The Present
"I was able to extract the data- there isn't much on it, file-wise, but there was an interesting pattern-" Some clicking on the terminal the Pip-Boy was connected to. A screen with multiple dots generated. "-here." The lab analyst twirled in her chair, rustling in her stained laboratory coat.
Thomas was stroking his chin, and Cross let out an aggravated sigh. "Fuck that supposed to mean? Somethin' I'm supposed to see?"
"It's a log record- a Pip-Boy's fundamental purpose was granting access to and from Vaults-" The Pip-Boy was disconnected, and a long wire was held out, a pin dangling on the end. "-it's a key, in its own way." Blank looks were given, and she muttered tersely under her breath. "Rick's been using this to go to and from a Vault. With the pings given, I would say he visits it frequently…in fact, his last visit-" A glance to the screen of her terminal. "-was just yesterday."
"There isn't any record of a Vault in this city," Penny remarked from the side.
Thomas indicated with his index finger to the small wrist computer. "Not that we know of…can you tell us where it is located?"
A tap tap and a whir as the screens were rotated. A detailed map of the city was at her fingertips. "As a matter of fact…I can."
Thomas gave a wave of his hand. "Thanks, Jena. Alright! Let's gear up and move out. Squad Six, Seven, and Two, I want you with me."
Lydia was on the curtails of the bounty hunter's leather duster as she felt Campbell grab at her shoulder, halting her movement. "I think we should leave this to the professionals, kid. You'll only get in the way."
"That's not fair!" Lydia barked out, stomping her foot angrily. "I-I can help!"
The merc turned and bumped her with his elbow. "Vaults got a lot of gadgets…heard from someone you were good with stuff." A chastising finger quelled her erupting smile. "Don't make me regret it." Cross then gave a growl to his fellow mercenary. "Hell you standin' around for, Campbell? Finally goin' to repay the favors Evelyn's been givin' you?"
The Ol' Regulator was unslung. "I figure now is good enough time as any."
A gaggle of garbled screams filled the Catwalk as the Braxton Police Brigade stormed down their front doors.
"Get everyone out of here!" Thomas shouted over the ruckus of confusion. "I want every corner of this building thoroughly searched! It's a Vault, can't be too hard to miss."
The sweep began. Ghouls of every which sin scurried and attempted to act naïve and innocent as they were descended upon. Fingers were pointed; names were made. Nobody wanted to lose more than they already didn't have. A common word was thrown around, like a piece of meat being tossed to a hungry wolf.
Roman.
A bit of ceramic from a shattered lamp was trodden underfoot as Thomas stepped into a room bathed in an unnatural, pink glow from a covered floodlight. There was a simple table with some seating and a long bookcase along the wall.
The whole place was clean.
"Well?" The glowing ghoul turned his head as his second lieutenant entered from behind.
Penny shook her head. "Nothing."
"There isn't nothing…there has to be something. The map indicates there's a vault access door somewhere beneath this building. We just need to find it. Keep searching."
The bounty hunter was conducing his own method with his fists. The ghoul by the name of Leaky Joe he wailed on was reduced to a bloodied, moaning pulp. Lydia had stumbled inside with Charon at her elbow, and the ferryman quickly swiped a gloved palm over her eyes and forcefully redirected her away. Lydia felt her insides quiver, and she was quickly reminded of her first encounter with the mercenary. He was horrifying.
The blood from the ghoul Cross had beat unconscious dripped from his gloved hands; he simply let him fall to his feet, preparing his investigative manner for the next snitched victim. He finally made his way upstairs, ignoring the stares he received as he stomped around the place.
"And just how is your search coming along?" Thomas drawled quite sarcastically. "Are you simply hoping to brutishly force an entrance?"
The merc just gave a low growl as he gave a look around the neon room, and he visibly paused. Slowly, a few heads poked into the open archway as the sound of incoherent muttering drifted down the hallway.
"Did you discover something?" Thomas rasped as he watched the ghoul flip out novels to crash to the floor.
"It's a damn whorehouse," the merc muttered, continuing his waterfall of literature. "You don't come here to read…found it." He reached a hand through a slot cut inside the bookcase, grasping for the catch lever. There was a click, and the mounted library was swung forward, revealing a hidden tunnelway. "Now this, is the oldest damn trick in the book." A mental note was stashed in his brain to relay the joke to Evelyn- if she was still mad at him, he needed a few jokes in his inventory to help simmer her down.
He disappeared through.
The glowing ghoul shook his head and cupped a hand around his mouth. "We found it!"
The ferryman grabbed at Lydia's elbow, halting her from advancing through the hidden doorway behind the other ghoul forces. If they were to meet a threat, he tactically wished for them to encounter it first. Lydia was not reckless like Evelyn, but she was still a decent target to be made.
"Be cautious," he rasped down at her, and she gulped and then nodded wildly.
The merc was muttering to himself, stumbling around in the dimly lit tunnel as they began to descend below. A decent-sized rock made him stumble to the side.
"Are you alright?" Penny rasped at his elbow.
Cross coughed into his fist. "Where the fuck is Thomas?" He then spun his head around. "Need a damn light."
The second lieutenant gave a barking laugh; she hated the pleasing jitters he still gave her, tingling down to her toes. There was a glow from some fluorescent lighting up ahead, and they both drew to a stop before a vault door with the number of 91.
Thomas finally drew near, reaching for the Pip-Boy that had been stowed deep inside his pocket. "I suggest everyone be on their guard; we do not know what we will find inside."
Lydia gave a few steps back from the glowing ghoul; even from a safe enough distance, she could still just feel the hum of him. The bounty hunter came to her side and bent down low enough to mutter in her ear.
"Guy makes my teeth fuckin' chatter," Cross joked, and she couldn't help but give a grin.
Thomas pressed a button on the control panel, and cautionary lights began to rotate as the door of Vault 91 began to roll from its place. It came to a screeching halt as it settled into the mechanical track, the overly loud sirens leaving a faint echo down the tunnel.
Lydia removed her hands from her ears, slightly shaking her head.
"Now now now! Just what is this?!" A mister gutsy flew down the extended bridge to the unsuspecting company. "You all better have some proper identification out and readily scanned, or we're going to be in a world of hurt!"
A multitude of clicking was given in response, and the floating Robco robot gave a half spin as it assessed the multiple weapons pointed at it threateningly.
"System: Self-Terminate."
"Shit-" The merc snagged Lydia by the backside of her collar, and everyone hastily dove for some form of cover as the gutsy detonated into a fiery ball.
Some coughing was heard, and everyone pushed through the thick smoke that was left behind. The merc gave a half-turn to the ferryman. "Watch her." He nudged Lydia with his elbow, and Charon gave a nod in return, flexing his fingers around his shotgun.
Slowly, everyone drew through the first door, and an alarm began to blare.
Six Months Ago
"So, you want the good news…or the bad news?" Evelyn smiled sheepishly at him, nervously wringing her hands together.
Charon only blinked at her and waited for her to continue.
"O-kay, uh- so! Good news-" She gave a false, wide smile, hitching her thumb dramatically at him. "-is that we finally have a lead!"
"…"
"U-uhm-" The smile faltered, and she childishly looked down to her feet, rubbing a toe through the dirt. "-the…the bad news-" She tapped her index fingers together, her voice growing small. "-is that…we were going the wrong way."
"…"
A nervous chuckle, and then she narrowed her eyes at him, suddenly growing angry at his lack of…anything. "Are you fucking deaf?"
"No."
"Are you mad at me?"
A slight hint of bewilderment. "Would you like me to be?"
"Ugh!" She threw her hands up in the air, fuming. "Charon, if I just gave you your contract back, would you return to Megaton?"
He thought for a moment; his past employer was there- it was the logical place to return to. "Yes."
"Do you want to?"
Another thought. Did he? "…no."
She froze, studying him with her scrupulous stare. "Why?"
He shifted his weight uncomfortably. "I…enjoy, your company," he said honestly.
Megaton was, repressive.
He gave an awkward scratch of his arm, looking off into the distance. "I…would like to stay…if that is what you wish."
She had tinged pink again, and she bit her bottom lip and furrowed in thought. "Well, I hope you enjoy my company enough- cause it's going to be a long trip."
The Present
WHIR WHIR WHIR
A deafening alarm was blaring through the halls.
David gave an irritated sigh, striding over to the nearest intercom and pressing a button. "What happened?"
"Intruders, sir- it's the Braxton Police Force…I don't know how they managed to-"
David jammed the intercom button with a thumb. "Lock the facility down. No one in, or out-" He spun around to the blue ghoul. "Roman, go investigate upstairs- you are to delay them for as long as possible; if you somehow manage to live through this, you will rendezvous with us back at Boston."
A nod, and the ghoul briskly made down the hallway.
David turned back to the intercom box. "Eradicate the remaining test subjects in Sector Three."
"But, sir-"
"Just do it. We have the research we need."
"Yes sir."
There were some taps on the screen of his Pip-Boy, and he slammed a palm over the control knob of her door. A mechanical whoosh, and she hesitantly came to stand before him.
"Come along, dear. You've made me wait long enough as it is."
WHOOSH
Everyone gave a turn as their only known exit closed behind them.
Campbell snorted, the whirring of his laser rifle feeling warm in his callused hands. "Looks like we ain't got no choice but to push now."
They roved down the main hallway. The squad was met with little resistance from a few automated laser turrets as they began to branch towards the Overseer's office.
The ferryman braced himself at the next corner, slowly peering around the bend. He had taken the lead, as he was the most experienced in terms of navigating the metallic maze. Vaults were his least favorite excursions to be made…they were just filled with unpredictable threats.
How many dang Gary's are in this place?! They probably all went crazy calling out their name and not knowing who to answer!
Vault 101…it's strange, I thought I would be sorta sad to leave it…but, I'm not. Maybe, that just means I'm really a wastelander, after all…
So, all we have to do is navigate through a hive of small, unsupervised children, and then fight our way through a mess of ugly, unsupervised super mutants? Man, is it wack to think this doesn't sound as crazy as it would have just a few months ago?
Charon quickly drew back behind cover. "There is a sentry bot."
"Scanning…scanning…"
The tell-tale sound of a rolling bot wheeled down the other side of the corridor. Gradually, the ghoul bent himself for a quick peek of the newly emptied hallway.
Cross placed his hand over Lydia's stubbled scalp, and he gave her a quick shake. "Can you disarm that thing?" A look of dread crossed her face, and he wiped his palm down it. "Don't worry 'bout it."
"It is heading for the atrium." Charon pointed the barrel of his shotgun upwards to the sign reading Atrium. "We should take a right, there is usually a common access point between the main wings."
If I never have to step foot inside a vault again, I won't be complaining…you just, can't beat that blue sky.
Evelyn blinked her wide, sapphire eyes as they strode past the multiple containment rooms…her insides quivered at the sight of the monstrosities inside, all gazing at them with cold, lidless eyes.
"What are those things?" When she spoke, the one nearest to her gave a snap of its immense jaws, with countless rows of jagged teeth.
David had a disinterested expression, the sound of his clapping shoes echoing as they traversed down the hallway.
"Previous experiments…previous failures." He then raised an eyebrow over at her following in step behind himself. "Do not be concerned- you will not share the same fate. You have already succeeded where they have failed."
She faltered in step from shock, careening to the side and bracing a hand along the window. Almost immediately, the monster contained inside drew its snout flush against the pane, a large plume of hot air fogging it from view. Her hand immediately returned to her side.
She gave a deep breath as she continued forward, an uncomfortable knot of emotion swelling her throat. "You said I'm not Darcy's real daughter…what am I? Who was she…who are you?"
They turned a bend, and there was the loud swoosh of steam. Two rolling sentry bots booted themselves to life at their stations.
"Systems: Armed." Both rolled along behind them, and Evelyn mentally kicked herself at her chances of escape. They were slim to none.
Thomas and Charon somehow found me…The thought coursed an equal rush of apprehension and excitement under her skin. Excitement, for the chance of escape…apprehension, for their safety.
"Ah, yes…well, you are human…if that is what you are curious about." David clicked something along the screen of his Pip-Boy. "Just, a rather special sort of human. You did not really think your supernatural strength was a mere chance of evolution, no?"
She said nothing, and he continued.
"To be frank, my dear, I do not care to go into the details of everything at the moment, as you can see, we are in quite the predicament. It appears Thomas cared a little more for your disappearance than my sister's-"
"What happened to Darcy? Why did she tell me to find Cross? The bounty hunter?" There was no room for rebuttal in her tone, and he let out a snort at her demand.
"I had her killed, to be frank." He turned to observe the color drain from her face. "So, the bounty hunter is still alive after all of these years? I suppose he would have to be, considering you made your way here…but he chose not to reenter the city? Not to say I blame him…"
"What did he do?" As much as she tried to hide away the grief in her voice, the bleeding of it through her throat made David look at her briefly with puzzlement.
"You appear more upset over this than Darcy herself…why, he killed her, as I had asked of him."
A choked gasp escaped her lips, and she paused in step and shook her head wildly. "No, he told me-"
"And you believed him?" A false laugh echoed around her, and she startled backward. "Did you become rather acquainted with him on your journey here? My poor, little Evelyn, so young at heart, it would appear. Come, we have wasted too much time. We will have plenty of opportunities to discuss things at a later time."
A sentry bot nuzzled the end of its barrel into her spine, and she begrudgingly ushered herself forward; hot tears made a small trail behind them as they rained down her face.
David seemed amused at her turmoil. "I do not see the reason for grief. This is why you came here, isn't it?"
Thomas came to a terminal, ineffectively attempting a hack to gain access into the main hub of the vault.
Lydia was shoving something inside of her mouth, and the merc glanced down as he heard faint crunching at his elbow. "Fuck you chewin' on?" A rattle from a mentats tin was shaken at him in response, and Cross just shoved her towards the computer. "I ain't goin' to ask where ya got those, ya damn kleptomaniac."
Her fingers flew away at the keys, and after a few moments, she succeeded in where the glowing ghoul had failed.
The door opened, and they were greeted with a ghoul scientist in a bloodied lab coat, her arms raised in surrender.
"Don't make a move!" The leader of Squad Two ushered inside, slowly advancing to the woman as she trembled in spot. There was the clinking of cuffs as he immobilized her, and made a quick sweep of the room. "It's clear!"
The sentry bot rounded the corner.
"Alert: Hostile- Detected."
There was a phwing of laser and bullet fire, and the merc shielded the girl as everyone made their way inside; the sentry bot was closed off as the metal door slid down locked. The sentry bot could be heard rolling past with its massive tread.
"Scanning…scanning…"
"Goddamnit." The merc grunted as his fingers probed down his spine; a bullet had made its mark.
A first-aid kit was tossed to the bounty hunter, and he began to strip as the team took up positions around the control room. Four guards were left posted before the door, the sound of the sentry bot a gentle reminder of the dangers just beyond. The glowing ghoul came to make a stand before an array of mounted monitors displaying various live feeds, his second lieutenant at his elbow.
Lydia was already at the terminal on the other side, her callused fingertips dragging along the surface of her mentats tin in a blind search for more chalk-textured candies. A ghoul sentry was peering over her shoulder in interest at the screens she was clicking through.
The merc grunted; he was half-naked, and couldn't reach the bullet buried through his leathered muscles. There was an annoyed growl at his side, and he was suddenly pushed forward as the ferryman snatched at his tweezers and dove deep inside the ruined flesh.
"Fuckin' bastard, you tryin' to rip my damn spine-urck!" Cross felt a spasm ripple through him, and he leaned a forearm onto the table. A clink at his elbow; the bullet was extracted. A shuddering breath escaped his lips, and his atrophied vocals rumbled a low snarl as he made to stand straight and whirl on the ferryman.
Charon was already beside the pink ghoul, his arms crossed and eyes flitting between the screens. A finger was pointed. "There." There was an audible tone of relief to his voice, and it told the bounty hunter that Evelyn was alive.
Penny was quiet for a moment, somberly regarding the screens on the lower half. "Look at all of them…"
"Think you found your slave trade," Campbell commented from the side. "…damn shame."
Thomas was stroking his chin in thought, regarding the multiple situations he was now presented with. "Indeed." How did so many captives come into the city unnoticed by him? There were multiple headless, naked bodies in a variety of rooms. Only the corpses and slave collars left behind any sort of clue as to their demise.
He turned and made eye contact with the unfamiliar ghoul held captive in the corner. "What happened to the smoothskin captives?"
She said nothing, and a barrel was pressed flushed to her head. Still, there was no word. Thomas turned back around to observe the screens for a few moments as he processed his strategy.
Cross was shrugging into his duster, and placed his hat atop his head. His eyes found the right screen, and he blinked at it. "Jesus…what the fuck is that?"
"Good question," Thomas drawled lowly. "And there's more than one."
A grunt. "Sure as hell won't be openin' those doors…is that-"
"Yes." Thomas reached down and flipped a knob; an audio feed began to pour through. "I thought you had killed him."
The merc's hands clenched into tight fists, his battered hand throbbing in pain as a form of protest. "Me too."
Charon's eyes flit to a screen with movement; a certain blue ghoul was making his way to their position. He gave a single tap of an index finger at the monitor. "I will deal with this one."
