The screech of metal on metal echoed so loudly through the tunnel that Carter and Korin both covered their ears. All that remained were the numbers 101, standing eerily before them in the dim light. Carter stared at the numbers. As sad as he was to leave, the danger of being thrown back into a cell far outweighed what was left for him inside.

Beside him, Korin began to hyperventilate.

"Why?!" She shouted. "Why- Why did Dad do this to us?" She looked at Carter. "Where the hell was he? Why wasn't he there?!" She shouted. Carter winced.

"Korin-" he grimaced. His throat hurt when he talked. "Korin-"

"We have to find him." She hissed. "We have to talk to him, tell him what happened…" her hands went to her head and her fingers rooted in her hair. "We have to tell him about Jonas…" Her eyes went wide and watery. "I'm never going to see Freddie again. We're never going to see Amata, or Stanley, or Mrs. Palmer, or any of them, ever again."

"No Tunnel Snakes, no Overseer." Carter reminded her. "'M upset too. Maybe it'll be easier. No more jukebox." Korin looked at him and half chuckled.

"You got me there." She sniffled and wiped her eyes. "Fucking hated that thing." She sighed. "We can't go back, and we can't stay here."

Korin walked towards the light, which was filtered through what looked like some kind of door. She took a step forward and as her foot touched down, several crunching noises sounded. She looked down and screamed.

Carter winced. Her boot had broken through a blackened ribcage which was stuck on her foot.

"Hold still-" He slipped the ribcage from her shoe and threw it down. He wiped his hands on his jumpsuit.

Korin took deep breaths and tried to calm down.

"We need to get out of this cave." She gasped. "Before I lose my shit." Carter nodded in agreement.

They moved towards the exit slowly. Carter reached out for the handle, but hesitated to grab it. The light coming through the cracks in the old shutter was blinding, despite how little was actually shining through.
"Only way's forward…" Carter whispered, to himself. He glanced at Korin. She was biting her lip, with her eyes locked on the door. He grasped the handle in his hand and pushed the door open.

Light flooded in, followed closely by a dry heat like they'd rarely experienced. Carter closed his eyes.

"God, must be what the inside of an oven feels like-"

He winced as he stepped through the threshold. Behind him, Korin followed.

"Well, we aren't dead." She huffed. Carter put his hands over his eyes. It was too bright for him to see much, but he could see that the world in front of them was a sea of brown.

He moved his hands slowly and tried to let his eyes adjust. Beside him, Korin looked at her PipBoy.

"And our PipBoy's are silent. No major radiation." She looked up and winced. "It's like looking up in the vault, but everywhere."

Carter scanned the area with half-shut eyes. Everything seemed to go on forever; Carter felt his stomach drop at just how open it was.

He took a step back, and stumbled a couple more. Korin looked at him.

"What? What's wrong?"

"There's just… so much… space." Korin looked away, and also seemed visibly startled.

"Oh." She backed up next to him. The two siblings held on to each other's arms for comfort.

They stood still for a few minutes, hoping that the sudden terror that seized them would subside. When it didn't, Korin spoke up.

"We can't stay here." She was shaking slightly. "We need to find water, and food… not to mention shelter." Carter nodded in agreement, but neither twin moved.

Carter continued to stare out at the landscape. Somewhere in this expanse was their father. Like Korin, he wanted answers.

On the horizon, something flashed a bright light, gone as quickly as it came. Carter blinked. In that same area stood a dome of some kind.

"Korin, did you see that?" He dared to step forward. "Do you see that?"

"What?"

"A structure, maybe?" He squinted. "Can you see it?" He pointed. She looked, and as she did the light flashed again.

"Oh. There." They shared a glance.

"How far away do you think it is?" Carter asked his sister.

"Uhm." She stared at it. "It can't be that far, right? Few minutes' walk?" She looked back to him. "It's our best bet, regardless…"

The twins started their descent, and headed in the direction of the structure. A few minutes passed, and a few more. As they walked, Carter glanced down at his PipBoy and kept track of the minutes.

It had been fifteen when they crested a hill.

"Jesus Christ." Korin breathed. "How far away is this place? We're not even half way there."

Carter put his hands on his knees and took deep breaths. His mouth was starting to feel dry.

"Hope we get there soon…" he breathed. "I'm a little out of shape."

"Yeah. I have a headache." She put a hand to her head. "Come on, let's keep going. I don't want to be out here when it's dark."

They passed a metal structure, as tall as the ceiling in the vault's main chamber. She looked up towards its highest point. She felt the world spin around her and nearly fell over backwards.

"You okay, Korin?" Carter came up beside her and grounded her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah. Don't look up."

Another half hour of walking left them even more tired, but the twins could see the structure, and something walking in front of it. As it moved, sunlight caught and reflected off it, as it had before they started their hike.

"A robot?" Carter glanced at his sister. "Think it's friendly?"

"We don't know if it's a robot." Korin shrugged. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth as she tried to speak. She frowned. "But I guess we'll find out. We can't last much longer out here."

As they came closer to the structure, its size grew, and grew, until it towered over them, higher than anything in the vault. The figure they'd seen was in fact a robot, and a friendly one. The twins both let out a relieved sigh at that realization.

"Welcome… to… Megaton. The… bomb... is… perfectly… safe. We… promise." The robot's voice was slow, and grating.

Carter and Korin shared a look as the large metal door opened.

"Bomb?"

Carter shrugged. They took cautious but steady steps into the structure. The large gate closed behind them as they stared at the view with their mouths gaping.

Inside the structure appeared to be an entire town built from scrap, rising around them and descending deeply into a crater in front of them. In the center of the crater lay a bomb - an undetonated nuclear missile.

"Holy fuck." Carter's voice broke. They both stopped in their tracks. "Let's get out of here."

"We can't afford to leave without water." Korin swallowed hard, the sensation unpleasant with how dry her throat felt. "Besides, it said the bomb is perfectly safe, right?"

Carter gave her a worried look, but stayed silent.

The twins stood there for a moment and took everything in. They didn't even notice the footsteps coming from behind them.

"I'll be damned."

Both Carter and Korin nearly jumped out of their skin. "I've seen more of you vaulties this week than I have my whole life." They whipped around to face the source of the voice. It belonged to a tall man, with skin darker than their own, wearing what looked like an old sheriffs outfit, complete with cowboy hat. He wore a star on his duster and a gun on his hip. "Welcome to Megaton. Yes, the bomb is safe."

Carter wasn't entirely convinced, but stayed quiet.

The man stared at the two of them for a moment, his hands on his hips. The twins scooter closer to each other under his scrutinous gaze.

"W-Where can we get some water?" Korin broke the silence quickly. "A place to stay - a doctor?" Her voice wavered.

"Doc Church's place is just down this path, on the right, and the community housing might have a couple beds free. There's a couple places in town to get water; The Brass Lantern, Moriarty's, Craterside Supply…" he trailed off. "Do you kids have the caps to pay for it, though?"

"Caps?"

"Yeah. It's the currency 'round here." The twins stared at each other, suddenly aware that their situation was much more dire than they'd previously believed. "From the look on your faces, I'd say no. Talk to Moriarty, or Moira at Craterside Supply. Last I heard Moira was looking for someone to help her with 'research'."

"Thank you, Mr…." Korin spoke.

"Name's Lucas Simms. I'm the town sheriff. And mayor too, when the need arises."

"Carter."

"Korin." The twins answered. The sheriff smiled at them.

"Nice to meet you." The smile faded a bit. "Stay out of trouble, alright? Don't want to have to waste good bullets on your sorry hides."

"Yes sir." Korin barked quickly. The sheriff nodded, and walked further into the crater.

"We should split up." Korin said quickly. "I'll go to Moriarty's, you go to Craterside Supply, and we can meet in the bottom of the crater when we're done."

"We should ask about Dad while we're here. Maybe he stopped here and someone saw him." Korin nodded in agreement.

"Alright." She looked for something that would show her just how to get to Moriarty's. Or where it might be. Carter spun around, and then made his way towards a ramp. She looked up at the buildings further up the crater, and saw a sign with bright lighting, and started walking for the same ramp.

A/N: A short update, but they're finally out of the vault. I'm getting a set schedule at work (yay!) so I'm hoping to find a good rhythm and start writing again. Silence Suits You is updating next, hopefully soon!