"I just wanna talk to you for a minute!" Said the officer, who Al quickly realised to be Officer Gomez, as he didn't have his helmet on. "Phew, you're lucky it was me who found ya - the others won't be so forgiving!" Gomez told Al. "I dunno what you're up to, an' I-I don't wanna know, jus-just clear outta here an' I'll pretend I never saw ya."
"And I'll pretend you don't work for a homicidal maniac." Al said coldly.
"Don't think I don't know it… Why d'you think I'm letting you go? I guess you're trying to follow your dad… outside…" Said Gomez, quivering.
"As far as I'm concerned, you're a murderer just like the rest of them." Al said heartlessly.
This made Gomez grimace. "Now, come on, that's not fair! I wasn't even there! I had some words with the Overseer when I saw what they'd done to Jonas. But… but, they all went crazy when they realised what your dad had done - opened the vault door! Good gravy, if it was anybody but your dad, I'd have thought he was a traitor, too. But, not him. If he opened that door, he must've had his reasons… and you'd better follow him, quick!"
"Thanks, Officer Gomez. I always liked you."
"It's a real shame it's come to this. I can't believe what they did to Jonas… Officer Mack was just… outta control. But, you're a good kid. You didn't do anything to deserve this. Go find your dad, if you can."
After Gomez turned a blind eye, Al quickly went through the vault's hallways, where he found that Andy and Stanley had fended off several radroaches, and Stanley was now repairing Andy's circuits. As Al wet further, he heard Tom and Mary Holden talking, a young married couple in their twenties.
"We should just go back to our quarters." Said Mary.
"It's our only chance. Don't you see? We're getting out of here, just like the doctor. I'm not gonna let anyone stop us." Said Tom, before bolting down a long hallway that led to a door with two guards - Officer O'Brian and Officer Richards - stood by it.
"Tom! Be careful!" Mary shouted after him.
"It's me! Tom Holden! Just let me through!" Tom shouted over to the guards. However, the guards are on Overseer's orders to kill anybody who tries to escape the vault, and Tom was promptly gunned down by the guards' 10mm pistols.
"Tom! No!" Mary shouted as she ran after him, ready to tear the guards' heads off, only to be gunned down also, right beside her husband. Al watched all this unfold, before running across the Atrium and reaching a set of stairs. Walking up the stairs, Al found some more radroaches, before shooting them dead with the BB gun, still unharmed. After Al rounded the corner to the top floor, he went towards an open door, where he passed a window.
"You! This is YOUR fault! You and your stupid father! He had to go and leave, didn't he! He had to mess things up for everybody! The doc's stupid kid is over here! He's trying to leave the vault! Don't let her get away! Guards! Guards, he's over here!" Allen Mack shouted from within his living chamber.
Al then ignored him and went through the admin door, arriving in the systems room, where he spotted several radroaches, along with the corpse of a maintenance engineer called Floyd Lewis. Shame, he was kind to Al growing up. Al then spotted 46-year-old Security Chief Hannon, husband of Vikki Hannon, and father of Paul Hannon Jr.
Hannon rounded the corner and came to face Al, who promptly unloaded a BB bullet into his eye, since he wasn't wearing a helmet. As Hannon stumbled and recoiled in pain, Al tackled him to the floor after dropping his BB gun, and punched him several times, before grabbing Hannon's baton off him, and promptly beating him over the head with it.
As Al saw radroaches closing in on them, he dropped the baton and ran a few metres away, letting them eat Hannon alive. After Hannon stopped moving, Al picked up his BB gun and shot them all before they could bite him. Once they were all dead, he rounded the corner where Hannon had been patrolling from, and heard his girlfriend's voice. "I told you, I don't know ANYTHING!"
Amata sounded as if to be in trouble, so Al quickly went on, and found a window beside an open door that led to another room. Al saw Amata sitting on a chair in this room, with her father and Officer Stevie Mack stood over her.
"Be reasonable, Amata. Officer Mack may enjoy this, but I don't. Just… tell us where to find your friend, so we can talk to him." Said Alphonse.
"He's my friend... " Amata lied, with Alphonse still oblivious to the true nature of her relationship with Al. "I was worried about him… What does he have to do with any of this, anyway?"
"Probably nothing… which is why you need to tell me where he is, so I can talk to him." Alphonse then turned to Officer Mack. "One more time." He said sternly.
"Do what your dad says, Amata." Said Officer Mack.
"Please! Daddy, no!" She pleaded.
Alphonse then interrupted before Mack even touched her with his baton. "That'll do for now." He said. "Now then… Are you ready to tell me where your friend has gone? There's no need for any more of this." He said to his daughter.
"I'm not telling you ANYTHING! And don't pretend you aren't enjoying this, daddy! You're sick!" She shouted.
"Very well. There's no hurry. Your friend isn't going anywhere, after all." Alphonse responded. "Go ahead, officer." He told Mack.
"Please stop! Please don't have him hit me again, don't you care that I'm your own daughter!" Amata begged.
"I've always indulged you, Amata. And now, you've taken advantage of my lenience."
"You'd better talk, girlie." Mack told Amata. Just as Al was about to burst in there and beat those two cunts to death, his anger reaching its limit, he saw Amata quickly stand up as she pulled out her father's pistol from her jumpsuit. Al was glad that he told her to keep it. "Watch out, sir, she's got a gun!" Said Mack.
"Just GET away from me! I don't want to shoot you, but I will! I swear, I will!" She shouted, with Al smiling as he watched through the window, still unnoticed.
"How DARE you threaten me. And with my own gun! I'm your father, damn you, and you'll show me some respect!" Alphonse hissed. "Officer Mack! Don't just stand there!"
"Don't make me take that gun away from you, girlie, just hand it over… nice and easy now." Said Mack, slowly approaching Amata.
"No! Get away from me!" Amata shouted, shooting Mack several times, killing him.
"Oh my GOD, Amata. What have you done?!" Said Alphonse, right before Al went into the room, to which Amata ran out of the room past him. Alphinse then looked at Al. "I hope you're here to turn yourself in, young man. You're already in enough trouble as it is; don't make it worse for yourself."
"If you ever lay a hand on Amata again, I'll make you regret it, you disgusting old fuck." Said Al.
"I place the good of the vault above everything, even my own paternal feelings. We must not allow sentiment to cloud our judgement! But, I admire your protective instincts. Very well. I give you my word that Amata will not suffer further because of your actions." Said Alphonse.
"Now, then…" He continued. "If you really care about Amata, you will see how dangerous your father's actions were. Hand over your weapons, and put and end to this dangerous situation. There's no need to join your father as a traitor to the vault.
"Is this what you said to Jonas before you killed him? Time to die, old man."
"A regrettable incident, but sometimes, harsh measures are necessary for the good of the vault… Such has always been my lot… Think a moment; if you really care about your fellow citizens, killing me is the worst thing you could do. Without an Overseer, the vault would be plunged into chaos and disaster. Surely, you can see that as well as I. Come, now. Turn yourself in, and we can resolve this whole thing peacefully. Just because your father betrayed us doesn't mean you have to."
"My father's no traitor, but you're a murderer and a thug."
"Let's let history be the judge of that. If you had paid attention to Mr. Brotch, you'd understand that history is invariably written by the victor… And I intend to be the victor. You won't survive the night! Guards, help me!" Alphonse called out.
"Hannon and Mack are dead. Who do you think's gonna come to your aid? Just gimme the keys to your office, and your password. Then, I'll be going."
"Oh, is that all? Is there anything else I can get you while you're here?" Alphonse remarked sarcastically. "You'll get nothing from me. I'll die before I see the safety of the vault compromised again."
"You're right - you WILL die if you don't give me that password." Al threatened.
"I've dealt with your kind before, you little snot-nosed punk. You should've run like your coward of a father."
"I'll escape without your help, then." Al said sarcastically. "I'm not the one who started killing people…"
"Save your sanctimony. The world is a dangerous place, and I make no apologies for doing whatever it takes to keep the vault safe."
"Amata trusts me." Said Al, looking over his shoulder and back. "If you don't give me what I want… I'll hurt her. Bad." He threatened, though knowing good and well that he was lying.
"My GOD, you're a cold-blooded little shit, aren't you? I think you'd actually do it!" Alphonse then gave Albert what he asked for. "Here. Take them and leave the vault. I'll have you shot on sight if you ever come back."
"I'm afraid the vault will just have to get along without you. Time to die." Said Al.
"Do you really think I'm afraid of a little snot-nosed punk like you?! I've dealt with your kind many times before. I've never minded getting my hands dirty when I had to."
Al then punched the Overseer right in the mouth, before whacking him over the head a few more times, and knocking him out. Al then left for the office, where he found Jonas' corpse, with a blood-patch under his head. "I'm sorry, Jonas…" Said Al, before looting his lab coat for any information. Al found a stimpak, and a holodisk that read 'Note from Dad'.
Before heading through the door on the right, leading to the Overseer's office, he entered the door on the left, leading to his and Amata's personal quarters. From this living room, led two more doors; one to Alphonse's bedroom, and one to Amata's. However, on the dining room table sat Amata, with her head in her hand. "Honey…?" Said Al.
"Thank you!" She responded, looking up at her boyfriend. "I told you my father wasn't himself! I don't know WHAT he might've done if you hadn't come along! But… Oh my GOD...I had NO idea my father would… I-I had- I had no choice, Officer Mack, he…" She trailed off as she stood.
"It's okay, honey." Said Al, putting his arms around her to embrace her.
"I didn't think I would make it, m-my father, he, uh… Officer Mack, I-I didn't tell them anything, swear!" She mumbled out, almost sobbing.
"You're just shocked, Amata. You did what you had to. I'm very proud of you." After Amata returned the hug, she pulled back and spoke up after a few seconds.
"Here, take it. I don't want it anymore. I don't know what I'd do if I still had the gun and my father came looking for me." Amata said regretfully, handing the gun to Al.
"I'll be sure to put this gun to good use. Thanks."
"Don't even start, I ca-I can't tell when you're joking anymore. Maybe, it would've been better if you'd taken it in the first place, I don't know!"
"It's okay, babe. You had no choice. You only did what you had to." He tried to console her as he held her.
"I don't know. I DON'T… know. Well… you'd better get out of here. I'll try to meet you at the vault door. If I don't make it… good luck." Amata then kissed her boyfriend goodbye for a few seconds, before he walked to the Overseer's office. However, as this happened, the two bastards that killed Tom and Mary Holden had found the Overseer back down the corridor, who then pointed them in Al's direction.
As Al saw Officers O'Brian and Richards coming, he saw them and drew his pistol. "There he is!" One of the guards shouted, as Al hid behind the door frame while shooting the two corrupt officers. Since they only wore a vest of armour that covered the torso and crotch area, along with knee-pads, elbow-pads, and helmets as protection, Al shot them in their necks, legs, and arms, until they fell to the floor in pain as they bled to death.
Now realising that his magazine was empty, Al looted the dying officers - and their dropped pistols - of any ammo. After loading a new magazine, and pocketing a few others, he walked behind the Overseer's desk to his computer. After reading different dossiers on different residents, and different reports, he copied the data to his Pip-Boy, then opened the Overseer's Tunnel.
At this moment, the desk arose on animate pillars, and part of the floor shifted back, revealing a set of stairs that led down to the tunnel. He walked down the hallway, finding one more radroach, before shooting it with his 10mm pistol, blowing it up twice as much as with the BB gun, which was on his back.
After reaching a dead-end, he saw a switch beside the wall. He pressed it, and the wall - a secret door - slid down and revealed the room where the entrance to the vault was. As Al approached the control panel deeper into the room, he glanced at the large, extremely-heavy, cog-shaped vault-door, almost mesmerised by it. However, wasting no time, he pulled down the switch on the panel, which fired an alarm as the door began to slowly slide open.
"Oh my god… You actually opened it…" He heard Amata marvel from beside him, who had followed him down the tunnel and into the vault's entrance. After another twenty seconds or so, the vault door loudly opened to one side, when the two 19-year-old lovers turned to face each other.
"You did it!" Amata exclaimed, overjoyed. "You opened the door! My god, I almost didn't believe it was possible."
"I couldn't have done it without you, Amata." Said Al, smiling.
"No… you didn't need me. If anyone can survive out there, it's you." She responded.
"When I say I'm going to do something… I do it." Al said sternly.
Amata chuckled. "You're right; I should've doubted you!"
"Well, you did… and after all those years of trusting you, never doubting you for a second. But, I suppose that doesn't matter, now. Go back to your crazy father." He said coldly.
"Fair enough… I know you must hate my father for what he's done… And… I guess maybe you hate me now, too. But… for whatever it's worth… I'm sorry. Sorry about Jonas, and my father, and everything. If you do catch up with your dad… I hope you'll tell him that. Jonas was my friend, too, ya know." She said sadly.
"Well… *Sigh*... I'm sorry, Amata. Why don't you come with me? It's not safe for you to stay." He said in a regretful tone.
"It's tempting, but… my place is here. The vault needs me more than you do. I'm the only one who has a chance to talk some sense into my father. Don't worry about me. Whatever happens, I'm sure I'll be in less danger than you. I can't imagine what you're gonna find out there."
At this point, they both heard two officers trying to open the door from behind them that led to the entrance.
"Goodbye, Amata." Al said as he gave her the saddest eyes that she was ever going to see.
"Goodbye. Listen… if you do catch up with your dad, tell him… I'm sorry. For, you know, Jinas and my father and everything. Find you dad. I'll… I'll miss you." She said softly, beginning to tear-up. Just as they both slowly leaned in to kiss one last time, the door behind them opened, revealing Officers Wolfe and Park, fully-armoured, and armed with batons.
"Stop in the name of the Overseer!" One of them shouted, before Al drew his pistol and loaded half a magazine into him, then doing the same to the other guard. Al then turned and jogged outta the vault-door and into the rocky tunnels beyond. As a third guard came into the room, he saw Al leaving the vault, noting that he must be mad to go out there, before he flicked the switch to shut the vault-door.
As the vault-door closed, Al turned back and looked into Amata's eyes as she did back, the last thing that they saw before the vault-door shut being each other. After several seconds, he heard the loud thud from the vault-door shutting, and he then knew that he was now truly alone in the outside world.
With his brown leather jacket over his blue Vault 101 jumpsuit, his Pip-Boy on his left wrist, his red cap on his head, his BB gun strapped on his back, and the Overseer's 10mm pistol in his pocket, he walked towards the end of the tunnel, seeing a few skeletons on the way, where he found a wooden door at the end, seeing a glimpse of natural sunlight shining from outside; something he'd never seen before. As he entered the outside world, the Sun caught him off-guard with its brightness.
After some adjusting, he remembered the holodisk that he found on Jonas' corpse, so he played it on his Pip-Boy. "Hold on, Jonas! I need to record this first! I… I don't really know how to tell you this. I hope you'll understand, but I know you might be angry. I thought about it for a long time, but in the end… I decided it was best for you not to know. So many things could've gone wrong… and there's really no telling how the Overseer will react when he finds out. It's best if he can blame everything on me." Al continued to listen to James' message as he walked.
"Obviously, you already know that I'm gone. It was something I needed to do. You're an adult, now. You're ready to be on your own. Maybe, some day, things will change, and we can see each other again. I can't tell you why I left or where I'm going… I don't want you to follow me. God knows life in the vault isn't perfect, but at least you'll be safe. Just knowing that will be enough to keep me going." James was then interrupted by Jonas in the background.
"Don't mean to rush you, Doc, but I'd feel better if we got this over with." Said Jonas.
"Okay. Go ahead." James told Jonas firmly. "Goodbye!... I love you..." James concluded, before the message ended.
Several weeks to months later, Al had made many new friends and enemies, but more importantly, he found his dad, and discovered the reason that James left the vault… just over nineteen years ago, the day that Albert was born, he was actually born in the wasteland, in a building called the Jefferson Memorial, where a group of scientists were working on a huge water purifier, which would cleanse all water in the Capital Wasteland of radiation.
This selfless project was called 'Project Purity'. These scientists were led by an Oriental female scientist called Doctor Madison Li, along with Al's parents, James and Catherine. James had attempted to return to his work at the memorial, but became trapped in peril along the way, luckily being saved shortly afterwards by his son.
James and Al then found Dr. Li and they went to the memorial with her young colleagues to finish their work after their nineteen-year hiatus, but after an evil army called The Enclave seized the memorial and killed one of Li's scientific assistants, James sacrificed himself to kill several soldiers and an officer, whilst Dr. Li escaped with Albert. However, after seeing no hope for the future of this project, Dr. Li took Al and her remaining assistants to 'The Citadel', which was actually The Pentagon.
The Citadel was in control of The Brotherhood of Steel, an army whose goals opposed The Enclave's, and who Al had met before during a trip to see someone who helped him find James. Their leader, Owen Lyons, knew Madison, and let them in to rest, whilst helping Al create a plan to take back the memorial. During this period of planning, as Al was travelling on-foot hear the area of Vault 101, his Pip-Boy's radio caught a distress signal.
Al was now wearing black jeans, a black shirt, steel-toe boots, and chunky metal armour. He also had metal shin-guards, knee-pads, elbow-pads, and spiked shoulder-pads. Al played the message on his Pip-Boy, first hearing a robotic voice. "THIS IS AN AUTOMATED DISTRESS MESSAGE FROM VAULT-TEC VAULT 101. MESSAGE BEGINS" Then, Amata's voice - the voice that he'd missed more than he ever thought - spoke up and began the message.
"It feels like you left home a long time ago, but… I know you're still out there. I just… hope you're still alive to hear this. Things got worse after you left. My father's gone mad with power… If you can hear this, please stop looking for your dad and help stop mine. I changed the door password to my name. If you're hearing this, and if you still care enough to help me, you should remember it." The message then came to an end.
After a few minutes, Al was in the tunnels at the vault-door of Vault 101, which he had just opened. As he stepped inside the vault, he searched the control room, where he found the corpse of Steve Armstrong, the adopted African-American son of Beatrice Armstrong. Al then entered through the main door where the reactor was. However, he was instantly greeted by Officer Armstrong with a 10mm pistol drawn.
"Stop right there! I don't know how you got in here, but…" Armstrong's face then became softer. "Hold ON… Wait a minute… It's you!" He had now recognised the intruder to be young Albert. "I hardly recognised you with all the dust and grime from out there! Guess that explains how you got that door open. You've got more experience with it than most everyone down here combined."
"I just thought I'd stop back home for a bit. How's the old vault?" Albert remarked.
"You just thought you'd pop in? Don't take this the wrong way, but you probably ought to just turn around, and not come back. Things… Well… They haven't gone very since you and your dad left. This isn't the happy vault you grew up in, anymore. There's real trouble."
"Don't mind me I'm just here to pick up some stuff I left behind." Albert remarked again.
"This isn't some sort of hotel, you know. You don't just 'come and go' as you please. I thought you were raised better than that." Said Armstrong. "Sorry… it's… just been pretty rough down here since you and your dad left. There's real trouble brewing, and... you don't wanna be a part of it."
"Where the hell is Amata? So help me, if you've hurt her…" Al threatened.
"Whoa, whoa! Whoa! Calm down, there! Amata's not in any danger…" Said Armstrong, now feeling a little threatened. "I mean… we're all in a, sort of a rough patch, but we've weathered worse. But, sorry to say… if you're back, there's going to be trouble with some folks… And, if Amata's wrapped-up in it, there'll be trouble for her, too."
"I need to talk with Amata. I got her message."
"Amata's message?" Armstrong asked. "I don't know what you're talking about, but… I'd keep that under your hat, for her sake. She could get in real trouble if people found out she sent you a message. So could I… just for talking with you now."
"I mean… I just had a hunch that she was in trouble." Albert lied, though tapping his nose.
"Maybe… She isn't the only one, that's for sure. Ever since that night, it's been MADNESS down here. Nothing but trouble." Armstrong informed Al.
"That's a risk I'm willing to take."
"Technically, this means I'm supposed to report her. To tell the truth, I'm supposed to report you being here, too. But, I've been getting… mighty forgetful in my old age… y'know? We've got… more-than-enough trouble without me adding to it."
"I always knew somethin' would go wrong down here."
"It wouldn't have if your father hadn't ruined everything by opening that door. Things were just fine, until he decided to take a little 'walk'. Then, we had bug attacks, confusion, and chaos! And with no doctor, too."
"What sort of trouble do you mean?"
"Let me bring you up to speed. It seems like it's been a mighty long time. The night you and your dad left, everything went crazy. Between the bugs and the confusion, we lost a lot of people. When your dad opened up that gate, he let-loose a whole lot of...crap… if you'll pardon my language."
"What's happened down here since I left?" Albert asked curiously.
"Everything went crazy, is what happened. Your dad opened that door… bugs started attacking, and people started going crazy. When the smoke cleared, there were a lot of casualties, and not many answers. Didn't help that our doctor had just left, either."
"Yeah. Dad screwed up all our lives that day, didn't he." Albert said sarcastically.
"To tell the truth, I don't really blame him for all that. I don't know why he left, but I do know he'd never intend for all that to happen. But, when the smoke cleared, other people started thinking about opening the vault permanently… and that didn't go down well with the Overseer. He's been coming down hard on them, and that's where it stands now. At least, until YOU walked in here."
"That was never supposed to happen! That was the Overseer's fault!"
"Really? Well, that would explain a few things, all right… It's a good thing you're here, after all." Armstrong remarked. "After that night, a lot of your friends started thinking, 'If it's safe to go outside, why stay down here forever?'... And that's not the sort of thing the Overseer likes to hear. Things have gotten pretty tense."
"Dad would be horrified to know all that… if he was alive." Said Al.
"I'm… I'm sorry to hear that. Regardless of how things turned out down here… he was a good friend. I always figured he'd do well outside. Matter of fact, a lot of folks started thinking he had the right idea. He usually did… So, if it was safe out there, why stay down here forever? Well, the Overseer didn't like that one bit… and started cracking down on that sort of thought. Guess he didn't plan on you coming back."
"So, what now?" Albert asked Armstrong.
"I probably ought to put you under arrest and take you in to the Overseer. But, frankly, I know better than to try that. Meanwhile, some of your old friends think opening the vault is a good idea. I bet those 'rebels' would like a word with you… Now, more than ever. Of course, if you want, you can just walk away as if you were never here. Out of respect for your dad, I won't tell anyone I saw you."
"Well, lemme through. I've got work to do."
"I can't do that. Not officially, at least. As much as some of the rebels would like to talk with you, the Overseer said you weren't welcome back. Of course, if you survived whatever's out there, none of us could stop you if you really wanted to cause problems. But, I'd prefer if you don't. But, out of respect for your dad, I could turn a blind eye. You could slip out and, say… you were never here, I won't tell a soul."
"Wait, why don't the rebels just leave?"
"It's not that they want to leave… It's that they want to open the door and interact with the rest of the world. But, that would risk the whole vault." Armstrong clarified.
"I'll go and see what I can do about all of this."
"Well, okay. Just be careful down here. The vault's changed, I tell you."
"Can you lead me somewhere? The vault's layout is kinda blurry for me, now."
"I guess you've had a lot on your mind since you were here last… Where d'you wanna go?"
"Please, I need to see Amata. Lead me to her."
"Okay… Follow me." Armstrong then holstered his pistol and led Al to the front hallway, where Tom and Mary were killed that day, when they both heard commotion in the Atrium just up ahead. "Uh-oh. Wait here. This doesn't look good." Said Armstrong.
Despite Armstrong's order, Al slowly followed behind, to find Freddie Gomez in a Tunnel Snake jacket, threatening the elderly Officer Taylor with a knife from a few metres away. "We're opening that door! And to hell with the Overseer's rules!" Said Freddie.
"You know I can't do that, Freddie!" Said Taylor. "Now, get back down below, before I have to do somethin' we'll both regret!" He warned.
"What? You gonna lock me up like ya did to Brotch? You can't cage a Tunnel Snake, man, because we rule!" Said Freddie.
Taylor then drew his pistol on Freddie. "Stay back!" He then fired a few shots at the ground near Freddie, making him flee back deeper into the vault. "Don't you know enough to stay away?!" Taylor said to Al as he turned to him.
"You almost shot Freddie!" Al pointed out.
"I didn't mean to fire! I really didn't! I-I just wanted to scare him off! But… he had a knife! I can't be too careful with those rebels!" Officer Taylor said in defence.
"What happened down here?" Al inquired.
"I lost my poor wife Agnes is what happened. In all the chaos and fighting, her old ticker just couldn't take it anymore." Said Taylor.
"Tell me about the rebels." Al ordered.
"I tell you, I'm scared of them! I never know when they're gonna try something dangerous!" Taylor answered.
"I have to go, now." Said Al.
"Yes, you do!" Taylor boomed.
Al then turned to Armstrong. "I really shouldn't be seen talking with you, ya know." Said Armstrong. "What do you want?" He asked.
"Could you escort me to Amata? I need to talk to her about all o' this." Al replied.
"As chance would have it… she was one of the first people to talk about life outside the vault after you left. No surprise… she always did like you. I hope you can talk some sense into her. Or, maybe, the two of you can come up with some other plan? Just... be careful about it." As they walked across the Atrium to the door to the cafeteria, the Overseer was seen at his window watching over the Atrium.
As the two men got into the cafeteria, they saw Pepper Gomez - the wife of Officer Gomez and mother of Freddie Gomez - sat at the main counter. "You don't belong here, anymore." She said to Al. "Can't you just… leave us alone?"
"What happened down here?" He asked.
"The bugs were horrible. But, my family was pretty lucky. But, then, my Freddie went and got caught-up with those idiot rebels." She answered.
"What's the deal with the rebels?" Al asked her.
"Those kids are risking our entire vault! Just because they're bored! It's horrible!"
"Well, I gotta go, now." Said Al.
"Yes. You do." Said Pepper.
Armstrong then led Al through the diner and turned right, to the stairs that led to the clinic. "Amata's up there. In the clinic, with the rest of them. I'd take you closer, but… they don't get along with security. Good luck." Armstrong told Al, before he turned back around and left.
Al walked up the stairs and turned right, seeing several pieces of furniture turned on their sides, being used as barricades. As Al got to the end of the hallway, Butch - now wearing Wally's Tunnel Snake jacket - ran up to him with his switchblade in hand.