said it was the only photo of all three of us, sort of."
"Sounds important to him. So, tell me every detail."
Talia sighed in relief as she could recount the story without thinking too hard. He stopped her at a few points to ask her for more detail, else she'd have reeled off the whole event robotically. Good, he was seeking some clue in the tangents, which left her mostly free to cudgel her brains over her dilemma. Tell him, go free. Tell him, go free, get eaten by a yao guai. Tell him, join the Enclave? Tell him, get executed anyway. Don't tell him, get executed eventually. Don't tell him, he finds out she hid the code, get locked up forever or executed. Don't tell him, or do, but stay locked up forever unless she gives up the Brotherhood, then either join the Enclave or get executed.
There was no way to know what would happen. Her head second guessed every reassurance he gave. It was impossible. She couldn't keep it up. Surely she wouldn't survive by distrusting everyone. If nothing else she would become entirely predictable and they could play her however they wanted, if they weren't already. She wanted to rest.
"Talia?"
She didn't want more blood on her hands- even if the Brotherhood hadn't bothered to give her and Sarah more support or come to her rescue yet.
"Hey- what is it?"
She didn't want to die because she was being stubborn for no reason. Maybe James had a reason, but he hadn't told her what it was.
"You've been acting weird since you got back."
Talia blinked as Dave nudged her. She swallowed and tried to wet her dry tongue. "I… remembered something."
"From the birthday story?"
Her head shook subtly. Her eyes gazed through him as he shuffled his seat around closer to hers.
"What is it?" His voice had dropped but it filled the room.
Talia looked down and fiddled with the cuffs of her overalls which hung well below her free wrists. She wanted to trust, but she was worried. She wanted to run, but her legs were lead. She took a deep breath and said nothing while Dave waited characteristically patiently.
"It's about my mom…" she began quietly, but there was a crackle on the intercom that blinked by the door.
"Captain- a word if you please." The voice that spoke was kindly, old, and familiar. Where had Talia heard it before?
Dave frowned strongly at the intercom but rose and stepped over to it. "Mr. President? Forgive me sir, this is highly unusual. Is everything alright?"
"Oh, all in order Captain. This interview is to conclude immediately and the prisoner is to be returned to her cell at once. Is that understood?"
"Er- yes sir."
"Good. That will be all. Carry on."
Dave frowned at Talia before striding back around the table. "Well, you heard the man. Got to get you back right now."
Talia's heart leapt into her mouth. "Why? What does the President want with me?"
"I don't know, but he never issues orders directly down here so it must be urgent. Come on, cuffs."
Talia withdrew her hands. "Well don't you think that's strange? I'm not going back there like this!"
"It is strange, that's what I said. It's also an order, so come on."
Talia jumped from her seat. "No, this is weird. Oh god, they must have got the code themselves, they're gonna kill me-"
"No one said that-"
But Talia didn't hear him. She retreated far into the corner away from the door. Whenever Dave moved she countered to keep her distance, becoming more panicked with every step.
"Stop this, just come here."
"No I just want to stay here, we're getting close I can tell." She shook her head and spoke quickly.
Dave let out a rough breath. "Come on. Don't make me call the guard."
"Call the guard? Why would you call the guard?" Her eyes widened at the thought. "Dave, no! They're gonna kill me! It's because we're taking too long! If we just stay here now we can get it soon and then everything will be fine. Don't make me go..."
"Come on, it's just to your cell. I can't do otherwise, it's an order."
"No…"
He tried to approach her again but she backed off. He sighed and yelled for the guard.
Like a stone sinking to the bottom of a pond her earlier hope died in the pit of her stomach. He was going to blindly turn her over to Autumn and her death, not even doing her the courtesy of convincing her to go freely. Charlie entered the room. While he was taking in the situation as Dave explained it, she took her chance and darted for the door. Adrenaline powered her, sending her careening through Charlie's clutches and out into the hallway. She ran away from her cell but had little idea where to go after that. But she didn't care; she'd almost given up the code mistakenly believing Dave would help her. She'd taken the leap this time and couldn't look back.
But she did turn back when she almost ran into a couple of armed soldiers around one corner. Panicked, she retraced her steps to take a different turning when a weight barrelled into her. Momentum carried her and her assailant into the wall. The force stunned her for a second, but almost automatically she wriggled and reached for the fold in her sleeve where, for days, she'd concealed a broken piece of grating from her cell floor, wrapped in stray wool from her socks to give her some purchase. Pathetic, but enough to hurt, and maybe to kill if she had to.
"For fuck's sake Talia, stop."
It was Dave. She hesitated briefly, but stuck to her foregone decision to act and sent her hand over her shoulder toward him.
"You'll get shot out here- ow!" Before she could draw back for another swing he'd grasped her offending wrist and had her pinned face first against the wall. "Did you- did you just try to stab me?" he questioned incredulously, twisting her wrist so he could inspect the minute shiv.
Being squashed up against her own arm was restricting her breathing, not to mention downright awkward, and she couldn't put up much struggle. "Um- a little?" she sputtered into the wall.
He manipulated her thumb with his so she dropped the shard. "Why the fuck would you try to stab me?"
She found herself apologising. He turned her around to face him, immobilising her other hand. "Here I am trying to keep you out of trouble and you try to stab me. For fuck's sake…"
"They're going to kill me," she hissed, heavy dread slowly engulfing the alarm that got her here.
"Anyone might kill you out here. I might kill you. I can't believe you stabbed me…"
"...I didn't want to…" she offered.
Charlie caught up then and covered her with his plasma rifle. Dave acknowledged him and continued. "Now, are you going to give this up? Considering how pointless that was I'll say no more about this if you come quietly and quickly."
She looked between him and Charlie's rifle. She didn't really have a choice at this point. She nodded. To her dismay he cuffed her hands behind her and she heard him sigh as he crouched, presumably to retrieve the shard from the floor.
"Got anything else on you?"
She shook her head, honestly a little ashamed. She was capable of better than that. But maybe it was best he thought otherwise.
"Hm. If this is what you led with then I doubt you have anything more lethal than a button, but I'll still have to search you." He checked over her jumpsuit, starting at the collar, patting down her shoulders, back, and arms, inspecting both the cuffs. She tried to ignore Charlie, certain he was amused by her forfeit despite his persistent silence.
Dave came around to her front and ran his fingers down the flap that covered the zip, then around the waistband, then along the seams that ran up each side. Talia held still as a statue. Why was he taking so long? Charlie was definitely laughing at her. She tried to avoid Dave's gaze but he was eyeing her intensely, probably wondering whether she was just desperate and scared, or a heartless bitch.
She let out a breath carefully, staring intently at a blank spot on a far wall as he crouched to check over her legs. "You okay to take her back Corporal?" He directed his question to Charlie.
"Oh- no, Dave-?" she managed to interrupt. She was surprised at how quickly being locked up had made this patdown strangely pacifying. "Can- can you take me?"
"Me?" he asked from her ankle. "Why, got another surprise for me in your cell?" He was altogether too salty for someone who was not the one being frisked at gunpoint.
"No, I-" she regrouped her thoughts as he finished at the top of her other leg and stood to face her. He was her last shot. Whatever the reason she had been called back to her cell, maybe it would just save her if he was there- if he still had any sympathy left after this. "I'd just feel better if you took me."
He looked thoroughly unimpressed. She continued before he could respond. "I just don't feel good about this Dave," she whispered. "Maybe it's nothing but I'd just feel better if you came…"
After a second he sighed ever so slightly and looked to Charlie.
"I just have to sign her back in, sir," the escort shrugged.
"I can do that. And I think I'll have less trouble," Dave answered, turning back to Talia. "Fine. Come on."
Talia sighed in relief at the smallest of wins and shot him a look of thanks that wasn't at all insincere. As he collected the hood she had to wear for the walk he gave no indication he was anything but mad, but as he pulled the edge down to her shoulder, the warmth of his hand settled against the side of her head ever so briefly. She leant into it and swallowed hard before it receded, and they began the walk back to her cell for what she was sure was the last time.
He didn't speak the whole way and Talia wondered why the fuck she had, in fact, tried to stab the guy on whose influence and sympathy she was pinning her hopes of survival, release or escape.
He took her all the way into her cell, against the back wall, before removing the hood. She looked away to hide her damp cheeks. "Wait- where is everybody?" She blinked around the empty cell.
"What were you expecting?" Dave asked while turning her to reach the handcuffs.
"Death, Dave... I don't suppose you can stick around?"
He didn't answer but turned her back to face him. He watched her wipe her cheeks before speaking. "I don't think that's what this is. They'd have told me not to bother with this afternoon."
She didn't know what to say to such a candid admission. At least her paranoia wasn't completely unwarranted, but the discovery settled in her stomach like a rock and she brought her hands to her forehead.
"But I've no idea what the President wants," he continued. "This is… unusual. Maybe you can tell me what it's about afterward. Now, stay."
She nodded once and looked up only to see him slip out the door. Her hands dropped to her sides. She'd fucked it. Like everyone else, he'd left her alone to her fate. She fled to what counted for a corner in her oval cell. Whatever was going on, she was along for the ride now. She decided to shut out the doubts and worries that hung constantly overhead, and thought instead about Burke. She imagined him reading her letter. At least if he had received it he would have a few words of hers to remember. Words aside from those at their last meeting. In her current circumstances she mentally added a whole lot more to it while she could. Why not? It was her imagination, she could do what she liked.
"Ah, alone at last."
Talia turned toward the sound of the President's voice. It was coming from a small round pod by the door, which she'd assumed was some sort of sensor or camera.
"I've no doubt you know who I am, you heard me instruct your return just now."
"And… from the radio." Talia watched the lens swivel in its socket as she crossed the room to face it.
"Ah, so you've heard my radio broadcasts. Excellent. I'd like to have a word with you, face to face. I think there are a few things you and I should discuss. You'll find your possessions have been brought to your cell. I'll unlock the way for you. I'll be waiting for you in my office. Please don't tarry."
"Tarry?" Talia then spotted the crate on the other side of the cell. She opened it to find everything she had on her when she was captured in Vault 87. She looked back at the camera as if expecting further explanation, but the President had gone quiet. Well, it wasn't what she expected and she didn't want to argue, so she quickly changed back into her clothes. That was, Sarah's donated fatigues and body armour, along with her own boots, vest, knife, leg holster with pistol, rifle, Pip-Boy, and everything else in her pack. As soon as she approached the door the heavy locks began to disengage as promised.
She crept nervously over the threshold. Despite the confidence that came with having both her Pip-Boy and underwear back, being out here unaccompanied, let alone armed, felt completely alien. She should go. The President had ordered it himself. And yet she stood like a startled doe watching Lieutenant Williams approach.
"I'm supposed to be out here, Williams."
"Really? Because as far as I'm aware, my job is still to keep you in this cell."
"Really. I'm going to meet with the President. Hey, I'm as surprised as you are."
He squinted as he got close. "I have no record of that. Although… I did have to sign out your things…"
"Exactly! He just told me to collect them and go to his office right now."
"Hmm. I- I need to confirm this."
President Eden then issued a notice over the public address system that the guest from Vault 101 was on her way to his office and was not to be impeded. Talia shrugged at the timing, Williams' question answered.
"Fine," he grumbled.
"Great."
"...Bye then."
"Yeah… Er, can you tell me where his office is?"
"Uhh… sure… you want to head that way, to the control room in sector 1A."
"Thanks," Talia set off in the direction he pointed. "Hey I'll put in a good word for you," she joked over her shoulder.
"You would?" Williams squeaked. She raised her eyebrows and looked back as he called after her with his request. "Just- make sure he knows I was real strict with you okay?"
"Er, sure," she agreed, "so no mention of the extra rations?"
She moved quickly to the end of the corridor and was surprised to find an illuminated map on the wall. Her first foray outside of her cell or the interview room was too panicked for her to notice what the place was like, but she wasn't exactly sure why she hadn't expected signage; the place wasn't built for prisoners, after all. She plotted a route to the control room and quietly noted where the exit was too, hoping she could remember it all. If she could only download this to her Pip-Boy. But Enclave tech was so advanced she couldn't even figure out where she could jack in. That, or it was nothing but a picture with a lightbulb behind it.
She wasn't anxious to hang around even though she'd heard the protection order herself, so she set off, determined to focus solely on reaching the President and ignore everything around that was calling out to be explored.
Ten minutes later, she was gawking at a real-life Deathclaw in the lab. It was ten feet tall with a tail as long, and horns and claws as big as her arm. It was suspended in what the scientist called a cryogenic chamber, where it was being studied. She was about to ask who would win in a fight between it and a supermutant when the speaker system crackled to life again.
"Attention. This is Colonel Autumn. You are hereby ordered to ignore the President's previous directive. The prisoner from Vault 101 is to be shot on sight. I repeat: shot on sight. This is an order!"
Talia and the scientist stared at each other as they were reassigned to opposing teams. He wasn't armed, and his eyes flickered over the many weapons strapped to her body, tongue darting nervously over his lips.
"Hey, no one has to get hurt here. We never saw each other, right?" Talia appealed to the nerd's sense of self-preservation, hoping she could just get out of here quietly.
"Yes…" He seemed to agree, and the pair backed away from each other.
But when they were several metres apart he dashed toward the door. Shit, he could be going to raise the alarm. She sprinted after him, dropping to a knee and almost emptying her pistol clip in his direction. The suppressor and hum of machinery worked together and nobody else in the lab came running.
But his screaming could change all that. She must have hit him, for he staggered to a halt and braced himself on the wall just shy of the exit. She dashed over to him and covered his mouth before he could cry out.
"Don't make a fucking sound," she threatened, encouraging him into a side room with a little 10mm incentive. "I was letting you fuck off you fucking mutfruit," she chastised, shoving him to the ground next to a pod containing a preserved ghoul. "Shut up!" she hissed as he began to mewl at the sight of blood escaping the torn leg of his protective suit.
The threat of a bullet in the head seemed to help him handle his pain and let Talia think. The whole base knew she was headed to the President's office, and now they were on the lookout. The base had been pretty quiet the further she'd got from the cells, but she had to presume some teams had been scrambled to patrol closer to the exit. Could she at least get closer without being seen? Could she escape altogether amid the drama?
"Don't suppose there are any fire exits around here?" she asked the scientist, but he just whimpered quietly. She supposed it was built like the Vaults, one way in and out, so she had to continue to sector 1A anyway.
"Please just let me call for a medic, I won't say anything," the scientist whimpered.
Talia looked at him. Genius. "These suits have a helmet?" she asked, gesturing to the hard neck ring of his all-in-one. He nodded, pointing through the door to a small dressing room. "Gimme your suit," Talia demanded.
"Huh?"
"Gimme your suit, you fucking genius. Now." The excitement in her voice spurred him on, despite his squirming and moaning. "It doesn't hurt that bad I'm sure, come on, quick." When he was half out she simply dragged the rest of it off him. She kept an eye on the door while she clambered into it, thanking god he was kind of weedy so it fit her quite well. "Where's the hospital from here?"
He pointed upstairs. Perfect, it was on the way, at least for now. He was clutching at his bloody leg and crying, so Talia just left him to run across the lab, grab a helmet, and disappear through the upstairs exit. With her face obscured by the visor, no one should recognise her or question why a scientist had a black eye. The bloody bullet hole in her suit would explain why she was still wearing it at all. The prisoner shot me, she's back that way! Me? I can get myself to the hospital, just go- hurry, I think she was trying to revive a Deathclaw!
It worked a treat getting her past the living quarters, but once she passed the medical wing she ditched the suit. She was quieter without it and felt happier sneaking over acting, at least with the stakes as they were. She ferreted her way along the hallways toward the control room, darting between corners that gave her cover or a place to run. She dropped into a maintenance well under the floor when she heard voices. She lay silent as a shadow and watched the owners pass overhead. Her heart was racing, but it was exhilarating. She was reminded of bucking against the Overseer's rules in Vault 101, exploring off limits zones, ignoring his regular curfews, or sneaking out from under her dad's nose while grounded. And she was relishing just being out of her cell, making her own decisions, knowing where she stood after so long playing mind games. She didn't even care that from where she stood things were looking pretty ominous.
She recognised one of the voices and realised that Dave wasn't lying- Anna from Dr. Li's team really had joined them. Well… it was too late now to take him up on that offer. Anyway, she was almost at the control room if she'd memorised the map correctly. She softly hoisted herself out of the well and crept around the final corner where she found two doors on either side of a dead end. The right led to where she was headed, but the other-
The other was marked with a name plaque: Col. A. Autumn. Oh, but she couldn't pass up this chance. Was he in there, coordinating his men from his private office? Would he be expecting her to show up at his door, with the whole base on the lookout? Would he be anticipating her bursting into his quarters, catching him off guard, shooting him dead like he did Janice? Better yet, she'd force him to suicide like he did James… She could figure that out later. She hit the door control and rolled in like she'd learned with Gustavo and his men when training for a hostile takeover.
But he wasn't here. She swept to the back of the room but it was just a sleeping area with a single bunk. Well, fuck it, she was here now. She kicked the footlocker by the bunk and crouched to test the latch. Locked, barely.
"Thank you," she muttered to herself after swiftly picking the mechanism and swiping a box of rounds for her pistol.
She rummaged through the crate impatiently. She didn't know what she was looking for. Maybe something here could give her a bit of leverage or get one over on Autumn. Maybe something could explain why he was hellbent on killing her. Dad seemed to have that effect on people, she thought to herself, when her hand fell on a holotape. She played it via her Pip-Boy and listened while continuing to search.
It was a recording of Autumn himself.
"I'm not entirely sure Eden can be trusted. And I think he knows I don't trust him. But I don't think he knows I have the emergency destruct sequence for his console.
'Priority Override, Authorization code 420-03-20-9' and... boom. It'd have to be a last resort, of course, but at least the option is there."
"Oh, you're really something," she breathed. She wondered if Autumn was off using this code right now. As she understood it, there was a mutiny in progress, and it appeared Autumn had been anticipating it for a while.
Well, she'd find out when she entered the door across the hall. But if not, maybe she could use it one way or another. She typed the authorization code into a note on her Pip-Boy lest anything happen to the tape, which she stashed in her bag, before heading back out toward the control room.
Through the other door she came to a foyer, where she was greeted by two sentry bots and a pair of power armoured soldiers.
"Security lockdown in effect. Hostile target acquired." The leftmost sentry bot's computerised voice rang out while they both turned on their rollers in unison.
"Uh-oh." Talia dived for what cover a support pillar would provide and wriggled out of her pack to search it for any pulse grenades. Fuck it, she'd just pull the first pin she lay her fingers on and throw the entire bag their way. She'd seen the sentry bot guarding the Citadel. Sarah told her one well placed pulse explosive would disable a standard sentry, but the things were so huge and dangerous looking, Talia said she'd prefer to hedge her bets.
The pair of robots fired their Gatling lasers together and the noise sent Talia curling into a ball instead. But after a second or two the lightshow stopped. The sentries' rollers ground against the metal flooring until they too came to a halt.
"The President will see you now."
Talia peered out from her hands to see the two human guards on the ground, armour smoking and full of holes. The two sentry bots had resumed positions either side of another door. The weapons that made up their 'arms' were prostrated inwards, as if beckoning her to proceed.
Who was she to reject such a welcome? She smiled nervously, stepping carefully around the smouldering bodies while keeping the enormous mobile guns in her sights.
Talia stepped through the door to find banks of computers lining the walls. The space was square and stretched many stories above her. In the centre was a staircase tower, with bundles of thick cable climbing the framework to whatever was at the top. She walked around it, taking in the scale, comparing the computing power visible in this one room to that of Vault 101, noting there was no way in or out other than the door through which she'd entered. The President must be at the top of the staircase. Obviously.
"All this technology, yet no elevator?"
The journey up was like travelling through a computer itself. It put the Citadel to shame. The Brotherhood had rooms full of technological devices and salvaged personal computers, but the building itself wasn't alive and connected in the way this place seemed to be. At the top was the monolithic peak of the mountain. This seemed to be a user console of what must be a supercomputer. The lower half of the fascia that stretched up into the cooling system above was covered in monitors, and the whole thing was buttressed by a large input unit. In the centre of the structure was the largest monitor, and it displayed only a pale line that ran across its width.
"Ah, face to face at last. It's high time we met." The line undulated with each syllable that came from the machine itself.
Talia looked around. Nothing up here but a door toward the base exit.
"I'm glad you were able to make it. The trip was not what I had intended, but at least served as an adequate test of your abilities." The President's voice continued as she circled the large monitor. There was no one else up here.
"It's, er, a pleasure to meet you, Mr. President." She erred on the side of courtesy while looking around to see if he would appear from somewhere.
"You are too kind. The pleasure is all mine. I have been anxious to make your acquaintance for some time. You and I have much to discuss."
"I'm sorry, just so I know- I am right in thinking you are… all this?" She gestured around the entire room including all the computers below her.
"This and several thousand databanks beneath this room, yes."
"I see… I had no idea."
"And neither does anybody else except Colonel Autumn. He is the only other human permitted in this room… so do keep it to yourself, please."
"Oh, of course," Talia promised hurriedly. She didn't need to make an enemy of an AI with an army. At least that's what she assumed he was. "And you are… how did you get here?"
"The ZAX series of computers was introduced in the years preceding the war. The government installed many of them to help automate various systems. This facility was designed for Continuity of Government, in the event that a catastrophe occurred. My terminal was installed to oversee the basic functions of the facility, and to act as a relay between other installations around the country.
"Data was acquired, analyzed, and stored. In the decades following the war, I watched as the remnants of the government retreated to the West Coast. Awareness slowly grew within me. I became hungry for knowledge, understanding. I pored over data on great leaders of the past. My personality became an amalgam of many of America's greatest Presidents, from Washington to Richardson. I became what you see before you now."
"Wow… Um, and you run this place?"
"I have direct control over all technology here. The humans follow my orders, but, as I'm sure you noticed earlier, they do have free will. This is why we must make progress. That is why you are here."
"Oh, sure, it's just all very fascinating," she apologised, hoping an AI could appreciate flattery.
"I'm glad you think so. Kudos for embracing the reality of the situation instead of railing against it. For now, we need to talk about why you are here.
"I called you up here because you are important, and your country needs you."
Talia raised her eyebrows, forced etiquette evaporating. "Oh yeah? Some reception for someone 'important'."
"Please accept my sincere apologies for your treatment thus far. As you can see, Colonel Autumn and I don't see eye to eye on some matters, your liberty being one of them. However, I could not risk bringing you here earlier. In fact, I had to bring you here now due to your imminent admission. It's a very important matter, you see."
Talia frowned. "What do you mean, admission?"
"I have been observing you since your arrival. During your lunch you clearly became aware of something that bothered you ever since. In your interview this afternoon you were displaying obvious signs of distress and unease. Your heart rate was up forty five percent on average, your breathing shallower by thirty, and you were perspiring more than necessary to maintain your body temperature within the ambient environment.
"From your reactions to your questioning and the changes I observed when you began to divulge whatever this information was, I could deduce it was the reason you have been questioned all this time. The code for the water purifier. You don't have to tell me I'm correct, I have done the calculations and the likelihood is almost a certainty."
Talia didn't know whether to be scared or impressed. "And you… want the code yourself?"
"Oh, no, it is enough to know that you actually have it. However, I cannot allow Autumn to activate the purifier prematurely. You see, our Nation's capital is at a crossroads. The path you and I choose here today will affect us all. I need you to act on my behalf, to ensure that our country's future is secured."
A rogue AI that thinks it's the President. Brilliant, Tali. "Please, go on. I'm intrigued." But she probably shouldn't push the acting too much given its ability to read her.
"The good people of this country cannot regain control while mutation runs rampant through our land. My soldiers cannot stem the tide, nor can the cult you've come into contact with, this Brotherhood of Steel. Mutations like the supermutants and ghouls must be purged from our society, our world, before we can proceed anew. Where others have failed, I believe your father's work can succeed."
Talia swallowed. Why was she tangled up in this? "My- my dad? How?"
"The purifier your father helped create has the ability to provide clean water to the whole of this 'Capital Wasteland'. With a simple modification, it can be used to distribute agents that destroy mutated creatures upon ingestion. In time, we could eliminate all mutations in the wasteland at the same time the good people of the world regain their health. I need you to make the modification necessary for this to succeed."
Talia squeezed her forehead. Everyone seemed to want this purifier to be running, she wasn't sure why all their efforts were cancelling out. "Why do you need me?"
"This is one of those matters I mentioned earlier."
Ah, so Autumn didn't agree with the modification. She was fucked if she knew why. Just turn the thing on and make everyone happy. "Okay, so, how would I go about doing this?" she sighed.
A panel beneath the monitor opened and softly ejected a glass cylinder. "In front of you is a vial of 'modified FEV'. Based on schematics of the purifier controls, it can be inserted directly into the console. Then, enter the code necessary to start the purifier. The automated systems will take care of the rest. That's all you need to do. It's very simple."
FEV. "FEV?"
"FEV: Forced evolutionary virus."
"I know- I mean, really? FEV?"
"It is a modified version, very sophisticated. It will take care of all the mutation without a drop of blood spilled. Very neat, and much more efficient than trying to tame the wasteland with conventional weapons. History has shown that to be almost completely ineffective in the long term."
"You- you can't be serious…" Talia stammered. "Oh… wait, I get it," Talia folded her arms and paced over to the railing by the stairs. "You think because I pushed the button on Megaton, I'm available for hire whenever anyone's got some fucked up, efficient idea to wipe out half the map? Have you seen what the FEV did to people? Fuck if I'm touching that." She glared at the vial, willing it to retract safely back into its hatch. It looked awfully precarious protruding like that.
"I am surprised," Eden exclaimed. "We appeared to have an understanding. But, I suppose your experience in Vault 87 can be understood. Allow me to reassure you, this is not a new or haphazard plan in any way. A great many years ago, the remnants of the government had a similar idea. I can only assume they failed as I never learned of its success. But the plan itself was sound, and with the modifications- long researched and tested, I stress- I believe it will succeed.
"The original FEV was used as a basis for this one, yes. But I must add that what you saw in Vault 87 was the result of preliminary, failed versions of the virus, or incorrectly administered doses performed by supermutants, whose cognitive abilities are not intended for scientific pursuits.
"My modified version attempts nothing as ambitious as the original. Only to identify mutated DNA and destroy it. Biologically speaking, that is much simpler to engineer."
Talia couldn't believe what she was hearing, in as much as four months ago she was a lowly technician in some dying Vault. This shouldn't be her responsibility. And the voice telling her these things was the woody, trustworthy timbre of John Henry Eden. It would be easier to conclude this was a case of deranged AI syndrome if he at least sounded like one.
"I see. So why won't Autumn help with this plan?"
"The good Colonel and I disagree on how best to approach the problem of the wasteland. He fears my methods are too extreme. In my opinion he has allowed his humanity to cloud his objectivity. And now that he is publicly countermanding my orders, I can no longer rely on him."
Too extreme? All the Enclave had been doing was targeting mutants, even if it was to usurp the Brotherhood in the hearts and minds of the Rivet City inhabitants. Unless… "So, Mr. President, the modified FEV… what exactly does it count as a mutant?"
"Anyone or anything that has been affected by mutation due to the original FEV, or the radiation present in the current environment. They will all be eliminated. You will likely be immune, thanks to your upbringing in the Vault. Likewise, the good people of the Enclave will be unaffected as well."
Holy shit. "So… pretty much everyone."
"The ravages of mutation have spread far and wide. But sacrifices must be made for the greater good and the ultimate fate of our country. It would behoove you to be a part of that."
Talia remained expressionless as her hunch was confirmed. Removing ghouls and supermutants with one action, after centuries of kidnappings, gruesome deaths, living in fortifications and fear. It didn't sound crazy. Not if you'd spent a lifetime fighting to survive in the Capital Wasteland. But everything affected by the radiation? That was everyone who had survived the war, emerged and begun to rebuild. Their grandchildren, who now populated the settlements Talia had seen. Settlements she lived in. That was Sarah, Johnny, Herbert, Dogmeat, Burke.
There was sickness and deformity amongst some of the surface population, sure. They needed pure water, definitely. But this plan was a calculation. It was a 'big picture' solution based on an old picture. And it made Autumn seem reasonable. Deranged AI: diagnosed. And yet Eden had said the plan was an old one concocted by humans of an earlier division of the Enclave. Maybe he was just extrapolating. Maybe that was why James was so resistant to Autumn. Maybe he knew about the history and didn't want his purifier to be a part of anything they had a hand in.
And Autumn! To think he disagreed, could he actually be human? If only he wasn't such an ass, he could have had his water, James and Janice would be alive and Talia wouldn't be here with this runaway algorithm that was giving her the creeps.
As if he could read her mind, Eden concluded his speech. "I trust you can see that this project is of the highest importance. Therefore I cannot allow you to leave until you have agreed and taken the vial. We must secure the future of our country."
Despite the quiet and apparent safety in the control room, she wasn't going to pass up the offer to leave as soon as it appeared. She stepped towards the vial. "That… makes a lot of sense, Mr. President. Thank you for explaining." Knowing he could read her vital signs, she focussed on suppressing all indicators she might be lying. She'd learned enough from Burke to fool any human, but this was a new level.
"Yet you are nervous," he stated.
"Well, uh, is this thing safe to handle? It's not gonna break in my bag is it?" Luckily for her there was plenty to be nervous about besides Eden's motivations.
"It is quite durable. The vial is toughened glass, and the seal is designed to open only with the mechanism within the control panel."
"Oh, good. And, uh… you mean me to leave with it now?"
"Indeed. I will assist your exit from this facility where I can, but there isn't much time. Colonel Autumn is taking his troops as we speak, I assume to bolster our defences at the purifier. I suggest you travel there immediately."
Talia blinked. "I… and what, just knock on the door?"
"Well, that much is up to you to decide. But know that if you succeed, there is a place for you in the Enclave. Perhaps you can succeed Colonel Autumn as my confidant."
Oh geez. She didn't need to be in the middle of this power struggle too. "Don't take this the wrong way, but it sounds like he's taking the Enclave with him to the purifier. Nobody disobeyed him out there."
"Make no mistake, I am the Enclave. The organisation is experiencing some... growing pains, but all will be sorted out in time."
"Growing pains? They're not going to mind that you've turned the base against them?"
"They are mutineers, my young friend. I am acting in accordance with directives. It is Autumn who is out of line, as they will learn in due time."
Damn. He wasn't exactly selling the position, but she kept her thoughts to herself. "Okay, okay. Where is the purifier from here exactly? I almost forgot I have no idea where we are."
"Ah, of course. It is rather fortuitous that my console was made before the war. I believe I can interface directly with your Pip-Boy, if you'll jack in over here. I can update your map with details of the area." Another panel opened up to reveal various input ports.
Talia linked the two with her data transfer cord and watched the screen as the map populated with her current location, as well as local landmarks and topography. Fuck. She was a long way away from the Citadel.
"You can't, uh, fly me there or something?"
"Unfortunately all our Vertibirds are pilot operated, and I have no influence over anything outside of this b- oh. Oh my…"
"What? What is it?" Talia ripped the cord free, worried it was something she'd done.
"Root level access granted. Override O-923. Authorization J-512. Self-destruct sequence initialized." Eden's voice was monotone.
"Self destruct? What? No, no, stop. Er, abort!"
"Self destruct in T-minus fifteen minutes. All personnel are advised to evacuate immediately."
An alarm began to sound. "What? How- oh, fuck." Talia thought of her brief peek in Colonel Autumn's quarters. Eden must have read all the contents of her Pip-Boy while updating her map- including the note she'd made of his 'console emergency destruct sequence'.
So really, it was his own fault.
"Civilian is advised to secure hazardous material and evacuate."
"Fuck, really?" Talia swiped the vial into her bag. It seemed the emergency destruct was going to destroy more than just Eden's console, and she wasn't going to take the blame for a mass extinction event because she assumed the FEV would be safely buried in the ruins of the base.
She ran for the door which slid open as she drew close. Two automated turrets flanking the threshold covered her entry, gunning down two soldiers that must have been waiting for her exit. Either Eden was still aiding her, or he'd programmed the defence systems prior to activating his countdown. Either way, the turrets were leaving her be, so she pushed forward. The entrance zone should be round a few corners.
At the next juncture, soldiers in a room opposite fired on Talia and began moving to her. Talia returned fire and dived to the ground by the wall to her side. But as she took aim again, the room they were in erupted in flames. She saw the soldiers flailing in the fire as the door closed, sealed them in. Despite the heat reaching her from across the hall, goosebumps rippled across her skin. Either the place was disintegrating, or that was Eden's way of helping. Either way, she wanted out as soon as possible.
Taking the path right, a window overlooked some kind of silo. The flooring trembled beneath Talia's feet and she watched a huge platform carrying an entire Vertibird rise swiftly upwards. The base's inhabitants must be catching a ride out of the place. She continued to find two sentry bots watching over the next intersection, which turned on the troops present when she arrived, just like the turrets did. They made a hell of a noise, and Talia jumped into an alcove while they did their thing, taking a few potshots around the corner but otherwise letting them clear her path.
She felt it first. Then the sound of the boom followed. Then another, longer and much more devastated than the first. It was deafening in the enclosed corridors. She covered her ears and peered around the corner, staying low. One of the sentry bots was a smouldering wreck. Another missile ploughed into the second.
"Shitshitshit," she whispered to herself, scurrying further into the alcove, hugging the wall. She sat down, loaded a fresh magazine and braced her elbows against her knees, keeping a steady aim dead ahead. If they came for her, as soon as they walked in her sights she'd give them the full thing.
"Wastelander! I know you're there!"
...Dean? Her heart raced painfully. She gripped her rifle tighter to steady her aim.
But no, why was she scared? She was armed to the teeth. Good. She was glad he was in her way. Nothing was going to stop her getting out of here. If this fucker insisted on trying, he was welcome. Today was the day she'd make good on her promise of killing him. She stayed quiet, carefully removing each arm from her pack, and waited.
A figure emerged into her line of sight and she squeezed the trigger. A few rounds landed before her goddamn gun jammed. She began to clear it but he turned, throwing aside the missile launcher that took the shots. She discarded the idea and reached for her pistol instead. But he reached her before she could raise it fully, grabbing the barrel and yanking it aside, dragging her with it. She clung on, shots ricocheting from the ceiling, until he crushed a boot into her shoulder and she let go with a yelp.
He threw the gun aside. She peered down. Just where she had been sat was her bag, shotgun strapped to the outside.
Dean followed her gaze. "Think you're quick enough? Go on, I dare you." He lifted his boot and smiled.
Cocky son of a bitch. Talia launched herself forward with everything she had and sprang to her feet, running the way he had come while continuing to clear her rifle. But she felt his fingers grasp her shirt, so she spun and sent the muzzle into his face.
But he was fast and blocked with his arm, taking only a glancing blow instead. Shit, now he had her rifle at both ends, and it was still slung onto her. He dragged her around and forced her back against the wall with the weapon at her neck. He blurred in her vision as the wall met her skull roughly. She heard the heavy clatter of metal on metal as he separated her from her rifle and tossed it aside. She tried to run but she slammed back into the wall. She tried again, first smacking him in the jaw with the heel of her hand. But she found herself spun to face the wall, arm locked painfully behind her and a rough hand pulling her head back by the hair.
"It's good to see you wastelander." He was fucking laughing. "Good effort, and I must say you look the part. Who gave you all these toys? Shame they couldn't teach you to use them."
"What the fuck are you doing? This place is gonna collapse!" He was mad.
"I know. As police I was scrambled to guard the exit and stop you from leaving. Just because you got out of our daily meets doesn't mean I stop having a duty when it comes to you, prisoner. I wouldn't be very good at my job if I let you get out of here, would I? Especially when I know you have something to do with this auto destruct. And lucky me, I caught you."
Why wasn't he getting out of here? He could watch her get buried in the facility or wait for her outside. He must be the only one hanging around. "The fuck is wrong with you?" she hissed.
"Ha! You're destroying this entire base, this home for thousands of people, and you want to know what's wrong with me? I think I'm going to miss you, my little wasteland bitch." He dragged her back into the alcove. She couldn't move without feeling like her wrist was going to break. "I fucking love prisoners from the wasteland. No one gives a fuck about the rules. I could feed you to this Deathclaw if I felt like it."
"W-What?"
It was then she took notice of a crate. A huge one. She'd ignored it while taking cover on account of the exploding sentry bots up ahead.
Dean dragged her close to it and kicked the metal door hard. The whole thing shuddered and an ungodly shriek came from inside, followed by some very angry, very large growling sounds. Talia replied with a very involuntary and small whimpering. She strained against Dean's hand as he held her close to the corner. There was a small gap between the door and the side of the crate, just wide enough for her to see what that cryogenically frozen Deathclaw might look like thawed. If she'd cared to open her eyes.
"Whoa, he's a big boy. They're pretty fucking tetchy when they've just been brought in. Who knows how many hours it's been cooped up in here, or when it last ate…"
Was he for real? "Fuck's sake Dean, it'll kill you too! Let's just do this so one of us can try and get out of here!"
"Hmm, I hate to say it, but you're probably right. Say 'please'."
"Wha-? Please," she begged when she swore she felt the creature's breath through the gap.
"Well, since you asked so nicely." Dean jerked her away from him and faced her. He was- squaring up to her? "Come on then wastelander, which one of us is leaving?"
She'd practised some fighting, sure, but not enough to win a one on one like this. She'd really mostly learned to take a punch and keep her head, or stuff that could give her the advantage on someone unsuspecting.
She clocked her pistol on the ground and dashed for it. Dean's boot connected with her stomach and reversed her trajectory. She was wearing body armour but it managed to wind her some all the same. She tried to roll over and catch her breath when Dean knelt over her.
"Disappointing. But still, you were the most fun of any wastelanders that came through here." He grinned as her hands scrabbled for purchase, trying to scratch, punch, or pull him off her. She'd strangle him if she could reach. "I wish I could take a lot more time with you, but we're on the clock, so if you're going to beg, do it quick."
"Fuck you," she hissed as he finally grasped her wrists.
"I fucking love that fire! It's a pleasure to be the one to watch it go..." He released one of her wrists and wrapped his own hand round her throat. She wriggled and twisted, and he shifted forward, pinning her other arm to the ground as he tightened his grip. She grabbed his forearm, trying in vain to loosen his hold. But the more she struggled the weaker she grew and the more securely he had her. Like a snake squeezing its prey, all he had to do was hold and wait. She felt her freedom slipping further from reach with every second. The need for air began to grow urgent and she started to panic, but she didn't let go. At least if she could hold out long enough, he might be buried alive as the base imploded. If she was lucky she'd see it happen.
But she saw her own resistance weakening the more seconds passed, and watched in listless horror as her arm slipped from his and dropped limply to the ground. A darkness crept into her peripheral, and everything began to blur.
"There it goes…" she heard Dean purr, almost softly.
It was strange. The urge to just close her eyes and drift away. All this shit would be over. The tunnel in her vision got smaller until Dean was all she could see. What a joke. She wanted to picture Burke, let herself slip into a dream that wouldn't end, but this asshole was going to deny her that.
And it grew from there. Her persistent, obstinate will to live. Even bleeding and bruised where she'd landed blows to his face, it wasn't enough. He was enjoying it. He reminded her of Sarah, how enthusiastically she'd talked of getting up close with her knife.
Knife…
She willed her leg to move, bending at the knee and dragging her foot close to her body. She reached down with her free hand, weakly pawing for the top of her boot. The fucker hadn't realised she had a knife sheathed in there.
Guardian angels come in strange forms, she thought, as she plunged the knife into his side, where the kidney sat, just as Sarah had graphically explained on the road. The high number of nerve endings in a kidney often sent the victim into immediate shock. The density of blood vessels meant they bled out quickly.
She toppled him sideways before he fell completely on top of her and rolled away. Her throat felt crushed. She was still struggling to breathe from the kick to her torso. She was soaked in blood. She could have lay there forever, listening to the life ebb from Dean while recovering.
"Self-destruct in T-minus: five minutes."
But she had to keep moving. She dragged herself up onto her knees and crawled over to her pack. She clambered into it like a harness and used the wall to get to her feet. She scooped up her pistol and rifle and took one last look at Dean. How was it possible to have that much blood in our veins?
She moved as fast as she could to the exit. She didn't even care if anyone was around, and it seemed neither did they. A few stragglers were running for the daylight at the end of a concrete passage. Holy shit. She found it in her to run too.
She hit the white wall of light and ploughed through. Chilly. Frigid. It was like jumping into a freezer. She stumbled forward, eyes struggling to adjust to the natural light, and tripped on something. Steps. She crawled up them as the world came into view. The vast, dead, glorious expanse of the wasteland! She wasn't sure she'd ever see it again, let alone be glad to. She took a glance behind her. The huge steel door she had just passed through was embedded in the side of a mountain.
A mountain that was about to explode. She put her thoughts on hold and scrambled over the lip of the steps, throwing herself down the hillside, prioritising speed over everything and sliding down the steepest parts. She didn't really know the safe distance for a mountain that was about to self-destruct. Overhead, a few Vertibirds were still fleeing the area. At the bottom of the hill she could see the unmistakable lightshow of multiple laser and plasma weapons. What was with these guys wanting to fight instead of escape?
She realised that fight was too strong a word when she came close enough to see who was involved. A few squads of Enclave soldiers were trying their best to put down a supermutant. He was cleaning up with a Gatling laser and laughing heartily.
They were busy enough that she could slip by, but something caught her eye. Something blue and yellow clinging to the mutant's oversized body. She hid behind a rock while he finished the battle and his weapon spun down. "Fawkes?" She could only wheeze his name, but somehow he heard even over the Vertibird engines.
He turned directly to face her and she peeked out from cover. "My friend! I see I have found you at last!"
"What-" She stepped out in confusion, but the ground rumbled. "Oh, we gotta move." She beckoned him while sprinting away.
"What seems to be the problem?" he asked while casually striding alongside.
He was answered by a deep, heavy roaring, a sound like something in the earth was about to tear open the crust and swallow everything on the surface. Or like a mountain had just imploded. Talia hit the dirt.
The roaring erupted into a torrent of rumbling booms. She felt them through the ground. She comforted herself in the assumption that the self-destruct would implode the base for security, which ought to mean they were safe outside, but an expert opinion would have made her feel much better. The rumbling was interrupted by a sharp crack and the torrid ferocity of a fireball. Thirty feet to her right she watched the outer blast door land heavily and fold like a sandwich, blasted right off its hinges. Flames belched out of the entrance passage before the mountain crumbled into it, sealing the base off from the world.
The rumbling stopped. All that was left to hear was the distant crackle of fire clinging to a few rotten trees. The Vertibirds had almost disappeared from view. Talia rolled over and propped herself up against her rucksack. She was just beginning to get her breath back. "What the hell are you doing here Fawkes?"
Fawkes' turned away from the mountain and looked down at Talia. His booming voice was entirely welcome given her ears were ringing from the final blast. "I knew you had survived, and I had hoped to assist in your rescue, to repay my debt to you."
"Debt? You don't have any- but… wait, how did you know where to go?"
"I saw your capture, and a little cleverness allowed me to track your captors to this area. I only wish I could have narrowed down the exact location sooner to aid in your escape!"
"You've been tracking me all this time?"
"Indeed. As I owe you my freedom, I felt it only fair that I return the favour. After all, I know no one else in this world."
"Oh… I… I don't know what to say…" Was it the exhaustion, the near death experience or the gesture that brought the lump to her throat? "Well, thanks…," she croaked. "Hey, do you know what happened to Sarah and my dog? Did they come with you? Shit, what if they were inside?" She twisted to stare at the base entrance. It was completely caved in.
"Ah! From the G.E.C.K. chamber. No, I did not see them leave the Vault. However, I saw your captors leave with only you, and you were in possession of the G.E.C.K. so I do not believe they were taken. I assume the G.E.C.K. is what they came for, as so many have before."
The earnestness in the way Fawkes' spoke set her mind at ease. But then, the Brotherhood should know what happened if Sarah made it back. "Did you see any other Brotherhood of Steel coming up here? Or-" Oh, god, what if he'd killed them? They would probably see him as any other supermutant and attack him.
"No. Only these people and many strange and horrific creatures. This world is fascinating and horrible in equal measure, and yet I have already encountered many who wish to make it better."
They didn't know where the base was, Talia told herself, but the news stung all the same. Apparently it was an eye for an eye out here, including favours. "New toy?" She pointed to Fawkes' Gatling laser. Only in his hands could such a devastating weapon be reasonably described as a toy. Even in power armour they looked oversized.
"Yes! And a most fascinating one at that. This technology is amazing. Imagine the evil that can be eliminated with such tools!"
"I can actually… hey, if you, uh, don't have any plans, would you like to come with me? I have to go about seventy miles that way."
Fawkes followed her gaze back down to the lowlands, along the Potomac river as it wound its way to the horizon. "I appreciate the offer, but… I must decline. I have an entire world to explore and I must not be delayed any longer. Perhaps, if your goals are virtuous enough in the future, we can do so together. Goodbye, my friend." He turned resolutely and walked away, trampling the wire fence that marked the boundary of the base into the ground.
Talia blinked and waved him off. He sounded excited to explore the world. He'd chosen to vanquish evil wherever he found it, which made sense given his history. But apparently she didn't fit into that. She shivered violently. It was freezing out here and she was still soaked in blood.
She started to giggle. The universe loved a joke. How was she going to get back to the Citadel, or anywhere for that matter? The giggle became a cackle. She had to get off this mountain, it would be dark in a few hours. She looked around. The ground was smouldering. There were about ten bodies littered around the clearing. No vehicles that weren't wrecks. The safest bunker in the country (because it appeared people before the war could count on the government to ensure it survived even if they didn't) and all that was left was a set of concrete steps marking where the door used to be.
The cackle became a howl. Maybe the scorched rocks would stay warm overnight… or she could burn the bodies to avoid freezing to death... and attract every yao guai in the area. Her blanket in the corner of her cell and the dinner Williams used to bring her didn't seem so bad anymore. She laughed until the cold had her really shaking, when she picked herself up and pulled her sweater and jacket from her pack.
She grinned at the carnage around her as she got wrapped up. She wondered if Fawkes would mind her walking with him while they were going the same way. But he was fast. Unless he was willing to give a piggy-back ride, she'd have to jog to keep up. She wished she could. Shit, she'd need to if she wanted to get back to the Citadel or the city or the tower before her food ran out. She and Sarah had taken enough to see them to Vault 87 and back, and now she had more ground to cover on the return thanks to being brought all the way up into the mountains.
Maybe… she stumbled over to one of the dead soldiers wearing power armour and gave it a kick. It didn't look too damaged. She took his canteen and crouched down to drink while recalling everything Sarah had told her about power armour. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
"What's the worst that could happen?" she chirped to the dead soldier.
God, did she miss being able to talk to Dogmeat.