I know this is the first update in months. has been acting up on me, specifically the Document Manager, so I've been posting works on other websites. I may or may not post links to my other profiles some time in the future. Hopefully I can get the document manager problems fixed soon and I can get back to making my stories look organised again.

I woke up from the most peaceful sleep of my life feeling refreshed. I looked over at Amata. Curled up at my side, I could only smile. You know what the worst part of Vault Depressive Syndrome is? The loneliness. The feeling that nobody is there. Whenever I was around Amata, the pain I'd kept bottled up would go away. She'd brought me back from a dark place without even knowing it, and it was the least I could do to bring her back from her dark place. Never mind the things she didn't know about how I felt.

Amata's eyes fluttered open, and her mouth spread into a smile. "Sleep well?"

"Best sleep I ever had," I replied. Sitting up and yawning. "C'mon, let's get up."

We both got dressed and went down to the cafeteria for breakfast. Gloria and Susie Mack weren't there, but Christine was.

"Are you guys okay?" I asked her as she piled extra toast into a container.

"My family is," she said without looking at me. "Gloria and Susie...not so much. I'm just getting breakfast for them. They're not really feeling up to going out in front of the others."

"I understand. Is it okay if I come over and talk to them? Apologize myself?"

"I think that'll be fine. I'll let them know."

Christine turned away, carrying breakfast for what was left of the Mack family.

"By the way," Amata said quietly as she left. "I gave access to a group of people two days ago. They've been given a group apartment until you make a decision on letting them in permanently. They're on the second floor if you want to see them."

"Show me," I said.

The new group was settled into one of the larger unowned apartments (which were in surplus thanks to generations of Overseers), and were already dressed in Vault suits. An older woman was sitting on the couch, her arm around two children; a boy and a girl. They weren't asleep, but looked tired, and the woman's Vault suit hung a little too loosely on her body, which was unsettling; Vault suits were one-size-fits-all and usually bordering on skin-tight. I remembered when Amata had gone through a growth spurt and spent days being self-conscious about her Vault suit clinging to her body (with the Tunnel Snakes snickering, obviously).

A man somewhere in between teenager and adult stepped forward. He was probably no younger than me, but in his pale green eyes I saw the resolve and decisive nature of a hardened Wastelander, one who does what's best for his people.

"I'm Michael," he extended a hand. "You're the Overseer?"

I nodded. "Ryan Moore. I'm sorry for not meeting you sooner. I only arrived back last night and…"

I took a breath. "Given what happened last night…"

Michael held up a hand. I noticed a few small, faded scars. "I understand. It's not my place to judge how you handle your own affairs. I'm just glad you got back to us. So, what do we owe the pleasure?"

"I wanted to discuss what brought you here to the Vault," I said. "Mind if I sit down?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Michael and I sat down at the dining table with two other newcomers; an elderly man with grey hair and a rather long grey beard and a much younger man. He was easily the most well-kept of them all, with his brown hair cut short and not a strand of facial hair visible. His thick glasses gave made him look like a bit of a nerd, but the type that would be popular anyway. Michael introduced them respectively as Lincoln and Phillip Richardson.

"Phillip is my grandson," Lincoln said quietly, his eyes fixed on me with a gaze of steel.

I gave a respectful nod, then motioned for Michael to speak.

"With respect, Overseer," he said. "We've come from the Commonwealth; it's what's left of Massachusetts. Our farm was destroyed by Raiders, and we barely made it to D.C alive."

His eyes became slightly watery. "We…lost a lot of people. My father was one of them."

I dropped my gaze and let out a breath. "I'm sorry. I know what's it's like. I never met my mother."

"Thanks. It's good to meet someone who really cares. Look, I can understand if you don't want us to stay. But please, at least treat my mother and siblings. They won't last without food and medicine. I'm willing to do whatever you want me to do."

I looked into his face. I could see in his eyes that he was prepared for the worst. "You can stay."

His jaw dropped and his eyebrows disappeared up behind his mop of brown/red hair. "You'll… you'll let us stay?"

"I won't see children turned away from this Vault," I said. "And we've got room for three times our current capacity. I'll arrange medical treatment, accommodation and, if you feel up to it, information on work."

"My God, thank you!" he said, leaning back and letting out a breath of relief. "I won't forget what you did for us today!"

The woman with her children looked at me over her son's shoulder, her mouth wide open making the shape of a zero. It turned into a smile, and tears of joy streamed down her cheeks.

"I'll get things arranged," I said. "Unless there's anything else, there's something else I have to do."

"Um, just one more thing sir," Phillip finally said, raising his hand like a polite student. "I grew up in Vault 81 in the Commonwealth and studied engineering and science. I'd be most valuable in Maintenance."

"We'd appreciate that. Talk to Stanley Armstrong. He's head of Maintenance. God knows he'll be grateful for another man on board."

Amata let out a breath after we left. "You didn't even hesitate back there."

"The choice was clear. I wasn't about to leave them out in the cold," I replied as we walked to the Kendall apartment. "Besides, the world's full of too many cold-hearted bastards already. I'm not going to be one of them."

I pressed the buzzer outside the Kendall family apartment, and the door slid open to reveal John.

"Oh, I didn't know you were back," he told me. "You know what happene, then?"

"Amata told me," I replied. "Are Gloria and Susie here? I was hoping to talk to them myself."

"Yeah, Christine said you'd be coming. Come on in."

Gloria and Susie Mack were at the dining table finishing off the leftovers Christine had brought them. They looked exhausted.

"Is this a bad time?" I asked. They both shook their heads and I sat down.

"I heard what happened. Are you guys okay?"

Well obviously not, I thought, They've lost half their family over the past month. They're probably not okay.

"We're…. okay, all things considered," Susie said, which surprised me. "I knew it was going to blow up eventually. I just didn't expect it to be like this."

"I don't where I went wrong," said Gloria. "I tried to raise both my sons right. I guess Allen just had too much influence on them…"

"Don't blame yourself," I said. "Allen was a loose cannon. It took three security guards to wrangle him in. No offense, but he's a bit crazy."

'A bit crazy' was a massive understatement, but I didn't want to seem like I was badmouthing her family. Gloria gave me a look that said, I guess you're right.

"So what do you plan to do now?" I asked. Susie exchanged a look with her mother; they evidently hadn't given it much thought.

"We'll get our own apartment I guess," Gloria said. "I just want to get away from Allen. He's destroyed this family enough already."

"I'll handle Allen," I assured her. "I don't like the idea of kicking people out, but I might not have a choice in his case."

"He's tried getting help," Gloria told me. "It doesn't work. It might just be better to…let him go."

I took a breath and collected my thoughts. "I'll let you know when I've made a decision."

John gave me an approving nod as we left. It reminded me of how young I was, and how much my position as Overseer was down to chance.

"What's the plan now?" Amata asked me in the corridor.

"Now that the Brotherhood is in on the fold, I want to fortify the area outside," I told her as we walked. "I'm gonna bring Stanley outside to have a look around. Meet us outside with two security guards."

"Got it."

The five of us (me, Amata, Stanley and the two guards) stood at the Overlook outside the Vault. A hot wind was blowing, covering our legs with dust.

"Any ideas, Stanley?" I said, bringing a hand up to shield my face.

"Short term?" Stanley replied. "We can't do much on this end; the grounds too uneven. I think our best chances are sealing this side off and building on the cliff above."

He pointed up at the cliff above the entrance. "We build a staircase or something and work forward from their. In the long term, when we get some more able bodies, we might be able to do some work in Springvale. All we'd need was manpower and materials."

We climbed up the cliff so that we'd be standing above the Vault entrance and looked around. To the west, the Wasteland stretched on for miles. A flat, open area to build on. I could picture it in my head; the Overlook would be sealed off and outside would be some kind of walkway leading up to the entrance. There was only one problem; materials.

Amata suggested we bring down portions of the highway, which ran almost directly over the Vault.

"We could wire the pillars with explosives and detonate them remotely," she suggested. "We've got some old laser weapons in Storage that we could break it down with."

Stanley examined the standing portion of the freeway, which stood on one cracked pillar and looked ready to come down any day now. "I suppose we could try that. This concrete should do fine."

"Okay then," I said. "I'll head over to Moira's and see if she's got any explosives."

"Right now?" Stanley replied, looking puzzled.

"May as well," I said with a shrug. "Megaton's only a five-minute walk. Amata, can you head back and go get my bottlecap pouch? It's on my desk."

"Sure."

"Thanks. Officer Richards, go with her. Meet the rest of us outside of Craterside Supply. Stanley, Officer Park, come with me."

Amata and Richards disappeared inside the Vault while the ,rest of us made our way to Megaton through Springvale. Lucas Simms was on patrol inside the fence when we arrived, and gave us a friendly wave. I nodded in acknowledgement.

"Mornin' Ryan," he called out.

"Well it's eleven o'clock, but good morning anyway," I replied.

"Still morning," Simms said with a shrug. "What brings you into town, friend?"

"Need some explosives," I explained. "Preferably remote-detonated. I'm on my way to Moira's now."

Simms raised an eyebrow. "Explosives? What could a Vault need those for?"

"We're bringing down the old freeway and using the concrete to fortify the entrance. We need explosives for that."

Simms nodded in understanding. "Alright. I'll let everyone around town know. Hate to have them rushing out with their guns ready for a massacre."

"Thanks Sheriff."

I was in luck; when I asked Moira if she had explosives and remote detonators, her face little up.

"Well, I don't have exactly that," she admitted with a brief grimace, as if not having exactly something was a tragedy. "But I do have something that'll work! Here, just give me one sec..."

She turned around and reached inside the locker behind the counter and pulled out three small round frag mines.

"I was tinkering with these just yesterday," she told me, placing them on the counter. "They've all been set to a timer that you can activate remotely, so you can get out of there before it blows! Need any help setting them up?"

I hesitated and turned towards Stanley, who had just arrived during Moira's story. He gave a shrug and said, "I guess a second set of hands wouldn't hurt."

"Guess that's a yes," I said, turning back to Moira. "How much for these three?"

"Just 60 caps."

I almost laughed. "Moira, you know these are more than 20 caps each! I can't rip you off like that!"

"No really, it's fine," Moira insisted as Amata handed me a leather pouch bulging with caps. "I'm serious!"

"C'mon Moira," I said. "I can't take these for less than a hundred. Here, 150 caps should cover the three of these."

Moira hesitated and stared at the caps pouch, torn between good nature and a good offer. Finally, she said, "Okay, but only a hundred caps."

"Deal," I said, placing the required amount on the counter in exchange for the three modified frag mines."

"Okay, just let me close up shop and I'll meet you out there," said Moira before turning to the mercenary that guarded the store. "If anyone shows up, could you just let them know I'm out for a few minutes?"

The merc grunted in response, which to Moira was apparently a 'yes'.

We made our way over to the crumbling overpass south of Vault 101. It was the first time I'd seen Moira outside of her store, let alone outside of Megaton. She kept glancing around as if afraid something would jump out at her, even though the only cover around were a few small rocks that wouldn't hide a mole rat.

A sudden thought occurred to me. "Moira, can I ask where you're from?"
"A place called Canterbury Commons," she replied. She seemed less paranoid now that she was talking. "Caravan traders stop there a lot. It's how I got into the junk business."

"Did you come down here alone?" Amata asked.

"Alone? No, I'd never make it on my own," Moira shook her head. "I tagged along with a caravan trader on his way to Megaton, and that's where I set up shop."

We stopped in front of one of the crumbling pillars that held up a portion of the freeway. I set one of the mines down at the base of the pillar and handed one each to Stanley and Moira.

"Take those to the next two pillars and set them for a thirty-second countdown," I told them. "Officer Park, go back to the Vault and tell everyone what we're doing and that there's no danger. Come back with a case of laser pistols and energy cells. Hopefully we can get to work breaking this thing down today."

Everyone did as instructed and I set my own frag mine for 30 seconds. Moira had given me the detonator, which was still on safety mode.

When everyone was finished, we all stood a good distance away, taking cover behind some rocks.

"Alright, cover your ears," I advised holding the detonator in my sweating hand. I pressed the button, and the countdown began.

30, 29, 28, 27…

We all peeked out over the rocks, our hands covering our ears, ready to duck back down if a fireball or piece of debris flew at us. I glanced down at the timer.

14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9…

I braced myself for the sound, holding my hands tightly over my ears.

4, 3, 2, 1, 0.

Dust and dirt rose up, followed quickly by a small fireball. Concrete disappeared into the dust cloud, the pillar bringing the crumbling road above it down. The entire thing slammed into the ground and kicked up more dust.

When everything settled, I brought my hands away from my ears. They were ringing, but I was otherwise fine. The others were emerging from cover, Officers Park and Richards shaking their heads as if trying to get rid of the ringing.

"Everyone okay?" I called out loudly. Everyone nodded. "Okay. Park, Richards, Amata, Stanley; grab a laser pistol and a few energy cells."

The case Park had brought out was a six-case, leaving one unused pistol.

"Moira, you wanna tag along?" I asked.

"Oh sure! I've got time!" she replied eagerly, grabbing the remaining weapon and loading it.

"Alright people," I called loudly to the group. "For now we'll just cut off the ends so that we have some smooth blocks to work with. So everyone find an edge and just cut it off."

Everyone spread out across the three collapsed road pieces, and aimed at the uneven edges. Six red beams of energy shot out from our weapons, cutting straight through the concrete. The useless edge pieces fell away, leaving smooth concrete behind them.

"Okay, that's enough for now," I called out. "We'll get some people out here tomorrow and clear the useless chunks away. Stanley, I want you working on a blueprint for a surface station with Jonas. Oh, and Moira-"

I turned to her and lowered my voice. "Thanks for the help," I said, taking about fifty bottlecaps out of the pouch. I held them out to her, only for Moira to shake her head.

"Nope! I've taken enough money from you guys already. Anyway, I should be getting back before the angry mob of customers comes looking for me."

"Do you want me to have a guard go with you?"

"Nah, it's okay. See ya around!"

She turned and walked away, placing the laser pistol and remaining energy cells back in their case.

We were all back at the Vault by noon, congratulating each other on some real progress. The Vault was blissfully cool compared to the midday heat of the Wasteland.

"Good work everyone," I said as we reached the atrium. Every went their separate ways, except for Amata and I. So we just…walked. There was no real destination.

"I never asked you how you're feeling today," I told her.

"I'm…better," she replied. "I think it was mostly the shock. Now that that's worn off, I'm okay. I guess it was inevitable, but I but I thought it would happen out there in the Wasteland, not in here."

She shook her head. "Anyway, I'll be okay. William wants to go ahead with rescuing his men as soon as possible. Do we have any details set?"

"The Brotherhood is sending one of their best teams here to coordinate a rescue," I told her. "They should be arriving within a few days."

It was within just two days that they arrived. And to my surprise, the team of power armor-clad soldiers was led by Sentinel Sarah Lyons.

"It's been too long, Overseer," she said sarcastically, stepping through the Vault door.

"Sentinel Lyons," I said politely. "I thought you were at the Jefferson Memorial."

"You can tell your father the Memorial's clear," she replied. "Only a few Super Mutants around the building. We've got Paladins and Knights cleaning the place up now."

Another Brotherhood soldier, a black woman with short hair and a blank look stepped up to her side. Sarah glanced at her.

"This is Star Paladin Cross," she said. "She apparently escorted you and your father to Vault 101. I asked her to accompany us."

"Ryan Moore," Cross said, giving me a piercing stare. "You won't remember me, but I ensured that you and James reached the safety of Vault 101 after your mother's death. She'd be proud to see you now."

"Thank you," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. Lyons glanced at me, but the understanding look she gave me reassured me that she wasn't judging me. "My father works in the clinic now. Would you like to see him?"

"I'd be glad to," Cross said simply.

I turned and motioned for her to follow me, Sarah following closely behind. As they passed, Sarah whispered to me, "Don't be put off. Paladin Cross isn't exactly…human."

That just left me with more questions, but I kept my mouth shut.

My father looked up from his desk in the clinic when we walked in. His eyes passed over Cross, then did a double-take and widened.

"Cross?" he said, standing up.

"Hello James," she said, allowing herself a small smile. "Are you well?"

James gave a small shrug. "Well enough. The past 20 years have been kind to you."

"Thank you, but the same can't be said for you, I'm afraid," Cross replied, her mouth twitching while Sarah Lyons and I barely kept ourselves from laughing. My father shook his head.

"Well, it's good to see you," he finally said.

"It's James, correct?" Sarah spoke up, stepping forward. "You'll be glad to know the Jefferson Memorial is under Brotherhood control. The Enclave won't get anywhere near it."

James gave a relieved look. "Thank God. Any damage?"

"Only what you'd expect after twenty years of abandonment," replied Sarah. "Don't worry, we'll get the place up and running for you."

James nodded, but glanced over at me. "The Vault will be left without a doctor."

"We've got ample medical staff," Lyons assured him. "Two or three doctors enough?"

"It's more than what this Vault has now," James said grimly. "Jonas and I do our best, but this Vault will need more staff to accommodate."

"Don't worry dad. We'll get it sorted," I assured him. "Sentinel, should we get to business?"

I called the Council together, smiling as I noticed that we'd had more impromptu meetings than scheduled ones. Two of the Knights accompanying Sarah wheeled a whiteboard into the Operations room, taken up entirely by a map of the area surrounding Minefield.

"The Enclave has placed an energy field around the town," Sarah reported to the group, drawing quizzical looks. "It's supported by a generator in the center of town, and the only gap is from the south."

She pointed to a spot just south of the town center, and I cringed at the lack of cover the area would provide.

"They'll have that area covered," I spoke up. "How will we get in?"

"A little toy from our lab," Sarah said with a grin as she reached down to her belt and unclipped a red-ish canister with a pin. "Nuka-grenades. All it takes is one good throw to throw it over the edge. If we hit them from the north- "she pointed to the northern section of the map, "-they'll all come running, and whoever we send out there will be able to get away and we can hit them from the south entrance before they know what's happening. They've got two vertibirds on the eastern hill. We can use those to transport as much tech back to the Citadel while the prisoners go back to the Vault on foot."

"I've already got volunteers to undertake power armor training," Gomez said, standing up and leaning over the table to hand her a list of names. Sarah nodded, and while she surveyed the list, I looked around and saw that Amata was frowning.

"Something on your mind?" I asked her quietly. She paused, as if unsure if she should speak up."

"Will the prisoners be able to make it on foot?" she asked Sarah suddenly. "If the Enclave has vertibirds, then will our men be able to get away in time?"

There were a few nods as people echoed her concern.

"If we pull this off within the right timeframe, then it shouldn't be a problem," Sarah assured her. "The Enclave hates traitors, but they won't send out vertibirds unless they know they'll be able to catch them. As long as we can rush in, take the place over, and get out of there before they can radio for help, then your guys will be outta there."

Amata nodded, but still looked worried. So when the briefing concluded and the plans were set, I stayed behind with her.

"You okay?" I asked, when the last of the others left.

"It's war," Amata said bitterly. "How can anyone be okay with it?"

Her gaze dropped to the floor, and in a distant voice she said, "Just seeing Wally die made me break down. How do these people manage to do the things they do? God, all the wars we learnt about from Brotch…how many people had to suffer because we're all such savages?"

"It's just how humans are," I said quietly. "Just an endless cycle of violence. It's amazing how we haven't destroyed ourselves yet."

I suddenly realized how I sounded. "Jesus. Sorry Amata, I sound like a cynical prick."

Amata snorted with laughter. "I'd be worried if you didn't, Ryan Moore. Besides, I like you as a cynic, because I know I'm the only one who can break you out of a bad mood."

The corners of my mouth twitched as I tried to hold back a grin. "No wonder your dad hated me. Must have been paranoid that I'd corrupt you with my bad mood."

Amata grinned at me. "Or that we'd end up sleeping together. I'm surprised hormones didn't do their work on either of us," she said, then cocked an eyebrow at me. "Unless you've been inviting people into your bed?"

"Ha, nope. I'm just as celibate as you."

I suddenly realized that there was something off about the way she spoke, as if she was fearing my answer. My smile faded, and Amata's smug look was replaced by a look of fear.

She turned pale, which was saying something given that she and her father were Hispanic. "Ryan, I…"

She gave an angry sign and shoved her hair out of her face. "Damn it! Ryan, I…I think I love you."