Gloria set out for Vault 101 early the next morning. She felt a little nervous, but calmed herself down with a shot of Med-X. And another one for good measure.
She opened up the creaky door to the tunnel, and at the other end was the door that separated her from her old home.
No. This wasn't home; this was somewhere she'd left behind in another life.
The metal door slid open when she typed in the password and pulled the switch, opening the Vault to the outside world. She considered leaving it open, but changed her mind when she passed the console inside the Vault and continued on inside.
It hadn't changed. Officer Gomez still cut her some slack, like he used to when she was caught sneaking out after curfew and—
She sighed, tightening her fist. Don't think about the past. Nothing good could come of it.
Wandering the same corridors she's wandered for the first eighteen years of her life couldn't stop the memories flooding in. None of them were exceptionally life-changing, but they did have a significant impact on her.
She didn't notice running straight into Butch, who swung his switchblade and sliced her arm in a clean cut. The blood welled up in the wound and dripped down her arm. She didn't pay any attention to it.
Stacy, on the other hand, hit Butch in the arm and screamed, "What the hell, you hurt her!"
"You have a lot of nerve showing up here, Nosebleed," Butch ignored his girlfriend, who was holding a rag up to Gloria's arm. Gloria rolled her eyes, "Good to see you too, Butch."
"Whatever."
Stacy smiled at Gloria, completely ignoring the tension in the air, "Hey, you're back! Where'd you go?"
"I… went for a walk." She looked at Butch, who shrugged. It seems he never told her Gloria had left. It didn't matter, since she was back to help.
"If you're done with your walk, could you please help us?"
"Why?"
"Because you're a goody-two-shoes, right? You get off on helping people in trouble?" Butch interrupted, and Gloria grimaced, "No, that's fucking gross."
"Whatever. I tell you, your old man had the right idea. I can't stand it down here anymore. You gotta help me and Stacy get out."
"It's not my problem," Gloria jerked her arm out of Stacy's grip, blood still dripping down her arm, but not as heavily as before.
"Gloria," Stacy gripped her arm again, "Please. People have… Paul he… If I told everyone about the Radroaches then he'd be-"
"Stacy," Butch interrupted. His scowl softened, "It wasn't your fault."
"What happened?" Gloria asked. It probably wasn't the right thing to ask because Stacy had started to cry, grasping onto Gloria's jumpsuit like a lifeline.
Butch ushered them into the clinic where some other residents were hiding out.
"There was a Radroach infestation, and one bit Paul. The bite got infected and he-"
"I saw them, and I didn't tell anyone and now Paul's dead. All because I'm a coward."
"Stacy, stop thinking about that. It's not your fault."
She took a moment to take a few deep breaths, then wiped at her eyes, "I'm sorry I-I can't stop thinking about it."
"It's okay, Stacy," Gloria said. While she didn't have OCD like Stacy did, she knew what it felt like to get a thought stuck in her head.
"I actually came to the Vault when Amata sent out a distress message. She called for me, specifically."
"Shit, I didn't think she'd get it out in time."
Gloria felt a bit guilty knowing she'd left all of these people for her own selfish desires. Time in the Wasteland had made her unforgiving and cruel; she couldn't go back to it again.
But nonetheless, she still felt like she was wasting her own time. But it didn't matter now as Amata had spotted her and threw her arms around Gloria's shoulders, tears welling up in her eyes as she whispered, "Oh my God, you're back you got my message and actually came back!"
"I came as soon as I heard you were in trouble." Gloria half-lied.
"Oh, thank you! Everything's gone to shit since you left, and now you're back, you can help set things straight."
"Hold on there, I never agreed to anything yet. What the hell is going on anyway? Where is everyone else?"
"This is the rebellion. My da- I mean, the Overseer wants to keep everyone inside the Vault, and we all want to have a choice to leave or not."
Both the Vault and the Wastes are Hell in their own rights. But Gloria respected the freedom of choice, so she finally relented, "Okay, alright, what do you need."
"You have to talk to the Overseer." She sighed, "I wish we could have saved more people. Jonas, and the Hannons, and so many other died that night. It was bad enough they died because my father was trying to keep the door closed, but then I found out it was all to protect a lie! I found out the Vault wasn't always closed! They've lied to us about it for our entire lives!"
"Yeah, I found out when I left. I would have told you, but I was kinda in a hurry."
"What? Why not?! You know what, never mind, what's important is now we know we were lied to all our lives, and people have died for that lie. And even now, when we need help, the Overseer still won't let us try to communicate with the outside!"
"Your dad's pushing his luck."
"You're absolutely right. It's not like we want to abandon the Vault or anything! Well, Butch and Stacy do, but Butch is too big a coward to go out on his own, and doesn't know how to open the door. Most of us had accepted the outside was certain death and things would stay the same down here, but now we know they don't have to be! After all, it was enough to get you and your dad to leave, so there must be something good out there."
"You're completely wrong, but I'll help you. Only because you look like you're about to kill me if I refuse to help."
Amata rolled her eyes, and Gloria smiled. As she was turning away, Amata grabbed her arm.
"Gloria, it's good to see you again. I... missed you."
"Yeah, I guess I missed you too."
They stared at each other for a few moments, then Gloria looked away.
"Please, be careful." Amata said.
Gloria nodded, "When am I ever not careful?" She smiled.
Her old apartment, was blocked off, the door permantently locked under investigation.
She picked up a nearby chair and broke the glass window in her old living room. She climbed inside, and brushed the stray glass shards off of her.
It was a little painful to be in here.
The last night she's slept in here, she came out to James, and he had told her she needed to grow the hell up and realize she needed to stand up for herself. Not his exact words, but it had the same effect on her.
She went to bed crying; she thought he was talking about her relapse a week before, when she threw up again. Oh, how wrong she was.
She felt tears well up in her eyes. She couldn't cry now. Show no weakness and everything.
She had to act quickly, so she grabbed all her plans for future weapons and inventions and shoved them into her bag.
Before she left, she made sure to pick up the picture she took with her dad when she was 10.
She took a moment to look back at her old apartment, but now wasn't the time to reminisce.
The walk to the Overseer's office was the same as ever: her heart beat in her chest faster and faster until she thought it would explode. The only thing missing was James behind her, reassuring her it would be okay.
Alphonse was waiting for her as she pounded on the button to open the door. She knew all of the tricks to get inside, even when the door was locked.
"Well, I see you've returned. Done with the dust and ruins of the Wasteland, are you? Given up looking for Daddy? Thought you could slink back in, like a teen missing curfew? Well that's too bad. You have no future in the Vault. You're tainted."
"I'm tainted? You're the bastard who murdered Jonas!" Gloria yelled.
"I assume you're talking about the unpleasantness when you left, yes? Jonas and your father were endangering the future success of this Vault and the safety of its residents. I did what I had to do to keep that from destroying all we had achieved here. I only wish I could have prevented it from happening at all."
"You killed him because he as in love with my dad." She growled.
"First of all, I didn't kill Jonas, I commanded chief Hannon to do so, only because it had to be done. Jonas was going to leave with your father. If he left, others would have left to join them. And they'd all vanish into the Wastes, never to return. And with our numbers so depleted, we wouldn't be able to last beyond another generation. Assuming your disgusting way of life doesn't interfere with procreation."
Gloria's face twisted into a snarl, "Your daughter sure doesn't agree with you there."
"What?" He yelled, his hands curling into fists. Gloria assumed she deserved getting socked in the jaw, but it was still worth it. She rubbed the sore spot, continuing on, "You're not helping your people, you're destroying them, can't you see that?"
"I'm afraid you're the shortsighted one here. I'm simply keeping them safe and untouched by the war above. The real danger are the rebels and insurgents who insist on risking all of our lives to die out there in the Wastes. If they weren't trying to throw our lives away like that, we could go back to the peaceful life we once had. Everyone would be happy again."
"The rebels are upset because you lied to them about the outside."
"They have to understand we did that to keep them from going outside and getting themselves killed. To keep them from making the same mistake our generation did when we were their age. Some of us already lost loved ones out there long ago. We won't lose any more today."
"This is getting ridiculous. It's completely obvious there isn't enough people down here to keep bloodlines pure or something. If you think I'm disgusting, inbreeding will sure get your panties in a twist. Now, step down and let someone else become Overseer because you're doing such a good job." Gloria threw up her hands in exasperation, then turned around and marched down to the lower levels where the rebels were.
The Overseer seemed to have agreed with her, since he made Amata the Overseer.
"My father is stepping down as Overseer. He won't tell me why, but I have to assume it's something you said to him."
"He didn't even realize how wrong he was, but I set him straight."
"Well, thanks for keeping you cool and not resorting to violence. That sort of thing would only lead to more problems in the future. It's time for our dusty old Vault to have a new beginning. And it'll start be opening it up again, and this time for good. It's a bright new day for the Vault... but I'm afraid one thing has to change."
Gloria sighed, "You're kicking me out, aren't you"
Amata's mouth pursed into a line. She didn't want to do this, but many of the residents haven't forgiven Gloria and James for what they did. Gloria could accept it, though.
"I'm sorry," Amata said, avoiding eye contact.
"Whatever. I never belonged here; it's a place full of terrible memories and toxic feelings. But, it's helped me realize I belong outside," Gloria laughed. Amata looked back at her friend's face, perplexed at what she said, then smiled.
"You belong with me."
"Amata…" Gloria sighed, "You're giving me mixed signals."
Amata hugged Gloria tightly, twisting the leather of Gloria's jumpsuit between her fingers and burying her face into her shoulder. Gloria nearly fell over, then giggled and hugged Amata back.
"I hope I'll see you again," Amata said as she finally pulled away after a few moments.
"Hey," She brushed Amata's cheek with the back of her hand, "thanks for not making my life unbearable. I'll see you around," Gloria said.
Amata held onto Gloria's hand and pressed her lips onto the other girl's, then smiled.
"See ya," Amata whispered.
As Gloria exited into the Vault entrance, she pulled the lever and waited for the door to open before she stepped onto the extending platform to cross through to the outside. The last time she was here, she felt scared and unsure. Now, she felt like she had closure. Something to look back on and think "Hey, at least I fixed that mess."
She traced the door with her fingers, brushing the dust long the doorway and wiping the excess dust on her jumpsuit. This was it.
She was free.
"You're seriously not thinking about leaving us, are you Nosebleed?" Butch's voice interrupted her monologue. She glanced back at the entrance and nodded to head to the outside, inviting Butch and Stacy with her.
A/N:
AND I'LL NEVER GO HOME AGAIN (PLACE THE CALL, FEEL IT START)
FAVORITE FRIEND (AND NOTHING'S WRONG WHEN NOTHING'S TRUE)
I LIVE IN A HOLOGRAM WITH YOU
I hope I'm writing Stacy's OCD right. I think I have it too but it's probably just paranoia (I'm seriously mentally ill gg)