Rivet City.
Nearly two decades have barely aged it at all.
When I left the city, it had been in haste and in fear. I suppose it is only fitting my return to the city would be under those same conditions. Duress has never suited me well, yet, a fact of life, it is sometimes unavoidable. As for Rivet City, being back is in some ways a breath of fresh air and a return to normalcy but, in another way, a betrayal. Annie, dear daughter, please do not worry. I will return to the Vault as soon as I can. Amata, I am sure, will ensure you are safe and cared for in my absence. I had no choice but to leave.
Just as I did then when you were but a baby.
Rivet City is a city one leaves but never forgets, the same as poignant memories. The day of your wedding, the birth of your child, the first steps made, and first words spoken by your child. Catherine, please know, I will never forget you, how hard you fought for your life, and how hard you fought for our daughter's life. Though she never met you, she knows how much you loved her. On my part, I always have with me the photograph of our wedding day, your gorgeous red hair, sparkling grey eyes, and pale skin preserved forever in my arms, protecting you and your fragile, tiny body, draped in the long white dress, adorned with stitched flowers and sparkling tulle. One day, I know our Annie will walk down the aisle in your dress, marrying the woman she adores and whom adores her. Amata will be a wonderful daughter in law, but an even better wife to our baby girl.
I hope you can see her now, and be as proud of her as am I. The greatest gift and honour is having her for a daughter, and, for you, I know a mother's love endures through all.
"Been a long time since we got a Vault Dweller around here," A voice says, causing me to turn around in surprise only to see a young man in uniform. "Name's Harkness. I – well, it's mostly me, anyways – keep everyone in Rivet City security in line. You visiting someone here, or are you passing through?"
"I'm looking for someone, as it happens," I reply, adjusting my backpack on my shoulders and tucking my briefcase under my right arm. "Does one Dr. Madison Li still live here? Or work here?"
He chuckles. "Yes, but don't mention it to Pinkerton. Man's still pissed off at her, pretty sure it's damn near a blood grudge at this point. Didn't realise Dr. Li had any friends, though. She tends to keep to herself…and isn't exactly the warmest person."
"Really? She doesn't have any friends?" I say. "I'm rather shocked to hear that. She can be a tough nut to crack, but I've never known her to be completely frigid."
The young man called Harkness shrugs. "There is this one lady whose husband is high up in the Brotherhood Of Steel, but she seems like the only one. Her son would probably spend all his time around her and the others in the science lab out of curiosity alone. Gotta say, I'm just glad the kid ain't getting into trouble like his older siblings…his sister especially."
"Some simply have an inquisitive spirit, and, yes, it truly is a wonderful thing to see," I say with a faint smile. "Do you, by chance, know what projects Dr. Li is working on at the moment?"
"Way I understand it, she and her team are working on increasing crop yield, and she's, mostly by herself, doing the upkeep on the reactor keeping the lights on throughout this place – although she's training some twenty somethings how to do it properly – and working with portable fusion power," Harkness pauses. "She's been drawing up plans to improve our clean water filters; the quicker we can remove radiation from the water, the better, but scaling it up for the entire city is proving to be a hell of a bitch to do. Sounds like the solution is going to be to put multiple stations working in different parts of the city. Definitely need it; our population is over five thousand, now."
"Thank you. I appreciate the information," I say with a short, polite nod. "I assume the laboratories are still in the same place?"
"They are, just mind the construction building out the city," Harkness says. "Dr. Li should be working. I'm sure she'll be happy to see an old friend."
With one last pleasantry, I head towards the science laboratories, though seeing the way the city has changed is quite distracting. Expansions, building outwards, have been projects in Rivet City since it was founding, and I have always been both fascinated by and disoriented by it. After nearly two decades away, I ought not dwell on nor be bothered by such things which, of course, were bound to happen and yet I am. Looking up, knowing, towards the highest level of the city, the home Catherine and I once shared has, surely, passed into the hands of another person, perhaps even a family, is bittersweet. Annie has grown so much, achieved so much and, no doubt, is in better than average health because of the privileges provided to Vault Dwellers. Maybe, if it had been possible, we could have saved you, Catherine, had we all been in the Vault. Jonas, for one, could have helped. Maybe a few other people with you could have saved your life, or, at least, prolonged it enough for you to know our baby girl. Our little girl. Our princess, though she grew embarrassed by the nickname by the time she was eleven.
And, now, she is nineteen. Can you believe it, Catherine? Can you believe she is nineteen already?
Passing by more members of the city's security force and several, uniformed members of the Brotherhood Of Steel, I cannot shake the faint anxiety in air. Yes, being reminded of the ongoing war is quite unpleasant, in no small part, I am sure, because I had no reason to ruminate on it whilst safely in the Vault. But there is no going back now, and no avoiding the reminder of the war's continued shadow over the region. The Brotherhood being the only people standing between the people of the region and the tyrannical Enclave is an uneasy truth I wish I were more comfortable with. The Brotherhood do immense good, I cannot and would never deny it, but their leadership, and the splinter factions within their ranks are cause for concern. Hearing those fractures have only grown worse these last two decades, just about, is another troubling reminder of the fact they could be susceptible to attack or, worse, elimination by the Enclave. Then again, their leader has never faltered, and never hesitated to bring all of his soldiers together when it matters most and, truly, things could not be more dire, the need for his leadership more important than ever.
Ad Victoriam is what they in the Brotherhood say, a call to arms and victory against tyrants who seek to destroy the lives of the innocent people of the region, those who want nothing more than a peaceful life.
More appropriate, or, I should say, more fitting would be what was written on the seal of the Commonwealth Of Virginia, before the War.
Sic Semper Tyrannis. Thus always to tyrants. A reminder that tyranny will always be overthrown.
Looking up, I am relieved the sign marking where the laboratories are is still intact, still the same if painted with a faint veil of dust from age. Careful with the door, which is, thankfully, less temperamental than I remembered it to be, I enter the main concourse for the laboratories, only to be stopped by a strange man in a suit and a holstered pistol, so ornate it must be an heirloom. When he lets me pass, he begins muttering to himself, the only words I can make out being 'android' and 'missing property.' Curious as he and his mutterings may be, they are far from my purpose in being here. Following a laboratory technician towards the nuclear engineering laboratory, I cannot help but be pleased by the passion for science Madison has so clearly instilled in these young people, something which I am proud to have passed on, myself, to Annie. She never fails to impress me, and, in my absence, I am sure Roslyn will take over her training as a physician. Soon enough, dear daughter, I shall return, and life will go back to the way it was before, albeit with, I am sure more questions I owe you answers for. Armed with all I have learnt, and knowing, I am sure, we will be able to finish Project Purity after all these years and fulfil our mission to serve the people of the region with safe, clean drinking water, I stay close on the young woman's heels until we reach and enter the laboratory.
And there she is, just as put together and focused as I remembered.
"Look, this is a restricted area, it's off limits, and I'm tired of telling you people I…" Madison falls silent upon seeing my entrance. "James?"
"Hello, Madison," I say with a nervous but polite nod. "It's been a long time, to put it lightly."
"It has been, hasn't it?" She frowns. "Where's Annette?"
"Safe, in the Vault," I reply, startled when her gaze darkens. "Is there something wrong about her still being there?"
"Not necessarily," Madison says. "But I don't understand why you would leave your child in a Vault, completely isolated from you and, seemingly, by choice. I don't care she's, I imagine, an adult, now. I care because she's your daughter, and you left Rivet City for the sole purpose of protecting her. Leaving her alone doesn't sound like protection. It sounds like paranoia and fear, though I can't fault you on that account, all things considered."
"I didn't have a choice but to leave," I say, following when she waves for me to follow her into where, I presume, her office is. "There were extenuating circumstances."
"Extenuating circumstances?" Madison dubiously repeats. "That could mean anything, and nothing comes to mind to –"
"Alphonse has lost his mind," I pause when she turns quickly on her heel towards me. "I had hoped I could hold out until October, get things on track for a clean exit. I was unfortunately not as discrete as I had intended. My assistant, Jonas, had been helping me…divert some power to continue my personal research, for about fifteen years. I was planning to leave once I knew what I needed to complete my research. Those plans were interrupted."
"Personal research?" She says, unclasping her keys from her blouse and unlocking the door to her office. "And that was enough to cause the Vault overseer to turn on you?"
"It was part of it, yes," I say, following her into her office and turning on the lights. "I, however, made a reckless mistake to confirm my suspicions regarding where I needed to go next to take a crucial step forward in my research. I went into Alphonse's office late one night, having been able to sneak in because he – presumably drunk – had left the door unlocked. Much of what I found in there was nonsense, albeit concerning nonsense. Internal spy reports on Vault residents, propaganda, and messy, incoherent ramblings of an autocrat which he, unfortunately, has become."
"Not to make too fine a point of it, but you left your daughter in the Vault despite knowing all of that?" Madison eyes me narrowly, shutting and locking her office door behind us. "Please tell me you at least told her why you left."
"I left a holotape for her in her bag, the one I know she would never go anywhere without. If the worst happens and she, too, has to leave, she'll know where I've gone," I quickly reassure her. "And Annette is a strong girl, much like her mother. No matter what happens, she'll be alright. That aside, I doubt Alphonse would dare lay a hand on her. His daughter, Amata, and Annette have been in a serious and committed relationship for almost two years now, and, whatever he thinks of me, I don't think any of them will be put on her."
"For a man you've admitted is unstable and with autocratic tendencies, I find that hard to believe," She says, stepping around her desk. "And, again, I'm more shocked to see you here without your daughter than I would be if she were with you. After everything you've done for her –"
"The less she knows about my opening the Vault and leaving, the better," I calmly intervene. "She's safer knowing nothing about my departure than she would be if she knew why. Especially because Alphonse…he had my assistant, Jonas…he had him beaten to death by the chief of security to…well, I suspect to send a message to the rest of the Vault about what happens to people who assist those he considers traitors."
"So why risk Annette potentially being in harm's way by not bringing her with you?" Madison says, rummaging through her desk. "I shouldn't have to do this, but I will. James," She looks up to meet my eyes. "Catherine gave her life – and what little was left of her withering body – to bring Annette into the world, and you left Annette alone in the Vault with no explanation?"
"Withering?" I say, taking a small step back. "She was an anorexic, Madison, not a gaunt shell of a woman. Catherine had her struggles, I more than anyone can attest to that, but she was far from withering."
Madison sighs. "Words aside, it took her life and what was left of her. I don't know what she went through to cause her to feel so desperate for control that it became her way to cope, but it doesn't matter. Between that and her putting completing Project Purity ahead of her own health, it's a miracle she lived long enough not to go into premature labour."
"You aren't giving her enough credit," I say, pausing as the fleeting memory of Catherine's smile when I showed her Annette no more than a minute or two after our baby girl's birth returns to me. "She was stronger than anyone knew, the strongest and most selfless woman I have ever known. Even my attempts to persuade her to rest weren't enough. Her dedication was boundless; even when she could barely stand for more than a few minutes, she still spent all day in the lab. I know her passion for our work was only rivalled by love for our then unborn child, and –"
"You're blinded by grief, James, and I don't blame you for it, but the fact of the matter is Catherine died at only twenty one and never got the chance to know her daughter because of it," Madison says, her voice softening. "I did Catherine's autopsy, James. She was only ninety pounds when she died. The human body can only take so much, and hers gave out under the strain. You're a physician, James. You of all people should know that. Whatever Catherine was fighting against in herself, whatever it was that caused her to succumb to her disorder, overtook her."
"I know. But she didn't die in vain. She brought Annie into the world, and the progress she helped us make on Project Purity?" I say, shaking my head when she raises an eyebrow. "It brought us so close, and, now, I'm nearly certain the project can be seen through. She would want Annette to be where she is safest and, though I wish there were another way, I cannot think of a safer place for her than staying in the Vault. She will be alright, and, once we see Project Purity through, I am sure I will be able to reunite with her, no matter how angry Alphonse may be with me now."
"And there it is," Madison quietly swears. "It's been nearly two decades, James. Have you even considered the practical limitations on returning to that particular project?"
"With what I know now, I'm sure the Brotherhood will be more than supportive, grant us what we need to bring it to fruition," I say, startled when she purses her lips. "I know you've never trusted them, but, as we did then, we will need them now. It's been a long time, and a lot, I suspect, has changed, including your research concentrations, but –"
"James, your departure was…" She glances at me again, anger simmering at the edge of her voice. "You gave me the impression that you were leaving, and I would never see you or her again. And leaving with a Brotherhood escort? Forgive me for assuming what I did, but it seemed rather obvious."
"And I'm sorry I never gave you a proper goodbye," I say, surprised when she raises an eyebrow. "You deserved better than what I gave you, and I can only imagine what my abrupt departure felt like. I was desperate, yes, but I should have been forthright with you. You were always such a wonderfully brilliant colleague, and a deeply compassionate, close friend. You and Catherine were the only two people I trusted absolutely, and I know – once I manage to recover a GECK – we can finish what we started."
"You really think anyone will take us seriously if we propose restarting Project Purity?" Madison hesitates. "And what the hell is a GECK?"
"I discovered, during my research in the Vault, what's known as a 'Garden Of Eden Creation Kit' or, in shorthand, a GECK. I should be able to recover one from a Vault – one numbered 112 – and, from there –"
"You're hinging the possibility of the project's continued viability on something you only have a lead on? Something you haven't even been able to examine first hand?" She presses. "No one on my team will be convinced to join an effort as temperamental and frustrating as Purity without proof it'll be able to be completed. So much as I resent it, too, I doubt the Brotherhood would be convinced to assist – which would be necessary – without proof either. I'm sorry, James, but there is next to no chance of this being viable."
"It will be, I just need time. Madison, please," I say, approaching her as she shuts her desk drawers. "I shouldn't have abandoned you, the team, or our work, and certainly not in the way I did. I know Project Purity, for the longest time, was our lives and the only thing that mattered. Completing it may not have been possible then, but it can be now and, finally, we'll be able to do what we always said we would, provide clean, radiation free –"
"This is all terribly irrational, James. You show up here as if nothing happened and with nothing but a potential lead after being gone for nearly twenty years, all while also leaving your daughter in a potentially dangerous place in the process," Her heels click against the floor as she steps towards a filing cabinet. "We've moved on, even if you haven't. Have you even considered the state of things? They were bad enough when we tried to complete the project the first time, and they're even worse now."
"I know they are, but –" I begin.
"Do you?" Madison sharply cuts in. "The Brotherhood are still at war with the damned 'Enclave,' as they call themselves, and, understandably, almost all of their resources are going towards the war effort because, as much as a I distrust the Brotherhood, they are the only people standing in the way of the 'Enclave,' who have only gotten more aggressive and more violent over the years. They would take out everyone in the region if they could!"
"And that's why Project Purity is more important than ever. From the little I've seen, it's clear the Enclave are doing more damage than ever, and they need to be dealt with – permanently," I sigh. "Giving the people of the region clean and radiation free water would be a crucial, key step to putting down the Enclave, giving the people reason to fight, a reminder that things can and will get better."
"In an ideal world, I would agree with you wholeheartedly, James," Madison says, tiredly running a hand through her hair. "But we are in far from an ideal situation. Unless you can provide tangible proof things will, more than likely, work this time around, we have to move on."
"I will be able to prove it," I reply, pausing when she eyes me sharply. "I just need a little more time."
Time will be on our side, this time around, Catherine, and Annie, our dear daughter, will be safe where she is until I am able to return.
It is as you always said – time can heal almost anything.
And it will.