The Wasteland of Rapture
Chapter 2 – The Message
I stood at the huge circle of a door with three numbers on it. Vault 101, you're born in the Vault and you die at the Vault. That was the motto that I had lived my for nineteen years of my life. Then I escaped to find my dad. That was five years ago and I've never looked back. I had some memories from back there, some good and some bad.
I typed in the password and felt the vibrations running through the ground as the screeching, rusting chains and hydraulics pushed the reluctant door open. I heard shouting as the door opened and, as soon as I had stepped in, Amata dived at me and hugged me close. Butch was after her, he and I exchanged glares. Amata stopped hugging me and said, "I'm sorry I had to drag you into this, but I didn't know what to do after we couldn't find her."
"It's fine. I wanted to come back and see you guys anyway..." I lied.
"I have no idea who took her, I have never been so lost in my life, and I didn't know who else to call. She's so small... What could have happened to them?"
I stood there watching as Butch comforted my childhood friend. It just wasn't right. I mean, Butch may have calmed down since I left the vault, but I couldn't see what Amata saw in him. Butch gave me a glare while Amata's back was turned. It seemed like he knew what I was thinking.
They broke apart and we started to climb the stairs deeper into my history. The walls were still the dull grey that I was used to, the floor the same. Everything looked like the day before I was sentenced out into the wastes. Even the people, although one or two died during the revolt and when I escaped, were the same. Andy the robot was still working as a tool instead of a doctor (thank Atom) and Herman Gomez was still head of security in the vault, although it seemed like he was getting on in years. And, of course, Stanley, our maintenance technician was still around.
My stomach churned as I felt a wave of home sickness. I really loved this place, even if it housed the people that had tried to kill me. If I could stay here instead of the Capital Wasteland, it would be heaven in this nuclear hell.
My feet led me to the clinic where my dad had once worked. The thoughts and memories were strong, as if they had only been yesterday... My first steps as a baby, my first play date with Amata, and trying to get out of the G.O.A.T. It was all so vivid.
We made it to the Overseers office and I turned to Amata and Butch, still holding hands and said, "OK, so you have me here, now what?"
Butch was the first to answer, his voice had changed into a gravely tone, which made him seem more adult. This I saw immediately. "They were both in our room," he said, "I had to sort out some kind of glitch in the mainframe that had to do with the vault door and Amata was sorting out some paperwork in her office. I heard one of them scream as I was walking up to the door and I felt something hit me on the side of my neck. I woke up to find Amata standing over me and she told me the girls were missing."
Amata added, "I heard the scream next from my office. I came to the room myself and saw a blur right in front of my eyes. Both the girls were gone, and Butch was slumped against the door. It looked like he was dead."
"But how did it get out?" I asked them.
"I don't know how, but I think the glitch I was working on might be connected," said Butch. It sounded like he had matured more than I would have expected he could since the wedding.
"Can you show me the key logger for the door?" I asked him.
"Sure, it's over on Amata's terminal." I nodded my thanks and sat down at the terminal. I watched all the times it had been opened unfold before my eyes. From when the original 2,000 people hoping to survive the holocaust, to when I entered today... I looked again and saw that the door had been opened and closed many times, my guess at least twice a year since I was brought into the vault.
I looked and saw today's date along with three entries: First, the door opening and closing for me to get in. But before that, it seemed like two humans, and a thing not recognised by the system, left. The log before that was the most interesting, as it seemed like the unidentified person or thing entered and looking at the snapshot, just showed what looked to be an armoured blur with a huge yellow eye
I stared at the picture, not knowing in the slightest what it could be. "Come over here, I think I've found something." I called over to the others
I showed them what I found. Amata gasped when she saw the bid yellow blur. "Liam, what is that?" she asked me worriedly
"Honestly I couldn't tell you. It's not anything I've seen on my travels. It doesn't even seem to be Enclave." I almost whispered, mostly speaking to myself. The big yellow eye was the most daunting thing he had ever seen, and I had taken down at least six behemoths in my short life so far. I downloaded the key logs to my Pip-Boy and looked up at the two standing beside me.
"I think I'm going to go, guys. I can't let anyone else get caught by this thing." I said.
I said my goodbye's to the couple and made my way to the Vault door, but Amata called me over and hugged me. I was her best friend until I left, and it still showed today.
"I want you to bring them both back safe and sound. You hear me? Or I'll never let you in here again." She mock threatened. I flashed them both a quick smile before pressing the open button and letting the nostalgia wash over me. I had been through this door four times in my life and each time it had been under sad circumstances. Hopefully the next wouldn't be so bad... I hoped.
I was past the door and near the second door that lead out to the Capital Wasteland, when I heard a crackling noise coming from both my Pip-Boy and the vault behind me, catching my attention. I looked back behind me and saw that both Amata and Butch were exchanging looks of confusion. The crackling ended and I heard a faint whine of a holotape and a voice begin boom out. Exactly in sync with the Vault radio system, my Pip-Boy started to play an advertisement.
"I am *static*, and I am here to ask you a question. Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?
'No,' says the man in Washington, 'it belongs to the poor.'
'No,' says the man in the Vatican, 'it belongs to *static*.'
'No,' says the man in Moscow, 'it belongs to everyone.'
I rejected those answers. Instead, I chose *static* different. I chose the impossible. I chose...
Rapture.
A city where the artist would not fear the censor,
where the scientist would not be bound by petty *static*,
where the great would not be constrained by the small.
And with the sweat of your brow, Rapture can become your *static*, as well."
The message repeated itself, then crackled and died. I looked over to the others and saw a look of worry and confusion in their eyes.
"What do you think that was about it, Liam?" asked Butch as he called over to me
"I don't know, but I intend to find out" I answered. I turned my back on the place I felt was my home, opened the old shack door to the cool night air of the Wasteland.
As I made my way to my home to think about the day's events, I got a new message on my Pip-Boy. It seemed that it was being used a lot these past few days.
The message was from Sarah Lyons and it said
"Liam, I know you heard the message. It seemed like almost the whole of the north side of the US heard it as well. I've sent word to Three Dog. A couple of the mercenaries and the head slaver want in, as well as a couple of others. I don't think I could refuse, so please meet us all up at nine tomorrow morning sharp at the Citadel. I think things might get ugly without you, so please. Nine sharp.
Elder Lyons"
I sounded like Sarah was better and I really hope she was if she was really thinking of doing this. I made my way though Megaton, got to my bed and collapsed. I waited for sleep to overwhelm me. The alcohol had long since left my system and I found it hard to sleep with the daunting task that awaited me at the Citadel.
AN: Hey guys, this may be a filler chapter, but I was stuck for a while trying to find out where this story will take me. Don't worry though, the next chapter will introduce some new characters and the LW will take the plunge into Rapture with some unlikely characters... So enjoy!
Oh and a special mention to my first and most awesome Beta reader... sarcasticrocker86, for being so cool and waiting a long time for me to get off my ass and write!
Till next time (Which should be soon!),
Umbra Luna! :) :)