Chapter 9
I am Alpha, and Omega
Days went by.
It all whizzed by in a dark, hazy blur, stoic and emotionless, driven only by a sole, hardened resolve.
Sandra made her journey to Little Lamplight with no real trouble, apart from dodging the occasional slaver or super mutant, or simply killing them.
Her skills with a gun had improved drastically since her departure from the vault. Charon, Mr. Burke, Bryan, and Thrash refused to leave her mind through her travels—and as she walked, she could have sworn she could still hear their voices behind her, yet whenever she'd turn around, they were nowhere to be seen.
It was better this way, even though it felt like a hole had been drilled into her heart, leaving a void that absolutely nothing could fill. Not to mention…
Sandra had finally found her father, and she let him die at the hands of the Enclave...
The pain of it was simply unbearable.
Yet still—somehow—she carried on, deadpan, stony-faced, and entirely gone from herself.
Meanwhile—Mr. Burke, Bryan, and Thrash lived quietly in Megaton, while Charon stayed in the Ninth Circle most of the time.
None of them had anything to do. Life seemed emptier than usual for them—especially Charon, who spent his days sleeping through his nightmares and wasted his nights on scotch. It disturbed him to no end, all of it did—though he still hadn't yet pinpointed why.
And—he still wouldn't have his feelings sorted out when Sandra, many miles away, would reach Vault 87.
Sandra ignored the children of Little Lamplight and strolled through their home as if she owned the place.
It didn't take long to find and enter the vault, but she didn't expect to be intercepted by a raspy, deep voice from one of the intercoms.
A super mutant was trapped inside of one of the rooms, but he was different than the others. This one seemed civil.
"I know why you're here, and I can help you get the GECK," the mutant told her through the intercom. "If... if you just let me out of here."
"The other mutants locked you up?" Sandra asked.
This vault had a mutant problem, but she'd been using up a lot of her ammunition murdering them as she ventured deeper and deeper into the vault. They were hardly a challenge to her anymore.
"They did... they're mindless, my brothers, they... they don't see the world the way I do," the mutant conceded.
"Weird… how they consider you the outcast because you actually have the ability to reason," Sandra remarked. "Here, I'll let you out…"
She then unlocked the door, and she came face to face with a towering mutant wielding a sledgehammer.
"Freedom! FREEDOM! Oh, how I pictured this moment—and it's much better than I ever imagined!" the mutant exclaimed. "My name is Fawkes. It's a pleasure to meet you, human. Now... for my end of the deal. Follow me."
Fawkes led Sandra further into the vault, making quick work of his super mutant brothers.
A while later, Fawkes held up one of his big hands, gesturing for her to stay put, and he traveled into the highly irradiated portion of the vault.
He returned minutes later carrying a small rectangular device, containing what Sandra guessed must have been the GECK.
"Thanks a lot," Sandra said, trying to smile, though she wasn't entirely capable anymore. She then sighed, taking the GECK from him. "Wanna come with me? We can watch each other's backs out in the wastes."
"Oh no… I don't think the places you frequent would welcome someone of my kind," Fawkes replied. "Farewell, human. I will remember you, always."
Sandra turned and walked off.
It hardly mattered—as she was evidently meant to be alone now.
Her walk back through the vault was silent for about ten minutes.
Then, when she was halfway through the vault—a stun grenade dropped at her feet from seemingly nowhere.
Sandra fell to the ground, her consciousness abandoning her... eyes drifting shut…
The last thing she saw was the aging face of Colonial Autumns... a southern voice...
A few Enclave soldiers...
Enclave…
Enclave…!
A fiery burst of rage shot through her just before the world fell black around her.
Sandra blinked herself awake hours later—everything hazy, dreamlike, and feeling propelled as if on fast-forward.
Her wrists were shut tightly in a couple of metal clamps, and she stood captive against a wall in an empty, metal room—Colonial Autumns standing opposite her, his arms folded behind his back and his expression dark and inquisitive.
"The password for the purifier, if you please," he said. "I ain't in the mood to argue or play games. Just tell me what I need to know, kiddo. It's in your best interest to do so."
Sandra rolled her neck, glaring out at him hatefully from behind askew bangs—that face, every detail, that accent, every inflection—she'd never forget.
This man, right here in front of her, was a leader of the hated Enclave.
I've got your fucking face now.
Before she could utter a venomous response, another voice entered the room from the speakers overhead.
"Treat our guest with more respect, please," the voice of the president ordered, the same voice she'd heard on radios in passing for months now. "Send her to me. I'd like to talk to her directly."
"But, Mr. President..."
"My orders are clear. Send her to me, Autumns."
Autumns begrudgingly unclicked Sandra's restraints, allowing her to move freely. He then stepped out of the room without saying a word.
Sandra, feeling incredibly perturbed and uneasy about being in the middle of the Enclave's home base, slowly began to make her way through the bunker.
The sight of their power armor sent a wave of anger through her each time she marched past one, fighting mad urges as she did, impulsive desires to reach out and grab them by the throat or kick them down from behind the knees.
These were the people who killed her father—and here she was, strolling about their base almost casually, as if she had no qualms with these people, as if her father's death less than a week ago hadn't mattered at all.
When she arrived in the president's quarters, she found that it wasn't at all what she'd expected.
It was a huge, infinite room, containing a gigantic computer tower that had a spiraling staircase leading up to it.
It took forever for Sandra to climb all of the stairs, expecting to reach an office or a throne of some kind at the end—but again, she was surprised when she reached her destination.
She gazed into the screen of a large computer now, and the static on the screen was almost arranged into a face, as if it was trying to return her stare.
She took in a deep, definitive breath, only just beginning to understand it all now.
"This explains why I've never seen your face," Sandra mumbled tonelessly to the computer monitor. "Mr. President. Before you say anything—I want you to know, your government has done nothing but hurt the outside world. You're stealing the purified water from the people outside. You're stomping on everyone, and not lifting a fucking finger to help the ones who need it. And—you killed my father for no reason. So why the hell do you think I'm gonna give a damn about anything you say?"
"You're in no position to bargain, young lady."
"I'm not bargaining. I'm telling you straight up—I'm gonna kill you all."
"Now, listen here..."
"The Enclave is done. It's nothing but a corrupt conclave of tyrants."
"We are the last remaining hope for humanity."
"No you're not—you haven't helped anyone. All you've done is leave them out there to die and kill off the only person who could have helped them. Wake the hell up—because you're propping up a dying system, and all it's done is hurt everything you say you wanna help. You say it's for the people, and it hurts the people. You think there's a greater good, but you killed the only man alive who had a greater good to strive for. You're just another bass-ackwards government that got drunk on fucking power. That's it. Period. End of fucking story."
The president fell eerily silent for what felt like forever.
"You're free to leave," the computer told her. The GECK slid out of one of the slots on the console. "Very well. The Enclave is... done."
Sandra—after grabbing the GECK—faintly heard a few explosions erupt somewhere else in the bunker all the sudden.
"Go," the computer ordered. "Now."
She glanced around, hearing another explosion and feeling the balcony give a slight tremor beneath her feet.
"Oh shit…"
Sandra spun around and darted out of the place, narrowly dodging the Enclave soldiers and the robots—who were all fighting each other as the bunker came apart around them.
The president had instructed the robots to defend her, it appeared.
Sandra pushed open the exit and stumbled into the sunlight just in time—as the entire place succumbed to a series of explosions, and the vertibird that had tried to land on the mountaintop was destroyed as well.
A familiar mutant with a gatling laser was advancing towards Sandra, after having killed all of the Enclave soldiers outside.
"I saw your predicament, and I came to help!" Fawkes told her.
"You got a new toy!" Sandra proclaimed. "Come on, let's get the hell outta here!"
Lost in the moment—Sandra trekked off with Fawkes, and the two of them absconded the clutched of the Enclave at last.
After a while of walking, however, she remembered that she'd decided to travel alone so not to endanger anyone else.
So, she instructed Fawkes to go to her home in Megaton and stay put, smiling and waving him off as he vanished into the wastes.
Sandra would love to see the look on Mr. Burke's face when a super mutant came knocking on the door... that'll be priceless...
Charon's face flashed through her mind again.
Sandra's smile faded.
It didn't matter how Mr. Burke would react to Fawkes, or how Bryan was getting by having to feed Thrash all by himself.
Nothing mattered—because her best friend was no longer a part of her life, and her father was gone forever.
All that mattered what finishing all that had been started.
Sandra's trip to the Citadel was the same as her journey to the vault—quiet, lonely, and dreary, void of any joy or feeling at all.
With the help of the Brotherhood, they would win back Project Purity from what remained of the Enclave.
Sandra had succeeded in eliminating the president—and now, she had to kill the rest of them.
Her friendship didn't matter.
It never really mattered to Charon, so who should it matter to her?
Securing Project Purity was the only thing that mattered anymore.
That—and exterminating the rest of the Enclave.
Yes—that was priority one now.
Sandra made a few pit-stops before the final war for Project Purity.
The wanderer stopped at Megaton and began stocking up on supplies and picking up a few things from her house.
Mr. Burke and Fawkes were both inside listening to Three Dog on the radio, and they perked up when Sandra walked through the door.
"I love you guys," Sandra told them before they could speak. "If I don't come back... take care of Megaton for me. And don't blow it up."
"Where're you going?" Mr. Burke asked. "You're talking like you're about to do…"
"Do you need help, friend?" Fawkes asked her. "Let us help you!"
"Hey!" Bryan stormed down the stairs and glared at Sandra. "You told me you were gonna stick around for me! You told me this was my home! And now you're just gonna run off and die?! You're like a big sister to me! Don't go!"
Bryan flung his arms around Sandra's waist and clung onto her.
Sandra's expression was unusually void of emotion, despite the intense feelings whirling around inside of her.
Fawkes stood towering over all of them in the middle of the living room, his head brushing the ceiling and his large mouth hanging open. The mutant looked very displeased with Sandra's plans.
And Mr. Burke, who was directly in front of her, appeared more conflicted than Sandra had ever seen him before.
"Listen to the boy," Mr. Burke said weakly. "Don't go…"
"I have to," Sandra replied forcefully. "This is the beginning of something huge. We could give water to everyone in the wasteland… but, for that… this war has to happen. This is… this is the beginning and the end…"
They all gazed back at her with pained, dejected stares, looking worried and disturbed as a cloud of gloom lingered on the air.
"I'll try really hard not to die, okay?" she promised them. "Don't worry. Just… be here. And be okay."
Sandra pulled Mr. Burke closer. He and Bryan stayed locked in a group hug for a few seconds before Fawkes trapped them all in his massive arms, hugging them all at once.
Afterward, Sandra was sure to fix up her modified adventurer outfit, the one Charon had reinforced for her, before venturing to her room and locating one of her favorite weapons of all time. It was something she was saving for an emergency—and now was the time to use it.
She lifted the Fat Man and carried it on her shoulder, stuffing her satchel full of as many mini nukes as it could carry.
When she walked out the door, her friends were all still watching her pleadingly, but Sandra marched away and kicked the door shut behind her. This needed to happen. Sandra needed to win Project Purity, no matter what.
This was what the travels were all for.
Sandra marched up the metal ramp and entered Gob's saloon. She wanted to visit him again before she would leave town, possibly for the very last time. So, she set the Fat Man against the wall where Mr. Burke was sitting the first day she met him, then claimed a seat at the bar.
"You look pumped," Gob remarked, approaching her and cleaning out a glass with a rag. "You off to another adventure, or what?"
"Here." Sandra pulled out a moderately sized burlap bag from her satchel and placed it on the counter, and it made a lot of jangling noises. "I never thanked you for being nice to me the day we met. I wouldn't have gotten this far without that, Gob. You deserve this."
Gob squinted at her curiously, just before lifting the bag and squishing it with his fingers.
"These are caps," he said, somewhat stunned. "Why're you giving me so much money? I can't take this."
"Please. Those are my savings," Sandra replied. "I was saving them for Charon... I used to pay him... but he's gone, so… I want you to have them."
Gob gave her a long, surveying stare.
"You're not about to do something stupid, are you?" he asked suspiciously. "What happened? What's up?"
"Goodbye, Gob."
Sandra stood and yanked him partly over the counter, trapping him in a hug.
Then, she turned, retrieved her fat man, and walked out of the saloon.
Gob watched her until she was out of sight, still staring at the exit after she was gone. Sandra left a certain tension in the air of the saloon after her departure, and Gob suddenly knew that something was very wrong, that something huge was about to happen, but he had no clue what it was.
So, he turned on Galaxy News Radio and listened worriedly while Three Dog spoke of an oncoming war between the Brotherhood and the Enclave for Project Purity, his ghoulish grimace deepening the longer he listened to the troubling news.
"Where did she get a fat man, anyway?" Gob grumbled to himself, leaning on the counter and gazing into the radio. "God dammit…"
About an hour went by.
While Sandra was making the journey back to the Citadel, storm clouds gathered outside, and many others began making their own preparations for the war to come.
Then, a couple of people breezed into the saloon, instantly taking Gob's attention away from the radio.
Mr. Burke and Bryan entered the saloon, but they looked different than usual; Bryan had a lot of small handguns dangling from his belt, and he wore a small fitted outfit of leather armor, while Mr. Burke seemed to be carrying a lot of rifles on his back as well as a bulletproof vest underneath his suit.
Gob stared at them, narrowing his eyes at them strangely.
"Do you have any chems, my good man?" Mr. Burke asked with a sly smirk. "We're off to fight a war, and I think I'll need a boost. I h