Chapter 3: A Whole New World

The sun on my face and the vault at my back was the most horrifyingly beautiful thing I've ever experienced. I promised myself to make the most with the hand I've been dealt. Looking at it, I realized how shitty a hand that it was.

I took a look at my surroundings. It was definitely a town of some sort. There was debris everywhere. Tricycles lay frozen, abandoned by children.

What the fuck did the world do to itself? It's like the old saying about the snake that ate its tail. Civilization crumbled like stale cake. This is what I had always wanted to get to see?

What was I expecting, a land flowing with milk and honey? Dad always reassured me that the vault was much safer. I don't know why I thought it would be any different.

"This place is a total shit fest," I grumbled.

About half way through the town, I heard music nearby. It sounded like it was getting closer. I drew out my bat and looked around for the source of the patriotic bullshit. The suspense was killing me. I turned my head in time to see the strangest thing I've ever laid eyes on: a flying radio. It was shaped like a ball with antennae sticking out of the back like feathers. It hovered over to me. It wasn't trying to kill me and to be honest, it looked kind of cute.

"I don't know what you are but you're name is Georgie now. I don't even know if you can hear me. Do you know where the nearest safe place is?"

Georgie beeped in response, bouncing in the air. It turned around and hovered down the road, taking a right at a sign with "Megaton" written in yellow paint. I followed it up a hill and stopped in my tracks. A ginormous mountain of metal stood before me. Georgie left me behind to meet with a robot in front of the mountain. A loud grating filled my ears as the mountain lifted two wings to reveal a door.

I walked anxiously to Georgie and looked up to find a man with a gun staring down at me.

"Hold on, miss. My name's Stockholm, this is Megaton. Are you from the vault in Springvale?"

I swallowed before speaking. "Yeah, I'm from the vault. I'm Eleanor. Is this place safe?"

"One of the safest places in the D.C. area. Trust me, you'll be fine as long as you stay out of trouble."

"Thank you, really. I've had a very long day, is there anywhere in town I could stay and rest?"

"We have a common house, just go down the hill, take a left at the bomb, and go up from there."

The look I gave him must have been enough for him to keep going.

"I said Megaton was one of the safest places here. The bomb is pre-war. If it has lasted this long, you'll be fine for one night."

I stared in shock and awe at the thought of a giant bomb in the middle of one of the safest places here. The thought nagged in the back of my mind but I thought back on my lack of defense. "Uh... alright. Is there anywhere I can buy some new things? I don't have any money so I'll have to sell some things too."

"If you're from the vault, I'm going to give you some tips and pointers. Just some of the basics. First off, we don't use money, we use bottle caps. Don't ask me, that's just how it is. Second, if you plan on going out of town, you better hope you had good target practice and a steady supply of ammo. Third, Raiders. They're gangs of rapists, cannibals, drug addicts, and general dickheads. Stay the fuck away from them if possible. Last but not least, the wild life out here is what kills most people. I'll list least to most lethal: rad roaches, bloatflies, mole rats, dogs, fire ants, ghouls, centaurs" he paused, taking a breath and counting off on his fingers, "mire lurks, super mutants, rad scorpions, yao guai, and deathclaws."

He looked lost in thought, maybe figuring out if he left anything out. After about ten seconds, he looked back at me. "Yeah, you'll be lucky if you never see a deathclaw in your time on earth." He stared at me to see if anything even registered. He looked at me with sympathy. "How old are you?"

I looked down."Nineteen"

"Jesus, you're still just a kid. Look, I can't even imagine how all this is affecting you. It's a lot to take in. I know it's going to be hard for a while, but believe me, it will get better."

"Thank you. I think I should go get something to eat."

"You don't have any caps so take this." He dropped a box that said "Dandy Boy Apples" from his platform.

I looked at it in my hands. "I don't know how I can repay you for being so nice."

"Don't mention it. Hey, when you're ready to learn anything new like what's out there and some other places like Rivet City, come see me. I'm always here. Now go get some sleep."

"Alright. Thank you again for everything, really."

I opened the door to Megaton and I faced a city full of life. Completely different from Springvale. I opened the box and ate the dry apples by the handfuls.

A man in a long coat and a hat walked up the steps to meet me.

"Hello, my name is Lucas Simms, the town sheriff. If you stay out of trouble, we won't have any problems."

I swallowed the apples before speaking in an attempt to be polite. "I didn't plan on it. Do you have anywhere I can sell my things?" I asked.

"You would want to talk to Moira up in Craterside Supply," he said and pointed at a shack above us.

"Thank you.. By the way, what do you plan on doing about that bomb?" I took another handful of apple pieces.

"Well, it's not hurting anybody and the church worships it. I don't know. Why?"

"I was just wondering if you would be up to allowing me to disable it."

He sized me up, taking in my tall, lanky form. I probably didn't look like much. "Well, only if you know how to do it. If you don't, leave it the hell alone."

"I'll take a look at it." I walked away up the ramp to the store Simms pointed me to. I opened the door and like hitting a wall, I smelled a horrible stench.

"Oh, don't mind the smell. I was just doin' an experiment. You look new. My name is Moira. You look like you're from a vault. Give me that uniform and I'll replace it with a better one that has more protection. Also, you need weapons. Just come see." The woman talked so much with out breathing. Was she even human?

"Uh, do you have a changing room though?" I asked gingerly.

"Oh, not really but we're girls. Jason, go to the other room for a few minutes." The mercenary in the corner grumbled and left the room.

"Thank you, what can I get for the bat and baseball cap?"

"Well, the bat's in good condition and the cap is decent. I could give you 16 caps maybe, at the most," she said with a smile. I must have visibly sank because she looked at me with pity. I really hate that people keep looking at me like that. "What do you need the caps for?"

"I need a better weapon," I whispered.

"How about you give me the baseball cap and bat and I'll give you this 10 mm. It's not much, but it will help you. You can just pay for the rest later when you can," She said with another smile.

"Really?" I was slipping out of my jumpsuit and into the new one.

"Why, sure. I don't see why not. Just don't tell anyone else or they'll want the same treatment," She brought her finger to her lips.

"No problem. Thank you so much. I wasn't expecting people to be so nice out here."

"Oh, sweetie. Not many people are nice in the wasteland. You're just seeing the place with the nicest people."

"Oh, well, do you know where I can go to get a drink?"

"Yeah, Moriarty has a bar. You can't miss it." She beamed.

"Well, thank you, Moira. I'm gonna head there. I'll be back tomorrow. Bye." I zipped up the armored jumpsuit and headed out the door.