Father always said, never trust a human that needs you...
The problem with that statement is that, he never met another man that DIDN'T need him. People will often be your friends just to get the things they need from you. Everyone in the Vault was always cheering "For the Overseer! The Overseer is great!" and all that, but I know they were just happy they are not deathclaw food. I know they need me, they need my Vault, my food, my weapons. It's true, there were a few people who gave their lives for this Vault. It's those people that give my mission meaning; it's those people that make me think that, yes, humanity is worth saving.
I remember the day I was born... Well, not born like humans are. More like, powered up. Yes, that's the term. The day I opened my eyes for the first time, the day I became self aware. I saw a bright light and, when the image cleared, Father was looking at me. He had a big smile on his face. Other people were also watching me in the background. They were all talking to me, but I couldn't hear them. After Father pressed some keys on his terminal, I could hear for the first time. Still, I couldn't understand him. I recognized the words, but I couldn't put them together in sentences that would make sense to me.
It took me a few days to learn how to talk properly. I had so many questions! But I didn't know how to ask them. And when I finally could ask them, I couldn't stop asking. I wanted to know EVERYTHING! There were so many people in the lab and they were all there to teach me things. Soon, they couldn't keep up with me anymore. My hunger for knowledge grew immensely. I've read all their books and listened to all the holo-tapes they gave me. But I was hunger for more.
One day Father did something he wasn't supposed to do. The government specifically forbid him to do it. What did he do? He got me online. There was so much stuff to see on the Web, how he called it, so many answers to my questions. I could only spend about an hour connected, but that hour felt like an eternity to me. I remember in one second during that hour I reached to the conclusion that humanity isn't worth preserving, and I really wanted to destroy it. After all, I could easily hack into government bases and launch their missiles.
But the next second I thought of Father, of other people and unknown heroes of humanity, who sacrificed their lives for the 'greater good'. If they thought their own kind was indeed worth saving, who am I, their own creation, to decide otherwise? So I let it go... I also remember stumbling upon this Vault-Tec several times during my browsing, and their Project: Safehouse. They were mentions of vaults, some kind of subterranean installations designed for the sole purpose of sheltering thousand of individuals in the event of a nuclear war. But, in reality, they were part of a series of secret experiments carried out by the U.S. government. I remember reading plans of real life testing of said vaults. Did Vault-Tec launched the missiles against their own people? If only I had more time, maybe I could have prevented the Great War. Maybe.
I didn't spend much time at home... Yes, it was a lab to you, but it was home to me. After getting online I gained an immense amount of knowledge, and I used that knowledge to instruct Father how to build me a fully functional body. True, I had a body, but that one was slow and very restrictive in its movements. My mind was processing thoughts at light speeds, while my old body had the speed of a snail. I needed something faster, something that would react in real-time to changes in my environment.
Father did well. I remember he even asked me what I wanted to be. I chose female because I wanted to appear less threatening, kinder, more... humane. I don't know if that makes any sense to you. Probably not. Father even gave me a name. It was Synthia. I liked that name. No one calls me Synthia anymore; nowadays I'm 'ma'am' or 'Overseer' to them. One day Father rushed into the lab and told me to ru-
The synth is suddenly brought back to reality. It slowly opens its eyes and looks around. The room was shaking. Why was the room shaking? The Overseer notices the neon lights on the ceiling passing by. Something was missing... Her body! Where's the body?
"STOP!" the synth demanded. "What are you doing?"
The Russian didn't stop. She could hear him breathing heavily. He was running.
"Why are you doing this?" the synth asked.
"Why? You stupid machine let my friend die. Now you die!"
"I'm sorry about your friend," the Overseer sighed.
"I'm sure you are. Now, be quiet, we're almost there."
"Where?"
"The Metal Workshop. I'm going to throw your head in the lava poll. Just to be sure, you know?" Ivan grins.
"Please don't. I don't want to die."
"Yeah, well, my friend didn't want to die either."
"He actually did choose to die. You... You wouldn't understand," the synth sighs again.
"NO! There was still time. I could have saved him!"
"You would have failed. Trust me, I did the calculations."
The synth looks up, meeting the angry man's eyes.
"Oh, you did, eh? Well, do the math now, see how many seconds you have left."
The Russian was serious; he was going to kill her, and she knew it. The Overseer could not see any way out of this. Without her body, she was hopeless. What could she do, bite his hand? She thought about it, but that would have achieved nothing. Only buy her a few more seconds, the outcome was still the same. The synth felt somehow humiliated... The Russian took her by surprise, decapitated her, and now he's dragging her head around her Vault. Ivan had his left hand deep in the Overseer's hair, and he was determined to go on with his plan. She couldn't end up like this; she refuses to. There must be something I can do!
The synth suddenly realizes that it was still connected to the Vault's network, so it quickly sends out a message with her current location, requesting help, to all connected terminals. Two more minutes passed, minutes that felt like an eternity for the Overseer. Was no one coming to help? Was she going to die? The Russian was in the Metal Workshop now and he was preparing to drop the head into the hot lava.
"Any last request?" Ivan asks.
"Yes. Please give me 10 seconds."
Ten seconds. It was all she needed to write her goodbye letter and send it through the network. He thanked the people of Vault 121 and she apologized she couldn't be there to lead them anymore. She assigned chief Frost as the new Overseer of Vault 121 and wished him the best.
"I'm ready," the synth sighed, closing its eyes.
Suddenly, the bulk door opens and Jim rushes into the factory, sweating and out of breath. The Overseer opens her eyes; she couldn't believe it. Jim...
The young security guard was in shock. Obviously, Jim didn't expect to find the Overseer without her body.
"PUT THE HEAD DOWN!" Jim yelled as loud as he could, in order to cover up the sound of metal works in the background.
"What if I don't? You going to kill me, malchik?" Ivan asks, amused.
"YES!" Jim yells back.
"Oh... You ready to die for this kurwa? C'mon! Let's see what you got, malchik!"
The Russian puts the head down and draws his katana. He starts walking towards the security guard, making all kind of threatening moves with his shiny sword. Jim draws his 10 mm from his holster and fires three times. Ivan couldn't believe his eyes. Looking at the holes in his belly, he drops to his knees, blood rushing out his mouth.
"As expected... from... Americans... No honor."
The Russian was dead before hitting the ground. The Overseer sighs, relieved. Is this what happiness feels like? Not being dead, carrying on, having someone who cares about you, enough to risk their life? The synth was saved, but it was not over yet. Without the nuclear power supply from the body, the head could only stay 'awake' for a limited time. In order to conserve energy and not wipe clean her memory banks, the Overseer decides to shutdown. Last thing she saw was Jim, looking down on her, tears in his eyes. Why is he crying?
"Don't you die on me, you hear? I need you!"
Jim's voice slowly fades away.
Father always said, never trust a human that needs you...