The glass dome shimmered beneath an overcast sky, matching the reflection of the girl staring through it and into the jagged wasteland of Illinois.

Behind her, she could hear the muffled sounds of cars and subway trains, the hustle and bustle of a city alive and well, full of people, full of life. An infrastructure rebuilt from the ground up and technology of all kinds unseen anywhere else. Multiracial, tolerant, accepting of outsiders- it was no other city than Chicago. The Windy City. The utopia that served as the guardian of the Great Midwest Commonwealth. It had been her home since she had been born, only now it didn't feel like home anymore.

The magnetic pull of the outside world had become too great to ignore. The possibilities, the sights, the experiences… it was all infinite potential out there. As an apprentice scribe, she wouldn't be able to leave for years to come. They were afraid to let her.

She wasn't. There were a great many things that brought her to this strange crossroads in her life, but she was sure, above all else, that she wanted to embrace it.

"You're leaving, aren't you…"

The voice pulled her out of her daydream. Turning around, Angel saw her brother standing there, a solemn look making his handsome face look drawn and tough. She cringed when she noticed her journal clutched tightly in his hands.

"Jacob, I-"

"I read it. I had to. Don't go, Angel, please… I don't understand why you would want to."

Normally she would've smacked him upside the head for going through her things, but instead of anger, all she felt was the hollowness she'd carried around with her the past two weeks.

"I have to."

"Why?"

Raindrops appeared on the dome of the observation deck and ran down it in jagged little lines. She decided she couldn't look at him while she spoke, so she watched the rain fall instead of his tears.

"There's an entire world beyond our own out there, a broken world, and it needs our help. Thousands of people die every day simply because they don't have what we have. We take care of our own, but we haven't sent out an expedition in six months, and it's been three years since the Brotherhood sent one beyond the Commonwealth. If the Elders won't use what we have to help the rest of humanity, then I will." It sounded naive coming off her tongue, but it was true.

"But the utopia was only completed less than seventy years ago. Mom and dad are trying their best…"

Angel turned back around and lightly put a hand on her little brother's shoulder. "Of course they are, Jacob, and they're doing a great job. It's the other Elders I'm worried about- more and more it seems they want to revert to the old ways; when Chicago came to be solely because our ancestors that came here rejected them."

"You're lecturing me again…"

She laughed, kneeling down to match his height. "Sorry. And I'm sorry if this hurts you, little guy. It'll be dangerous, but, you could come with me."

Jacob's dispirited gaze went to the floor. "I- I would, but you know they want me to be their successor some day. Marton said I qualify for early Knight training, and if I work and study hard enough I'll be the youngest Paladin in the utopia."

"That's great," she replied, knowing it would be his response. At twelve years old compared to her seventeen, Jacob was already growing up to be a strapping young man who would lead the Brotherhood to new heights, and push for the progressive ideals that made this place what it was. She was proud of him. And despite the odd juxtaposition of it all, they were both facing their destinies head on- even if it meant their paths would stray away from each other. "I'll be back to visit, don't you worry. And someday, I'll come home for good."

The lie cut deeper than the sharpest of blades, but she swallowed it, swallowed the tears back.

"You're not telling them, not even mom?"

Angel brushed a tear off his cheek with her thumb, "No, but I left a note. If they found out they'd never let me go."

"I shouldn't let you…"

"You shouldn't," she smiled weakly, "But you're going to, aren't you?"

"Of course I am. You're my big sister."

That was it. She couldn't hold the tears back any longer. With a squeak that passed for a sob she grabbed Jacob by the shoulders and wrapping him up in her arms. They stood like that for many moments against the backdrop of the Chicago skyline on one side and the wasteland of the Commonwealth on the other.

"I love you, Jacob."

"I love you too," he squeezed back.

"You better. Now run along before you're any later for class, it's only a matter of time before Mrs. Dawson ties you to your desk."

"Hah! I'd like to see her try," he replied, giggling, then started to leave, wiping tears from his face with his sleeves. "Bye Angel… I hope you do a lot of good out there."

"I will. Goodbye Jacob…" And just like that, she'd cut ties with everyone she'd ever known.

Well, almost everyone...

Once he was gone, she headed back out into the city. In the late-afternoon cloudiness the towering skyscrapers and neon lights cut through the damp air in a multitude of colors, washing over the vehicles and pedestrians below. She burned every last image into her mind. Humans, mutants and ghouls conversed outside cafes and shops as a helicopter roared overhead and out of sight. Angel wandered around the south loop one last time, soaking up the culture, entering museums, restaurants and art galleries and absorbing the all the little things that made living here such an amazing experience.

But she was growing up. She was old enough now to understand what the outside world was like. How this place was a fluke; a diamond in the rough that most likely did not exist anywhere else. All of it chafed against her over the years until she couldn't take it anymore. She knew the Brotherhood out west didn't operate like they did- they hoarded their tech and didn't use it to enrich civilization, and her Brotherhood wouldn't dare extend their reach that far, so that was where she would start. But first, there was someone she needed to meet.

Reza was standing under an awning to one of their favorite restaurants styled after the Old World culture of Taiwanese cuisine, shielded from the rain. They hugged briefly and went inside.

"It was a lot harder than we thought, but we managed to get you some extra supplies," the young, darker-skinned girl said to Angel with a mischievous gleam that never left her eye. She slid a plain black backpack across their table. "Two extra fusion cores for your ship, some extra tech, oh! And check the side compartment. New ration bars that'll last you months… got you a tiramisu flavored one to remind you of home. And me, of course."

"Wow, Rez, you got everything," she replied, sifting through the various items and supplies that would be joining the others already stowed away and ready to go. Suddenly she felt the bulky outline of something at the very bottom- her breath caught, and was stolen away all at once.

"You found the G.E.C.K…"

"Duh, of course, wasn't that the whole point of this last round of stuff? It was the only thing we actually had to steal, which was nice. Gaz did all the dirty work."

Reza and the rest of her closest friends had been collecting most of the gear while Angel planned out her journey. Most of it was her own things, but she was afraid of being caught with any of it so she had asked if anyone wanted to help move the majority of it to her ship.

All of them volunteered. Half wanted to go with her. She didn't let them, however; this was her vision, her self-directed fate. No one else would die for an ideal that they may or may not even believe in.

"You guys are amazing, and the best friends I could ever ask for," she could feel her eyes welling up again, but she didn't care. "Thank you so much, Rez. I won't forget this."

"Anytime, Ang. Did you get to say goodbye to everyone?"

Angel dabbed the corner of her eyes with her napkin, the three-cup chicken she'd ordered sitting untouched in front of her. One of her favorite dishes ever, and she couldn't even take a bite.

"Yeah, everyone except Marc, but you know how that goes."

Rez poked at her noodles with her chopsticks. "Oh, you bet I do. It's ok, you know he wishes you the best, even without an in-person goodbye. You guys just didn't work out, probably for the better."

"I guess so. The timing just feels off, you know? And writing my parents a letter without saying goodbye… it just feels… it feels like-"

"Like you're running away from home?" Her friend looked up at her, gold-like eyes glinting with meaning. "As much as you don't want to think about it like that, that's exactly what you're doing."

"I know. I just didn't think it would be this painful."

"Well, it is. You'll be fine, Angel. Oh and before I forget; you plan on heading out west, right?"

Angel nodded, "Yeah. Anywhere the Brotherhood can't reach, or refuses to. I know there's other pockets of society out there, but we're old enough to know now. Most people live in dirt and squalor, and die without knowing who they were or what they wanted out of life. If I can help even one person out there, it's worth it to me."

Reza smiled. "Good. Well, before you head out there, Max told me some juicy bits about the last Expedition east. They went farther than the reports indicated. Apparently the Brotherhood out there doesn't have as big a foothold as we thought, and the Enclave remnants are pushing hard. Desperately hard. He said they may have a working railroad that goes from New York all the way north into Vermont, maybe farther, and that there's a group calling themselves the 'Freedom Fighters' that are trying to unhinge their supply line. You might want to check that out first, you know, test the waters, earn your stripes. It's a harder life out west, even though you usually don't have to worry about the cold. I'm just saying it may be a good place to start."

It wasn't what she had planned, but poking around there wouldn't necessarily affect her plans traveling westward. She may just have to. Then she'd be truly prepared for the real challenges.

"Good tip, Rez, thanks. I'll probably check it out first, see if I can help out."

"Uh huh. Figured you could use all the info you can get."

"That's for sure. How're you and Max doing anyway?"

The dim ambiance of the restaurant played shadows across her face as she spoke, plucking a pineapple tart square from Angel's plate with her sticks. "Oh, we're good. We have our moments, not as many as I'd like, but enough. I'm happy. Hope you understand why I wasn't one of the people who wanted to go with you- it wasn't that I don't want to, but I have so much here I don't want to give up."

"Of course," Angel reached across the table and held her hand. "You're a great friend. And I wouldn't let you go anyway, this is something I have to do on my own."

"As are you. And I agree- this is your path, your way. Take it as you will."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, embracing each other's company for what would be the last time. When Angel finally spoke, her voice was shaky. "Well, I guess I should go before anyone gets suspicious."

They got up, hugged for a long moment, and walked out together.

Outside, Reza turned to her on the sidewalk of the bustling main street. Vehicles flew and honked past with throngs of people moving around them.

"You know, I didn't want to have to say this, but I think I should." There was a distant sadness to her voice that Angel couldn't quite describe.

"What?" A vent nearby choked out a thick billow of steam that engulfed them for a second.

"Eventually, sooner or later, even with all the good I know you'll do out there, it'll backfire. Something will go wrong, if not everything. When that happens, I want you to remember this. Us. Your friends, family, and the people who inspired you. Remember this place. A wise man once said, 'we shape our environments, and in turn they shape us.' This place is part of you, and you it… it's part of all of us. When you feel like it's all coming down on you, remember who you are. Stay true to yourself."

Little did Angel know, those words would stick with her forever.

"Gee, Rez, that was a little deep for you. You turn into a motivational speaker when I wasn't looking?"

She forced a laugh. "Maybe. But I'm serious, take care of yourself out there, ok?"

"I will."

They reached a busy intersection and stopped. This was the crossroads, both literally and figuratively, where everything changed and would never go back to normal again. This was it. The place where all lines of fate strayed away from hers, curving and winding on forever.

"I feel like we're repeating ourselves, but I couldn't ask for a better best friend."

"Bullshit."

Reza playfully punched her in the shoulder, "No, I'm serious. You're more than a friend; you're the most beautiful soul I've ever met. I see why they named you Angel. You're the closest thing Chicago has to one."

"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. I don't deserve it, but thanks." She was on the verge of an emotional breakdown, especially after that, but she was determined to stay strong.

"You're welcome. Well, I guess this is it then."

"I guess so."

They hugged again, this time quickly but with the same intensity.

"Goodbye, Angel."

She let the tears fall as she pulled back. "Goodbye, Reza."

And with that they parted ways, and went down separate streets. Angel didn't look back.

A few minutes later and she was sitting in the cramped cockpit of her fusion jet, sitting idle in an underground hangar bay, the ignition primer keycode plugged in and waiting for the flip of the switch. She sucked in a huge breath, tucked her backpack away with the rest, and hit it.

Here we go. This is where it all begins.

The engines flared to life, a gentle vibrating humming coursed through the ship, starting from behind and slowly enveloping everything. She glanced up at the aircraft controller; another friend of hers, and gave him the thumbs up. There was a massive clunk and then the hangar doors were parting open, revealing the tunnel that led to the outside world. Angel gently tilted the stick upwards and felt gravity lurch. The jet gradually lifted off the ground, turned towards the tunnel…

And shot out into the sky, fading away into the gray-white haze of the Illinois wastes.

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A/N: As many of you can probably deduce, the Chicago utopia is a byproduct of one of the potential endings in Fallout: Tactics. I apologize to all of you loyal readers out there for taking to long to post and not being consistent; between real life and working on my Star Wars saga, I've fallen off track a bit, but I promise each and every one of you this this story will be completed, likely by the end of the year. Cheers readers, I love all of you :D