'Liz! Wake up! You have to go. Jonas is dead.'

'You're a traitor to the vault, just like your father.'

'Please help me. It's my mom. If you don't help her, she'll die!'

'James is innocent and I don't care what the Overseer says. Go on! I'll distract them.'

'Your father's left Vault 101. You have to go after him.'

'I never liked you or your father.'

'You have to go before my father catches you. Please.'

'Radroaches! How the hell did they get in?'

'Come back here, you little bitch.'

'Jonas is dead.'

'Here, take this. Maybe this will help. Good luck.'

'Please! You gotta help me! She's all I got.'

'Your father's gone.'

'Hold it right there!'

'Guards! Stop her! She just killed Officer Mack!'

'I'm not going out there, no matter what the Overseer says.'

'You have to go. I'll be all right. Goodbye, Liz.'

'Jonas is dead.'

'Come back here!'

'Your father's left the vault.'

'Your father's left the vault.'

'Your father's left the vault.'

Goodbye, Liz.

Elizabeth awoke to a sharp pounding in her head. Groaning, she clutched her head and tried to open her eyes. A bright light assaulted her eyes and her eyes clamped shut again. She must have fallen asleep at her desk again with the lights on while programming the Pip-Boys. But the lights in the vault had never been this bright before and she could barely open her eyes. Stretching out her hands, she fumbled around for the light switch and felt something nothing but rocks. Cracking her eyes open to a narrow slit, she saw a sight that threw her into a dizzy loop. For the first time in her life, Elizabeth gazed fully upon the harsh and dry desert that was the Capital Wasteland.

I don't think I'm in Vault 101 anymore.

Close upon the heels of that thought was another realization. Her father wasn't in Vault 101. Frowning, she tried to piece together what she could remember. She remembered Amata rousing her from her bed, running into Officer Gomez, helping Butch and his mother fight off the radroaches, finding Jonas' dead body, killing Mack, leaving the vault…

'What?' She looked down at the pistol in her hand and a cold sick dread filled her stomach. It was true; she had killed Officer Mack in an act borne out of rage rather than self-defense. He had been hurting Amata, slapping her around with his baton but it was more than that. When she had burst into the interrogation room and ordered him to stop beating her, Steve Mack had looked up at her and grinned sadistically at her. She had known then, that he had killed Jonas with that same grin on his face. Enraged, she had raised the 10mm pistol and fired into his face, wiping the vicious smirk off his face. When the Overseer began to shout for help, she had grabbed Amata and they had both made a run for it.

Elizabeth closed her eyes, steeling herself to calm down. Dimly, a part of her reproached her for killing Mack but she could find no remorse in executing Jonas' murderer. Jonas is gone and there was nothing that could bring him back. She couldn't go back into Vault 101. It was too dangerous and they will surely punish her for the death of Officer Mack and her father's betrayal. Even her father wasn't there anymore.

Dad. Her eyes flew open and she stood up, brushing the dirt off of her. After a quick inventory check, she concluded that her belongings consisted of a 10mm pistol, her Red Ryder BB gun, some ammo, Butch's Tunnel Snake jacket, a pair of tinted glasses which she immediately wore to block out the sun, her Vault 101 jumpsuit and her Pip-Boy. The only food she had was a sweetroll Amata had shoved into her pocket along with the pistol. She had no other food, neither did she had any water.

The pounding in her head had lessened to a dull throb. Gingerly, Elizabeth reached up and felt blood on her forehead. Her Pip-Boy told her that the gash was nothing serious and unlikely to cause any further complications. She turned and saw a large rock to her left, noticing a dark stain on its sharp end. I must have been blinded by the sunlight and crashed into the rock, knocking myself out, she concluded. Still, there was little harm done and she needed a mirror before she could make any further examination.

Shading her eyes, she looked around her. She wasn't going to survive long without food or water and there was no telling what was out here in this desolate wasteland. She spotted a thin spire of smoke emerging from an odd twisted metal structure to the southwest. Smoke meant people and people meant help. They might be able to give her some food and shelter. They might have even seen her father.

Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth took a step forward towards the road, squashing her agoraphobia as irrational and pointless. Someone out there must have seen her father and know where he had gone. She'd decide later if she should kick him or punch his stomach first when she found him.

'Welcome to Megaton. The bomb is perfectly safe, we promise. Please hold for threat level assessment. Threat level minimal. Open the gates. Open the gates. Welcome to Megaton.'

The Protectron's bizarre words echoed in her head as the gates closed behind her. She was still thinking about the 'bomb' before a shadow fell on her.

'Hello and welcome to – well, I'll be damned, you're from that vault, Vault 101. I ain't seen one of those jumpsuits in a long time.'

Elizabeth looked up and saw a tall man in a leather duster chuckling at her. His amusement increased as he saw her bewilderment.

'Name's Lucas Simms. I'm the Sheriff here. You look like a puppy what lost its bone. What's your name, girl?'

'Elizabeth. My name is Elizabeth.' She stared coolly at him.

'Now, now. Don't go glaring at me like that. Just enjoying a little joke on you.'

People were stopping and staring at her with gaping mouths, pointing her out to each other. Elizabeth shuffled uncomfortably, feeling exposed.

His keen eyes caught her discomfort and he dismissed them with a wave of his hand. 'Don't mind them. We haven't seen one of you Vault people in years so people get curious. Don't know why you left and I don't care either. This here is my town and I've got my eye on you. Don't cause any trouble and we'll get along just fine.' His eyes stared unblinkingly at her.

Elizabeth gazed back unflinchingly at him. 'I have no intention of causing any, Mr. Simms.'

His stern demeanor gave way to another chuckle. 'Nice to see someone with manners out here. I don't think you'll cause any trouble here but I gotta give you the speech all the same. Like I said, you play nice and I'll play nice too. So, how can I help you, Miss Elizabeth?'

She wasn't fooled by his casual words. She knew he doubted her capability as a threat to the town but didn't want to show it. She had seen him eyeing her pistol and her other belongings. Lucas Simms was anything but a fool.

'Mr. Simms, I'm looking for my father. His name is James and he wore a Vault 101 jumpsuit too. Middle-aged man. Have you seen him? He probably came by here yesterday.'

Lucas shook his head. 'I told you, you're the first one I've seen crawl out of that Vault 101 in years. The last time I saw one was in 2250 and then not a peep out of there until you come walking through those gates.'

'Are you sure? He wore one of these Pip-Boys on his left arm.' She held up her hand, pointing at her Pip-Boy.

'Hmm… I mighta seen someone wearing one of those things late last night. He came in, went to Moriarty's and left just as quickly. Tall man, short hair. Didn't get a good look at his face though.'

'Moriarty's? As in Moriarty's Saloon up there?'

Lucas nodded his head and a brief expression of irritation flashed across his face. He leaned in close to Elizabeth and spoke in lowered tones.

'Watch that one. He's a slippery bastard who'd sell his own mother for a cap if he could.'

She lifted an inquiring eyebrow. 'Thank you, Mr. Simms. I appreciate the tip.' He nodded at her. 'Mr. Simms? What did that robot meant by the bomb?'

'It's in the middle of town. Take a look and see for yourself. You might want to get that checked out too. Looks nasty.' He nodded at her wound.

Touching a hand to it, she asked. 'Is there a doctor in the town? I'd patch it myself but the clinic might be more…sanitary.'

'Next to the bomb down there but only if you have the caps.'

'Caps?'

'Bottlecaps. They're the Wasteland's cash. Paper bills are worthless out here. Seeing as you're fresh out of that vault, you might want to try fixing yourself up in the washroom. It's not 'sanitary' but it's better than nothing and Doc Church hates freeloaders.' Lucas pointed at the washroom.

She thanked him and he tipped his hat politely to her with a 'Good day, Miss Elizabeth'. He watched her as she walked into Megaton. He sighed and fingered his rifle's safety. He doubted the kid could match wits with Moriarty although it would be amusing if she succeeded.

'Sanitary, indeed' He snorted to himself and strode off.

With the uncomfortable feeling that her wound was causing as much of the stares as her jumpsuit did, Elizabeth found her way to the ladies washroom. Turning on the pipes, her Pip-Boy's Geiger counter jumped and crackled as the water gushed out. Almost everything was irradiated here. Frowning, she decided that a little irradiation couldn't be avoided. After all, not everyone was lucky enough to have Vault 101's water purifier.

After bandaging her wound and tidying herself up, Elizabeth walked out of the washrooms and headed next door to Moriarty's Saloon. She felt in her bones that she was close to finding her father.

Seeing the ghoul's rotting face had rattled her nerves and she had barely kept her wits together enough to speak civilly to the bartender. The conversation was short and Moriarty had immediately descended upon them like a vulture sensing prey. Lucas was right. The smooth smiling exterior hid a dangerous man below the surface. Elizabeth was outwitted, outgunned and outmanned in a fight she was unprepared for. It ended with an ultimatum from Moriarty; fork over a hundred caps or retrieve some stolen caps from a runaway junkie prostitute for him.

Bumping into a grumbling Walter outside of the saloon had been a stroke of good luck. Pipes were leaking everywhere around Megaton and the overworked water plan operator was barely holding them together. Her offers of help were gratefully accepted and she was generously rewarded with two hundred caps when she returned to report to him. In Vault 101, when things got broken, you quickly learnt to repair them on your own as there were few replacements lying around. Rejoicing over the large amount, in her eyes that is, she calmly presented the requested amount to the bar owner.

Moriarty however was no fool. He smelt an easy victim in the vault kid and he owed James a grudge for never buying any drinks from his saloon despite going there twice over the years. Besides, the young lass was pretty and looked almost beautiful when she was angry. This time, he insisted she gave him three hundred caps instead, claiming that information was gold. Moriarty pointed out that she still had the option of 'taking care' of Silver and reclaiming his stolen caps. Her face paled when she realized his insinuation and he took a perverse pleasure in her discomfort. The lass was too naïve and the experience would toughen her up. As far as he was concerned, he was doing her a favor by educating her about the rule of the Wasteland.

Elizabeth trembled in anger as the Irishman roared with laughter and stalked back to his room. Closing her eyes, she had counted to ten and tried to regain her calm front. The barkeeper, Gob, with a furtive glance to the back room, murmured his sympathies and went back to smacking the radio.

'Come here, girl.'

She turned and saw a well-dressed suited-up man in the darkest corner of the bar. An oddity in the ragged town where everyone wore patched hand-me-down clothes. He offered her caps to detonate the bomb in the town and she recoiled in horror at his suggestion. Hastily rejecting his offer, she hurried away and left the saloon. As she stood on the ledge, Elizabeth considered reporting Burke's offer to Lucas but shook her head. What happened to the town was none of her affair and Burke had stated that he approached her precisely because she was an outsider. It was unlikely he'll be able to find anyone else with the expertise to detonate the nuclear bomb. Perhaps it was just as well that she hadn't told him that she lacked the same expertise herself.

Selling her BB gun to Moira hadn't been an easy decision. It was the only thing she still had that had also belonged to her father. Practicality, or perhaps it was desperation, won out over sentiment and Moira happily pocketed the BB gun, crooning over its pristine condition.

'You know, if you're looking for caps, I've got a lovely offer for you.'

She had pricked up her ears and listened closely to Moira who happily explained to her about her precious book that no one wanted to help with but would be so beneficial to the entire Wasteland if only she could get someone to help her with the research. She shook her head with wonder as the chirpy store owner told her how she needed to research radiation and the difficulties in finding someone willing to get himself irradiated enough for her to study them. Using medical knowledge gleaned from her father, she patiently explained to Moira the effects of radiation and was rewarded with some Rad-X and Rad-Away.

After completing her purchases of necessary supplies, Elizabeth left Megaton and headed in the direction of Super-Duper Mart. Lucas Simms watched her leave and shook his head to himself again. The vault girl was about to find herself in a very different world outside of the vault.

Author notes:

1) Agoraphobia is a fear of wide open spaces, usually a social disorder. I'm using it here as a fear of the sky crashing on top of her ala Chicken Little. She's been in a vault nearly all her life. A little sky-falling-on-me phobia is only to be expected.

2) I'm aware that I'm sending Elizabeth on some roundabout errands to get caps that can be easily gotten through other means. However, this is the only way I could figure out to make her meet up with Dogmeat. In fact, in my first playthrough of Fallout 3, I never found Dogmeat at all and had forgotten he even existed in the game. Heresy, I know.

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