"Then speak," Paladin Rider orders harshly.

"We do not talk with soldiers," the voice responds, calmly, having suddenly taken on a calm air of authority that seemed entirely out of place considering the situation. "We know you have civilians with you. Send them instead."

I feel a slight chill on the back of my neck. How could they possibly know that?

Even without seeing, I can feel Paladin Rider tense. "You have no space to talk," she shouts. "We're the ones with the guns here!"

"Are you really?"

A pause.

"As you Brotherhood soldiers stand there, we have half a dozen miniguns trained on your position and ready to fire at our command."

"Impossible!" Paladin Rider whispers. They're right – their night vision should pick up any such objects even in this pitch dark.

"No. Not impossible."

In a flash, there is a loud burst of noise, and a flash of bullets, and I wince as – I think Kenji covers my body behind him to protect me. The loud screech of a fallen soldier – two, in fact – resonates through the corridor.

And within no more than four seconds and scarcely a single breath, it is all over.

The lights switch on, illuminating a small segment of the tunnel. At first, it is entirely empty, but there is a hexagonal shimmering pattern, and the thin air bends to reveal what indeed are half a dozen miniguns, the smoke from their recent volley of fire still rising to haze up the narrow, confined space. They must have used modified versions of – what are those? – oh yes, Stealh Boys. I've heard stories, but this is the first time I've seen them with my own eyes.

Paladin Rider is on the ground, visibly wincing as Knight Fox kneels down to check. Another Brotherhood soldier lies – unconscious, I can still hear the echoing sounds of his raspy breath.

Every instinct in my body is telling me to run away. And the other Brotherhood soldiers start taking one, then two steps back, picking up their fallen comrades and preparing to drag them away. But Paladin Rider raises a halting, metal-gloved hand. Her intent is clear. Stay, you idiots, and fight.

"Now, shall we try this again?" I swear I can hear the voice gulp a little. "You can leave. Or you can talk to us. And we do not talk with soldiers."

"Let me go." Perez says in a fraction of an instant. His voice and his eyes are filled with determination. He's out for blood. "I'll take care of this."

Paladin Rider, turns her helmet to look at him, but Knight Fox just looks at him and gives him a thumbs-up. It's better for him, I figure, placing Perez at stake instead of one of the Brotherhood men.

"Let me come with you," Kenji says, and Perez nods with a surprising lack of protest. In the light, I see him give me a singular, pleading glance. It's how we don't fight. And that's all that's necessary to settle it.

I nod, and follow them as they take one, then two, then three uncertain steps towards…towards whatever fate awaits us on the far side.

As it turns out, we are greeted by a man and a woman, both holding impressive-looking rifles above their 98 blue-and-yellow Vault jumpsuits. And both have that strange orange skin. And both are wearing Pip-Boys on their wrists – flashy, shiny, mint-condition ones. I look down at my scratched-up one with some degree of jealousy.

"Hello, Miss Jackson," the woman says with a curt smile, gesturing us down the tunnel and further into the vault. The man remains silent, judging us with worn-looking eyes. "We've been expecting you. You're a lot more determined than we thought."

You could be a bit less predictable about it, I want to retort, but the words do not come out. So that's why they hadn't wanted to parlay with the Brotherhood. They'd wanted us specifically. Why? Could it be linked to this mythical "threat" the woman back at Brotherhood camp had talked to us about?

"And we've been expecting your friends, too…Kenji, yes?" And Perez? Perez, you are a determined one."

"You should know why, little fuckers," he growls in reply. "Now where is she?"

Now this could be a potential problem. He wants. But we have a job to complete. And nothing will stand between me and getting the girl safely to Coral.

I decide it's best to shelve that issue, at least for now. That bridge can be built when we get there – that's how the saying goes, right?

"Patience, child," the woman continues. "Patience, for there will be time later. Now, we must discuss more pressing concerns."

I've never been in a Vault before. So when we emerge out of the tunnel into a fluorescent-lit, metal-grey corridor marked MAINTENANCE, I can do nothing but silently stare around – at the ancient oblong windows and the lights and – how confined everything is. I see a pair of people – both armed, again – pass by us, giving us odd looks, and the ceiling is no more than a few inches above their head.

I'd go absolutely mad having to be in here longer than a few days.

I look at Kenji. He tries to look down, but all that's down is the floor. He tries to look up, from side to side, but all that's up and side to side are the ceiling and the walls.

Perez has been oddly silent for someone who has offered to come along like this. It makes me realise: he's only here to see the girl. He doesn't care about any of this other shit. And I can understand that – I'd do the same in his position – whatever the hell his position actually is.

We've got to get out of here before Kenji goes absolutely mad.

We're led past the MAINTENANCE tunnel and down some stairs. "We'll let you meet in a second," the woman says. "We'll prove to you that she's alive." She looks at Perez. "I promise, we've been treating her well. She's just a kid, after all."

Perez nods, seemingly unimpressed, an anxiety still crossed all over his face.

"What about the mayor…in Forked River?" I ask. "Where is she?"

"She was asking too many questions about the girl," she responds, "and so she came to us. She'd found what we were doing, and she threatened to expose everything. We couldn't have that. So she's dead now."

"Dead," I reply, blankly. Perez seems to just nod in acceptance, and Kenji…I slip my hand into Kenji's trembling fingers, and I look at him. You're going to be okay. I'm sorry. And he nods.

"Yes. Dead. Devoid of life. If the pre-War maps are correct I believe her body should be drifting up through the North Atlantic…and maybe whoever we've been tracking will find it."

"Look. We did this…because it's the only way," the man says. "You have to help. Please." His voice is quite unlike what I had expected. It's pleading, almost desperate. And it makes me wonder. What exactly lies out there beyond the sea?

"And…what…exactly are we supposed to help you with?" Perez asks. "Because with all you've done…"

"I know," the man continues, closing his eyes and lowering his palms, as he stops in front of a door labelled CLASSROOM, letting a group of four Vaulters – again, all armed – pass us by. "Like I said, we had no choice. If we let this happen unchecked…" his head droops, sadly. "…then everything in this country will be lost. Forever."

After we're seated in this apparently disused classroom – my hand is still in Kenji's, and they seem to not have noticed – she lifts her wrist to show me her Pip-Boy. "Listen," she says, before pressing some buttons.

A stream of music comes at me. "Come on baby! Let's do the twist…"

"Fuck Peter!" the man yells, slamming his fist down into the table. "Fuck him and his stupid radio!"

The woman just giggles softly, before turning to another radio station – and all the joy fades.

It's static, mostly, but we can pick out a few words from the mess – distant voices. "Sunken…ship…New York…" They're oddly accented, almost dramatic, even if the speaker sounds…bored? "…the princess…kill everyone…two dead…"

Princess?

"We do not have the slightest idea who these people are," the man explains. "But trust me, even we're better than the alternative. They've destroyed entire towns, entire countries. And we've heard all of it, over the past two years."