The Vault was unusually quiet. Except the humming noise of heavy machinery, no loud voices could be heard anywhere. Everyone was waiting to find out what transpired on the surface. People gathered inside the Mess Hall Complex, turned on a couple of radios and sat huddled in front of them. The tubes warmed with maddening slowness. Then came the terrifying news:
"...as we learn more. But for now, it appears that approximately twenty mini-nukes were dropped on the incoming crowd of ghouls. There are no survivors. I repeat, there are no survivors. One mini-nuke detonated close to the Vault, injuring and killing a couple of our own. For further reports, keep tuned to Vault Radio!"
A dance band cuts in... There was suddenly a lot of chatter in the Mess Hall, and the word "Overseer" came up several times. "It's all her fault!" a voice could be heard louder than the others. "Why do we even listen to that synth?"
At the vault door, the Overseer stands in the doorway, with an inexpressive look on her face. She has given a direct order; yet, her people completely ignored it, and proceeded to engage the attackers, with no regard for the lives of innocent ghouls waiting terrified outside the Vault. Ghouls were just "collateral damage" and the vault dwellers were completely fine with that. But she was clearly not.
The Overseer was programmed to protect all life, not just the lives of people close to her. She 'felt' like she had failed the ghouls. She 'felt' like her own people no longer listen to her. She calculated, in a fraction of a second, that she is losing control over the Vault. Lost in her digital thoughts, the Overseer caught some movement from the corner of her eye.
"Someone was still alive! How the hell did they get in?" the synth inquired herself.
The Brotherhood soldier gets up slowly, unsure of his movements. He raises his right arm and fires twice, but misses each shot. The Overseer doesn't budge. She reads the tag on the chest plate of the Brotherhood soldier.
"Tamara Smith. So, it's a woman... And instead of running away, she chose to confront me? How foolish of her!" The woman prepares to fire a third time, but her weapon jams. Angry and yelling, she throws the weapon at the synth.
"What are you doing?" the Overseer asks while dodging, with a hint of amusement on her face.
"Killing you, metal bitch!" the woman replies and throws a grenade in the direction of the Overseer. The 'metal bitch' moves quickly and dodges the grenade with ease. The only victim here is the woman, now covered in dust and oil from the damaged mechanism that operates the vault door.
"Why?" the Overseer asks.
"Because you're a synth! And my boyfriend Owyn said all synths are evil and deserve to die."
"But I'm a good synth," the Overseer grins.
"That's what a synth would say. Ad victoriam!" the woman yells and prepares to throw another grenade.
The Overseer speeds in her direction, removes the grenade from her hand, and throws it out through the Vault door.
"So, your boyfriend is Lyons, the mighty leader of the Brotherhood. This changes things."
With a quick stretch of her right arm, the Overseer knocks the woman out.
"Good night, princess. Let's see how much your boyfriend cares about you."
The Overseer presses the button on the intercom and speaks:
"We have a survivor. Female, a Brotherhood agent apparently. I need a team to head over to their base, let them know we've got a prisoner and that I want to see Lyons face to face, or his girlfriend dies. I've had enough of their sneaky attacks; it is time we put an end to this. Also, send someone to fix the hydraulics of the vault door; we need to close it. Overseer, out."