So the reason I wasn't updating this story is because like I said, I lost my source files and my usb ended up going through the washing machine so I had to scour my computer for the backups and in some cases re-read my notes, so yeah…. That's what happened.
…
X-Men: The Unnatural Omega's Volume 4, Endgames
Chapter 38: Reclamation Day? What Reclamation day?
…
Rose could hardly believe what she was seeing. After so many years underground, after the endless lessons, drills, and routines, here she was, standing in the open air, therealworld. She had convinced herself that this day would never come, yet the moment she stepped outside of Vault 33, she had begun to think otherwise.
Reclamation Daymust have come. It had to be. Why else would there be healthy plants sprouting along the hillsides? Why would there be settlements cropping up on the surface, people working together to rebuild? And the water, the pure, fresh water that had been mysteriously flowing into the Vault's system, that was the final changed on the surface, and Rose had decided to find out what.
The past week had been a blur. She had been taken in by the settlement's people, shown kindness despite her clear confusion about the world outside. But there were things she didn't understand, advanced technologybeyond anything she'd learned about in the Vault. Strange, hovering machines, emitting pulses of blue light, cleaning the air and soil. The people she met were from all over the place.
, coming from places far beyond her imagination. They were working together, yes, but there was an undercurrent of urgency, something they hadn't explained to her yet.
And then there wasJake.
It had been a week since Rose had first noticed him, his sleekVault 101 armorstanding out amidst the power-armored Brotherhood soldiers and the eclectic mix of settlers. His presence had puzzled her—Vault 101 was in Washington, D.C. What was he doing here, so far from home? What had happened in the world?
Today, she would finally get answers. She sat in a modest room in the settlement's central hub, waiting. Her fingers fidgeted nervously with a small pendant around her neck, a memento from the Vault. The door opened, and Jake stepped inside, followed by two other Brotherhood officers.
"Rose," Jake greeted her with a nod, his voice calm but steady. "We need to talk."
She straightened in her chair, sensing the gravity in his tone. "About what?"
Jake exchanged a glance with the others, then turned back to her. "We've been talking about the situation in Vault 33. You're from one of the last Vaults we've found near the coast, right next to where we've been searching for Vaults 31 and 32."
Rose blinked. "The coast? Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?"
One of the Brotherhood officers, a woman with steely eyes and a no-nonsense demeanor, stepped forward. "Rose, we need to know something. Did Vault 33 have an experiment?"
The question hit her like a brick. "An experiment?" Rose shook her head slowly, completely puzzled. "No… Vault 33 didn't have anything like that. We were ameritocracy. We all worked together, we lived byprinciples, morality, the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. We were all trying to rebuild, to be ready forReclamation Day."
The Brotherhood officer's expression darkened slightly, and Jake leaned forward. "Rose, that might have been what they told you. But Vault-Tech has a history of running… hidden experiments. Social and psychological ones. Many Vault-Dwellers were kept in the dark about what was really happening."
Rose frowned, her confusion deepening. "What do you mean? We weren't kept in the dark about anything. We were always told that other Vaults were like ours, that they were working to rebuild too. There was no talk of anything like… experiments."
Jake sighed, running a hand through his hair. "That's what we're trying to tell you. You're not the first to think your Vault was normal. But we've found evidence, evidence that Vault 33 might have been part of a larger plan. Some Vaults were designed as tests, and the people inside didn't even know."
Rose's stomach Vaults? Experiments?The idea seemed absurd. "No… Vault 33 wasn't like that. We were just… normal people. My parents, our leaders… they never said anything about experiments. They wouldn't lie to us."
The second Brotherhood officer, a formerVault-DwellerfromAppalachia, spoke up. "Rose, I didn't know either. None of us did. In Vault 76, we thought we were just going to repopulate and rebuild the world. But it turns out, we were part of something bigger. They monitored us, tested us, saw how we would react. And we didn't know until it was too late."
Rose stared at them, her thoughts racing. Vault 33 had always been so safe, so orderly. The way they lived made sense. There were no secret agendas, no hidden plots… right?
"But why would they keep that from us?" she whispered. "We didn't do anything wrong."
Jake's face softened. "It's not about being wrong, Rose. Vault-Tech had a plan. Some Vaults were designed to see how people would behave under different conditions. It sounds like your Vault might have been left in the dark, just like the others."
She felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. If what they were saying was true, then her entire life had been a lie. Everything her Vault had prepared her for—Reclamation Day, rebuilding the world—it was all part of some…experiment?
"There was no experiment in Vault 33," Rose muttered, her voice more for herself than anyone else. "There couldn't be. We were preparing for the future."
Jake exchanged a glance with the Brotherhood officers. "Rose, we think Vault 33 might be linked to Vaults 31 and 32. Both of those Vaults are near the ocean, and we believe their populations are still incryo-stasis. If your Vault was different… maybe it wasn't meant to know what the others did."
Rose's heart pounded in her chest. "But… why? What would they gain by keeping us in the dark?"
Jake held Rose's gaze for a moment longer, then sighed heavily. "There's something you need to see."
He turned slightly and made a subtle hand signal toward the door. One of the Brotherhood officers nodded in response, stepping outside. A moment later, the door creaked open, and the towering figure ofFawkes, the super mutant, entered the room. His presence was almost overwhelming, his massive frame casting a shadow across the space, but his demeanor was calm, even gentle. In his large hands, he carried a stack ofdocuments and photographs, along with something that gleamed faintly under the room's dim lighting.
Rose's eyes flickered with confusion as Fawkes approached the table. Carefully, the super mutant laid down the materials. At the top of the stack was aphotograph of a bomb, its stark image immediately catching Rose's attention. It was rusted, old, yet unmistakably dangerous. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw the faintly visible logo etched onto its side, the black-and-yellowVault-Tech Black Opsinsignia.
Jake's voice was soft as he spoke. "This is theMegaton bomb, the one I disarmed years ago. It had been rigged to destroy an entire town. But look closely."
Rose leaned forward, her eyes narrowing as she studied the photograph. And there it was, clear as day, theVault-Tech logo.
"Vault-Tech," she whispered, the disbelief settling over her like a cold shroud.
"They didn't just build Vaults," Jake continued, pulling out a folder. "They built bombs. And not just that. This is from a Vault-Tech military base we raided." He opened the folder, revealing pages ofclassified documents, old files with lists of Vault numbers and descriptions. Rose stared at the long list of Vaults, each entry accompanied by a series of notes.
She scanned the first few quickly, her heart pounding in her chest as her eyes landed on descriptions she couldn't experiments, social isolation, population control. It was all there, listed in meticulous detail. Vault 31. Vault 32. And then, Vault 33. Her Vault.
The description was brief but chilling…
Population unaware of control measures. Social meritocracy as control structure. Experiment duration: indefinite.
Rose's voice trembled. "This… can't be real. We didn't know… we thought… we thought we were there to help rebuild. That we were good people."
Jake exchanged a grim look with the Brotherhood officers. Fawkes, despite his imposing presence, stepped closer, his voice a low rumble. "You weren't meant to know, Rose. That's what makes it an experiment. But there's more."
He pulled out another file, spreading its pages across the , plans, and diagrams, all stamped with the Vault-Tech logo. Rose felt sick as she read the -War Protocols. False Flag Operations. Nuclear Contingency Plans.
One of the Brotherhood officers picked up a page and read aloud, "Operation: Genesis Reborn. Vault-Tech's plan to initiate aglobal conflict, a nuclear war, and then emerge as the saviors. They intended to drop the bombs themselves, triggering the very war that wiped out most of humanity on this world."
Rose's mind reeled as the pieces clicked into -Tech had started the war?!
"They had other plans, too," Jake said quietly, pulling out another document. "They weren't just planning to rule over the survivors here. They're in space, Rose.A generation ship, colonizing new worlds. They never intended to stay behind. They've been watching us from above, waiting for the Earth to be ready for them to take over."
Rose's stomach churned, and she gripped the edge of the table as the weight of it all crashed down on her. Vault-Tech wasn't there to save humanity. They had caused its downfall. They had manipulated her, her family, her entire Vault… all to serve their twisted vision of a new world order.
"I… I don't understand," she whispered, her voice weak. "Why? Why do all of this?"
Jake met her gaze, his expression grim. "Power, control… and because they could. They wanted to shape the future in their image. And they were willing to sacrifice everyone on Earth to do it."
Rose slumped back in her chair, her mind spinning. Everything she had believed, everything her Vault had stood for, was a lie. And now, she was staring at the cold, hard truth, laid out in front of her in black-and-white.
As the weight of the revelation sank in, a softbeepingnoise cut through the silence. Rose'sPip-Boyflickered to life on her wrist, the familiar screen blinking with a new notification. Her heart skipped a beat. She glanced down, only to see a notification she never expected.
Vault Door Access Code Erased.
Her pulse quickened as she tapped the screen, trying to make sense of the message. The code, the one essential to unlocking Vault 33, was gone. Completely wiped from the system. A sense of panic washed over her. Why now? How? She hadn't even accessed anything on her Pip-Boy since leaving the Vault.
"What the…" she muttered, her hands trembling slightly as she swiped through the interface, trying to recover the code.
Jake, sensing her sudden distress, stepped closer. His eyes narrowed when he saw the message on her Pip-Boy. "Rose… what just happened?"
She shook her head, her voice wavering. "The code to unlock the Vault door... it's been erased. I don't understand, how could that happen?"
Jake's expression darkened, a look of grim understanding crossing his face. "They're listening, Rose."
"What?" she whispered, confused.
Jake pointed at her Pip-Boy. "Vault-Tech. Your Pip-Boy, that thing on your wrist, it's more than just a tool. It has alistening devicebuilt into it, and it's not the only tech like that. They've been using these to monitor Vaults, to keep track of everything inside. Everything you've said, every move you've made, it's all been watched."
Rose's heart sank, her mind spinning. "You mean... they've been spying on us this whole time?"
Jake nodded grimly. "Not just you, everyone with a Pip-Boy, everyone who's ever usedVault-Tech's equipment. They've been monitoring for years. That's how they knew to erase the code. They probably saw us talking, and they don't want anyone getting back inside."
Rose stared at her Pip-Boy as if it were some alien device strapped to her arm. It had always been a lifeline, a piece of technology she trusted. Now, it felt like a trap.
"I had no idea…" she said as her voice broke.
Jake placed a hand on her shoulder, his voice low and serious. "None of us did, at first. But we've learned the hard way, don't trust any tech that hasn't been checked. That's one of the first things we figured out when we started digging into Vault-Tech's secrets. They built listening devices into almost everything, especially the Pip-Boys. I'd be wary of any tech that hasn't been thoroughly inspected if I were you."
The moment Jake's words fully hit her, Rose's breath quickened, her chest tightening with a sense of impending doom. Her mind flashed to the one thing that mattered most—LucyandNorman, her children, still in Vault 33, and her husband,Hank. They were trapped down there, and the code to unlock the Vault door had been erased. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, and panic quickly consumed her.
"No…" she muttered, shaking her head in disbelief. "No, no, no…"
Her hands trembled violently as she clutched at her Pip-Boy, staring at the screen as if willing the erased code to reappear. "They're in there…my children!LucyandNorman… my husbandHank! I need to get to them!" Her voice cracked, the words coming out in gasps as her chest heaved, struggling for air.
Jake stepped forward, concern washing over his face. "Rose—"
"They'retrapped, Jake!" she cried, her voice rising in hysteria. "If I can't get the code, they'll never get out! They'll be stuck in there, and I can't… I can't…" Her breathing grew faster, shallower, as her vision blurred with tears. Her mind was racing, fear gripping her so tightly that her whole body began to shake.
Fawkes moved closer, his massive presence looming, but his gentle voice cut through the chaos. "Rose, breathe. You need to calm down."
But Rose could barely hear him. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of terror and helplessness. "They'remy babies," she whimpered, her hands flying to her chest, clutching her shirt as her breaths came in ragged bursts. "What if something happens to them? What if, what if Vault-Tech does something to them?I need to get them out!"
She stumbled backward, her body trembling uncontrollably, panic surging through her veins. It felt like the walls were closing in on her. The room spun. Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it might burst from her chest. The image of her children trapped inside the Vault, the idea that she might never see them again, was more than she could bear.
Jake reached out, trying to steady her, his voice gentle. "Rose, listen to me. We'll get them out. I swear to you, we will. But you have to breathe. Just focus on me, alright? We'll figure this out."
But her mind wasn't listening. All she could think about was Lucy's bright eyes and Norman's laugh. What if they were scared? What if something had already gone wrong? "I have to get to them," she sobbed, barely able to stand. Her legs felt like jelly, her head spinning. The panic was suffocating, an unbearable weight pressing down on her chest.
"Rose," Fawkes said softly, though his deep voice rumbled through the room. "We will help you. We'll find a way to get to them. But first, you need to breathe."
Rose collapsed into a chair, her hands gripping the armrests tightly, her knuckles white. Her breaths came in frantic, shallow bursts, tears streaming down her couldn't lose them. She couldn't. Her babies, her husband… they were everything. She tried to focus on her breathing, on anything other than the terrifying images flashing through her mind, but the panic was overwhelming, crashing over her in relentless waves.
Jake crouched beside her, his voice steady and calm. "Rose, look at me. We've been through this kind of thing before. We know how to handle Vault-Tech. We will get to them, but you need to calm down so we can figure this out. I need you to trust me."
Slowly, through the haze of panic, Rose's eyes found Jake's. His calm, steady presence was like a lifeline, anchoring her to the moment. Her breaths were still ragged, but she tried to focus on his voice, to push through the terror gripping her chest.
"We'll get them out," Jake repeated, his voice soothing but firm. "You won't have to do this alone. Just breathe. We're not going to leave your family behind."
Rose's chest heaved as she forced herself to inhale deeply, trying to slow the rapid-fire gasps that had overtaken her. Slowly, she began to focus on Jake's words, holding onto the hope that maybe they could get her family out before it was too late.
…
The team had gathered swiftly. After Jake's warning about the Pip-Boy and its embedded listening devices, the need to reach Vault 33 had taken on a greater urgency. Rose was still rattled, her heart racing with the weight of her children's lives hanging in the balance, but she had steeled herself to lead the way. As they prepared to depart, a group assembled: Jake, X6-88, one of themost advanced synthsever created, now freed by the Railroad, along withStickerandD3-R0, two reprogrammed former imperial officer droids, and a few volunteers from the settlement, including the sentient lightsaber-wielding droid known asEleven. He stood silently, his glowing photoreceptors flickering as his gaze followed their movements, his lightsaber clipped neatly to his side, ready for anything they might encounter.
"Alright," Jake said "Rose, you're leading the way. We're all with you."
Rose nodded, her breath still a little uneven but her resolve steadying. She looked at the group, feeling a strange mixture of relief and -Tech had taken so much from her already, but she would be damned if she was going to let them keep her family trapped underground forever.
They set off immediately, heading toward the hidden Vault entrance nestled deep in the hills just beyond the settlement. The landscape had started to bloom, healthier plants now sprouting in areas previously ravaged by radiation. It was surreal—almost peaceful, compared to the chaos spinning in Rose's mind. As they walked, she glanced at the rolling greenery, her eyes catching on a smallmakeshift restaurant sign, crudely painted with "Fresh Passion Fruits." Her heart ached at the small reminder of life on the surface, a world her children had never seen.
Her mind kept drifting back to Lucy and Norman, picturing their small faces. Would they be scared? Had Hank told them anything?What was he hiding from her?
Suddenly, as they rounded a corner in the dirt path, something, or rather, someone, caught her eye.A figurestanding a little ways down the road, his stance familiar, but his posture stiff. Rose froze, her breath catching in her throat.
"Hank?" she whispered, her eyes widening as recognition set in.
There he was—Hank McClain, her husband. He looked exactly as she remembered him, but something was off. His stance, his expression—everything felt wrong. But none of that mattered in the had to reach him.
"Hank!" Rose called out, breaking into a run, her heart pounding with hope and desperation. "Hank, it's me! Rose!"
Her voice trembled as she closed the distance, her mind racing with a thousand things she needed to say. "I found a way out, Hank! You need to listen to me, Vault-Tech has been lying to us! We were part of some experiment, but I've seen the truth now! We can get the kids out, we can leave the Vault!"
She reached out to him, but Hank remained still, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Rose," he said slowly, his voice flat and mechanical, "You shouldn't be up here. It's not safe."
"What?" Rose faltered, confused. "No, you don't understand! It's safer out here than we ever thought. They've been lying to us, Hank! Vault-Tech started the war! They've been manipulating everyone—there were experiments in the other Vaults. We were never meant to rebuild, they were just using us!"
Hank's eyes flickered, his posture stiffening further. "They're lying to you, Rose. You need to come back. You don't belong up here. It's too dangerous."
Jake, who had been standing just behind Rose, narrowed his eyes, taking a small step forward. His instincts were flaring. Hank's tone was off, too rehearsed, too… wasn't right.
X6-88, ever the vigilant synth, quietly activated his internal scanners, his glowing blue eyes tracking Hank's vitals. He leaned slightly toward Jake, speaking in a low, measured voice. "Elevated heart rate. Sudden spike when she mentioned Vault-Tech."
Behind her,Elevenstood still, his glowing eyes processing information at an inhuman speed. His connection to the settlement's data archives allowed him to sift through countless historical records in -Tech'slegacy spanned over a century, and despite the efforts of many to bury the company's darkest secrets, Eleven was uncovering information in real time.
Without a word, he communicated directly with Jake through a secure encrypted channel, his findings pinging silently onto Jake's wrist device.A match.
Hank McClain.
The files he found were old, pre-war. Dated back to just before the bombs fell. But what Eleven found stopped Jake cold.
"Hank McClain," Eleven communicated to Jake silently, the data appearing on the small screen. "Filed as an intern of Vault-Tech in the Hollywood area, stationed at the local research facility before the Great War. Age: 28. Fingerprints archived."
Jake glanced at the data, his eyes narrowing as his gut twisted.
The fingerprint match was 100%.
The Hank standing in front of Rose was the same Hank who had worked for Vault-Tech before the war—a man who should have beenover 200 years oldby now. His heart began to race as he stared at the small hologram projected on his wrist, thesame face. The same man.
Jake swallowed hard, trying to keep his expression neutral. He couldn't alarm Rose yet—she was already on edge, her panic barely held in check. But this wasbig.
"Jake," Eleven's voice buzzed softly in his earpiece, "the match is fingerprints,same facial structure. This Hank McClain is from before the war. And Vault-Tech… has his records."
Jake's mind whirled. How was it possible? Cryogenic freezing? Cloning? There were a hundred possibilities, but none of them good. Vault-Tech had done experiments far beyond what any of them had imagined. And Hank…this Hank, was proof of that.
He kept his cool, stepping closer to Rose while still keeping a wary eye on Hank. His voice was calm, but he subtly signaled to X6-88 and Eleven to be ready for whatever might come next.
"Hank," Jake said carefully, stepping in front of Rose, "you're not taking her back."
There was a flicker of something in Hank's eyes, panic, anger, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. His hand moved in a blur, faster than anyone anticipated. Before Jake could react, Hank had drawn a gun, a pre-war9mm pistol, and pointed it directly at Jake's head, his finger trembling over the trigger.
"Don'tpoisonmy wife any more than you already have!" Hank's voice cracked, his calm mask slipping, revealing the turmoil beneath. His eyes flashed with rage, and for the first time, Rose saw it—true desperation.
Jake remained still, his body tensing, but he didn't back down. His voice was low, calm. "Hank… what are you doing?"
Hank's grip on the gun tightened, his knuckles white. "You think you know the truth?" His voice was laced with bitterness, his face twisting in frustration. "Do you haveany ideawhat I've sacrificed? Whatwe've all sacrificedto bring an end to this madness? To ensure a future for our children—over the past200 years?!" His voice rose with each word, the weight of his buried secrets boiling over.
Rose's breath caught in her throat. "Hank… 200 years? What are you talking about?"
Hank's eyes locked onto hers, filled with a strange mixture of fear and fury. "You wouldn't understand, Rose. None of you -Tech'smission, our mission, it wasn't just survival. We were ensuring the were building it." He looked back at Jake, his face contorted with anger. "Do you have any idea what my company sacrificed?What I sacrificed? We started the war to save humanity from itself. And we've been working to correct that ever since!"
Jake's mind raced as the pieces finally fell into place. Thiswasthe same Hank from before the war, no clone, no trick. This Hank had been alive the entire time, somehow preserved by Vault-Tech, working behind the scenes as part of some twisted mission.
Jake's jaw clenched. "Hank, you're just another pawn in Vault-Tech's game. They used you. Just like they used everyone else."
Hank's eyes flashed with fury. "No! They didn't use me, Ivolunteered! I made theultimate sacrificefor our future. For our children. And I willnotlet you tear that down."
X6-88 took a slow, deliberate step forward, his hand hovering near his weapon. "Mr. McClain," he said evenly, "lower the weapon. This doesn't have to end in violence."
But Hank's hand remained steady, the barrel of the gun pressed against Jake's forehead. His face twisted into a snarl, his voice shaking. "She's my belongs with me."
Hank's hand remained steady, the barrel of the gun pressing against Jake's forehead. His eyes were wild with rage and desperation, his voice trembling as he shouted, "She's my wife! She belongs with me!"
Before Jake could respond, Hank's finger tightened on the trigger, his resolve hardened. Time seemed to slow as the crack of the hammer rang through the tense air, but before the bullet could fire,Elevenmoved.
In an instant, Eleven lifted his metal fingers in a subtle gesture, calling upon the Force with precise control. The bullet froze inside the chamber, its forward motion halted. The sudden break in momentum caused the hammer to recoil violently backward, striking Hank across the face with a sharp scratch, a thin line of blood appearing on his cheek.
Hank staggered, his eyes widening in shock as the gun backfired, the heat from the malfunction scorching his hand. He let out a gasp of pain, dropping the weapon as he stumbled backward.
Jake wasted no time. He lunged forward, grabbing Hank's arms and twisting him to the ground, aided byX6-88, who quickly restrained Hank's hands behind his back with swift efficiency. Hank struggled, but he was no match for the synth's strength. Within moments, he was pinned, breathing heavily, his face twisted in frustration.
Jake stood over him, his heart still racing from the close call. He glanced at Eleven, who gave a small nod, his photoreceptors glowing softly. The sentient droid had saved his life by mere inches, and the look in Jake's eyes conveyed his gratitude.
Rose, meanwhile, stood frozen, her mind reeling. Her world was crumbling around her. This man, her husband, was not who she thought he was—not anymore. Her voice was barely a whisper. "Hank… what happened to you?"
Jake straightened, his expression grim. He exchanged a glance with Eleven, who silently transmitted the data he'd uncovered earlier. Jake turned to Rose, his voice soft but serious. "Rose… there's something you need to know. Eleven and I… we found something."
He walked over to her, holding out his wrist device, displaying the holographic records Eleven had uncovered.
"Hank McClain," Jake began, "was an intern at Vault-Tech…before the war."
Rose's eyes widened in confusion. "What… what do you mean?"
Jake took a deep breath. "He worked for Vault-Tech, at their Hollywood research facility, before the bombs fell. That was over 200 years ago."
Rose's face went pale, her eyes darting between Jake and the restrained Hank on the ground. "No… that can't be right. Hank isn't… he couldn't be—"
Jake's voice was calmas he continued.
"It's the same fingerprints, Rose. The same man. The records Eleven found… they prove it. Hank, and the others in Vault 31… they werecryogenically frozen."
Rose's breath hitched, and she took a shaky step backward, the weight of the revelation crashing down on her. "Cryogenics…? You're saying Hank's been alive since before the war?"
Eleven, who had remained silent until now, stepped forward. His voice, though mechanical, carried a somber weight. "The management at Vault-Tech utilizedexperimental cryogenics technologyon key personnel, including your husband. Overseers and high-ranking staff were frozen, meant to be awakened after the bombs fell, to guide the future. Hank was part of that group. The Hank you married… is the same man who worked for Vault-Tech before the world ended."
Rose stood frozen, the revelation crashing over her like a .Hank had been alive sincebeforethe war. The man she had married, the father of her children, wasn't just some survivor of the wasteland, he was part of the very company that had caused all of this. Her heart pounded in her chest, disbelief warring with the rising tide of anger inside her.
Her voice trembled as she spoke. "Cryogenics…? You're saying Hank's been alive since before the bombs fell?"
Eleven stepped forward, his metallic voice carrying the weight of the truth. "Yes. The records indicate that Hank, along with other key Vault-Tech personnel, was frozen to be awakened after the war. Their mission was to oversee the future, ensuring that Vault-Tech's plans came to fruition."
Rose turned her gaze toward Hank, the man who had been her husband, her partner—her anchor in a world that was supposed to have ended. But now, looking at him, it was as though she were staring at a stranger.
Hank's head was downcast, his shoulders slumped as if the weight of the truth had finally pressed him down. His voice was barely above a whisper. "I did it for us… forall of humanity. Rose, you have to understand…"
His words trailed off as Rose's fury took hold. Her hands balled into fists, trembling with emotion. And before anyone could stop her, she lunged forward, grabbing Hank by the collar of his shirt, yanking him closer with a force fueled by years of betrayal.
Jake and the others tensed, but no one moved to intervene.
"You listen to me, Hank," she hissed through clenched teeth, her face mere inches from his. "You're going to help us get into that Vault. You're going to help usfree my children. And after that? You're going to answer for of lie, every death, every single thing Vault-Tech has done."
Her voice was shaking with rage, tears stinging her eyes as she tightened her grip on him. "Do you hear me? You'll answer forallof it."
Hank winced under her grip, his eyes wide as he stared back at her. He didn't fight. He didn't struggle. He just nodded, his voice a faint murmur of defeat. "I… I'll do whatever you ask. Just, please, Rose—"
"Don't," she snapped, cutting him off. "Don't you dare ask for anything. Not after what you've done."
Jake watched the exchange with a grim expression, his hand hovering near his weapon, just in case. He exchanged a glance withX6-88, who stood silently nearby, watching the entire scene unfold with a calculated calm.
For the first time in what felt like ages, Rose released Hank, shoving him backward. He stumbled slightly, but the weight of his guilt kept him from standing tall. There was no pride left in him, just shame.
…
Later, at the beachfront ruins where Vault 31, 32, and 33's entrance is located…
The ruined beachfront structure loomed ahead as Jake, Rose, and the rest of the group approached the vault 31, 32, and 33, hidden beneath the crumbling remains of what once was. The roar of theVertibirdsoverhead faded, leaving only the sound of the ocean crashing against the nearby shore. TheBrotherhood of Steelwas already on site, standing guard near the vault door, their faces set in grim determination. They had arrived first, ferried in by their Vertibirds, but even with all their advanced equipment, the vault door remained sealed.
Rose ledHank McClain, bound and subdued, ahead of the group. His face was a mix of resignation and fear, the weight of what awaited behind that door pressing heavily on him.X6-88followed closely, his eyes scanning the surroundings with sharp efficiency, while Jake walked beside them, his hand never far from his weapon.
The Brotherhood's top initiates were gathered near the vault door, alongside a fewghoul scientists, all working frantically at the door's interface. Frustration painted their faces as they attempted to crack the vault's security. One of the ghouls glanced up as Jake approached.
"We've tried everything," he muttered, tapping at the control panel. "Whatever they've done inside, we're locked out. The code changes every time we try to override it."
Jake nodded, his face serious. "Vault-Tech's not making this easy."
"They've updated the encryption," one of the Brotherhood techs added, shaking his head. "It's unlike anything we've seen before. We don't have time to break it before they seal us out completely."
Jake glanced towardX6-88, knowing that if anyone could make progress here, it was the advanced synth.
"X6," Jake called. "Can you get us in?"
Without hesitation, X6-88 stepped forward, his calm, analytical expression unchanging. "I'll need access to the terminal."
The Brotherhood soldiers shifted slightly, stepping aside to allow X6-88 access to the control panel. He plugged in directly, his systems connecting to the vault's interfaceas his internal software began to analyze the encryption.
"They've reinforced the door with multiple layers of security," X6-88 stated, his voice steady. "This vault is different. It's been recently updated, suggesting they're aware of our presence."
He continued working, his eyes scanning the complex strings of code flashing across the screen only he could see. "This is more sophisticated than typical Vault-Tech encryption. They're actively trying to lock us out."
"How long?" Jake asked, stepping closer, his eyes darting between the plug-in and the vault door.
X6-88 paused for a brief moment, calculating. "Three minutes," he said, his voice unwavering. "I'll need that time to bypass their latest updates."
The Brotherhood soldiers tightened their grips on their weapons, preparing for anything that might happen once the door finally opened.
Rose, however, had her focus elsewhere. Gripping Hank tightly by the arm, she dragged him closer to the vault door, forcing him to stand directly in front of it. Her eyes were sharp, her expression filled with barely contained rage.
"If your people in there decide to come out guns blazing," Rose hissed, her voice low and dangerous, "you'll be the first one they take down."
Hank's face drained of color, his eyes widening in fear as the full realization of his situation settled over there was a trap, if his allies inside the vault had prepared something for the intruders—he would be the first casualty. Rose's grip on him was unrelenting, and the cold steel in her voice made it clear that she wouldn't hesitate to throw him in front of the fire.
"They wouldn't—" Hank stammered, trying to keep his composure, but his voice shook with uncertainty.
Rose didn't let him finish. "Oh, they would," she interrupted coldly. "They've already left you out here to fend for yourself. What makes you think they wouldn't sacrifice you to protect their secrets?"
Hank visibly paled, his confidence shattered. The fear in his eyes was unmistakable now, and he knew—if his allies had set a trap,he was already a dead man.
Jake exchanged a glance with X6-88, who continued working on the interface. "Two minutes left," the synth said, focused on the terminal.
Everyone remained on edge, weapons ready, eyes fixed on the vault was inside, they would face it soon enough.
…
As the final minute ticked down,Rosestood besideJake, her standard-issue10mm pistolraised, her eyes flicking between the vault door andHank, who stood trembling in front of the heavily secured her stance, his own10mm pistolready, eyes sharp and focused.
The countdown on X6-88's display inched closer to zero, each second feeling like an eternity. TheBrotherhood of Steelsoldiers, clad in their imposingT-60 and T-50 power armor, held their positions behind the group, miniguns humming with the faintest mechanical whir.
everyone knew that once the door opened, the real test would begin.
60 seconds.
Rose's heart pounded in her chest as the seconds ticked away, the cold weight of her gun in her hands grounding her in the moment.
30 seconds.
Hank shifted nervously, sweat beading on his brow as he glanced back at Rose. She kept her pistol trained on him, her expression unreadable.
10 seconds.
The vault door let out a softping, followed by a faintbuzzas mechanical parts stirred to life within the ancient structure.
Suddenly, there was a loudclank, followed by a deep metallicgroan. The massive gear-shaped vault door began to grind open with agonizing slowness, the circular entry rotating out of place. The air seemed to hold still for a moment, before a whoosh of pressurized air escaped from the vault, signaling that the decades-old seals were finally broken, much like when Rose left the vault.
As the door rolled to the side, a small contingent ofVault 33 securityguards, clad in the standard blue vault jumpsuits with armored chest pieces and rifles raised, stepped forward cautiously, blinking at the sudden exposure to the outside world. Their eyes scanned the scene, immediately narrowing in on Hank, who was standing in front of Rose, bound and clearly held hostage.
"Hold your fire!" one of the guards, a man with sandy blonde hair and the nameCorwinstitched into his uniform, shouted, raising a hand. The other guards hesitated, their rifles still pointed at the group but wavering as confusion settled in.
"What the hell is going on?" another guard,Delaney, asked, her rifle still raised but her eyes darting between Hank and Rose. "Why is she holding him hostage?"
Rose's grip on Hank tightened, and she stepped forward, her voice cold. "If you don't want yourOverseerdead, I suggest you don't do anything stupid."
The security guards faltered, their weapons lowered slightly as they exchanged uncertain glances. Hank, now visibly shaking, turned to the guards. "Don't fire! Do as she says!" His voice was shaky, desperate.
The guards hesitated, unsure of their next move. They hadn't expected this. The moment dragged out, both sides locked in a standoff, neither willing to make the first move.
Suddenly, there was asharp mechanical soundas theplatform beneath their feet retracted, pulling away from the entryway and preventing anyone from accessing theelevatorto descend further into the vault. The group tensed, realizing they were now isolated between the vault door and the platform, with no clear way down.
"We've been cut off," Jake muttered under his breath.
The guards inside the vault, now more confused than ever, looked around nervously. But that wasn't the only source of their unease. As they scanned the group standing at the entrance, their eyes fell on theghoul scientistsstanding near the back of the 'seyes widened in shock. "What the hell are they?!" she whispered, her voice tight with alarm.
The other guards stared at the ghouls in a mix of horror and disbelief. They had never seen anything like it—people with decaying skin, radiation warping their features. The confusion among them deepened as they tried to comprehend what was happening.
And then their attention shifted again, this time toEleven, thesentient droidstanding calmly among the group. His sleek, futuristic design and thelightsaberat his side made him stand out even more than the ghouls. He was unlike any robot the Vault 33 security had ever seen.
"Is that a… a robot with a pair of sword hilts?" one of the younger guards,Vince, stammered.
Their eyes continued to dart between the odd assortment of beings—the ghouls, the sentient droid, the mismatched Imperial officer droids, one of them covered in colorful stickers, the other pieced together from various parts, and thepower-armored Brotherhood soldiersstanding tall with their miniguns. They were utterly outmatched.
But it was when their eyes landed onJakethat the hesitation deepened. TheVault 101 insigniaon his uniform gleamed in the light from the vault door. One of the guards, a woman namedRiley, narrowed her eyes, confusion clear on her face.
"That symbol…" Riley murmured, stepping forward slightly. "That's Vault 101, isn't it? FromWashington D.C.?"
Another guard,Corwin, frowned, his rifle lowering further. "How the hell did someone fromVault 101end up here?"
The tension in the air thickened as the security team from Vault 33 processed the full weight of the situation. Between the unfamiliar people, the strange beings, and thepowerful weaponsaimed at them, they were clearly outgunned. The sight of theBrotherhood soldiers in T-60 and T-50 power armor, each equipped withminiguns, was more than enough to give them pause.
The standoff continued, but the Vault 33 guards were losing their nerve. They knew that if this came to a firefight, they wouldn't last long.
The vault security guards hesitated, their weapons still drawn but wavering. They were visibly shaken—confused by the presence of the Brotherhood soldiers, the strange beings, and the sight ofJake's Vault 101 insignia. This wasn't what they had expected when they opened the door.
Jake, sensing the desperation in the room, knew time was running out. He glanced at Rose, who kept Hank tightly under control, and at theretracted platformthat now isolated them. He couldn't risk this escalating into violence, not with Vault-Tech had to act.
Slowly, Jake lowered his10mm pistol, holding it firmly by the grip before sliding it into his holster. He raised his hands in a gesture of peace, taking a step forward toward the Vault 33 security guards.
"Listen," Jake said, his voicecalm. "We don't have time for this. I need you to understand what's happening here, the war, everything that happened to the world, it wasn't an accident."
His words cut through the tension like a knife. The guards blinked in confusion, unsure what he was getting , still gripping his rifle, narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you talking about?"
Jake's gaze was steady. "Vault-Tech started the 're the ones responsible for the bombs falling, for all of this." He gestured to the outside world, the wasteland beyond the vault door. "They dropped the first bombs onWashington, D.C., causing a chain reaction that destroyed the entire planet. Everything you've been told… it's been a lie."
The guards exchanged shocked glances, their disbelief was written on their faces. Delaneyfrowned, lowering her weapon slightly. "That can't be right. Vault-Tech… they were supposed toprotectus."
Jake shook his head, his voice hardening. "No. Vault-Tech was never interested in saving anyone. They were runningexperiments, social and physical experiments on people, using the vaults as controlled environments to test how we would react under extreme conditions. Your vault? It's just another piece of their twisted game."
There was a long pause as the weight of Jake's words sank in. The guards' faces twisted in confusion, anger, and , still fixated on Jake's Vault 101 insignia, stepped forward. "You're saying Vault-Tech did all this? How do we know you're telling the truth?"
Jake pointed to hisPip-Boy, his tone shifting to urgency. "Do you have any idea what they've been doing?Your Pip-Boys, they're compromised. Vault-Tech built inlistening devices and camerasinto almost every piece of tech you've got. They're watching us right now. Every word you say, every move you make, they're monitoring it."
The guards looked down at theirPip-Boys, alarm spreading across their flinched, his grip tightening on his rifle.
Jake's voice grew louder, more intense. "If you want to stop them, the first thing you need to do isturn off your Pip-Boys. They're how Vault-Tech keeps control. We've been disabling them left and right, but if you don't do the same, they'll keep watching know we're onto them. They've been trying to lock us out of this vault."
The security team's hesitation , a younger guard, took a shaky step back, staring at his own Pip-Boy like it had betrayed him. "How… how can that be possible?"
Rose stepped forward, her eyes hard as she glanced at Hank, still trembling in front of the vault door. "He knows," she spat. "He was a part of 31's management, they were all part of the plan. They were frozen before the war, meant to wake up after the bombs fell and control everything. This wasneverabout rebuilding the world; it was about manipulating it from the start."
Hank paled further, looking like a man who knew his end was near. His eyes flickered with fear, but he remained silent, unable to deny the truth any longer.
Jake took a breath, his voice softer now, almost pleading. "We're not your enemies. The real enemy is Vault-Tech, and they've been pulling the strings from the start. But we can stop them. We can break their us, and we'll make sure you're not part of their game anymore."
The room was silent for a long, agonizing moment. The guards stood frozen, processing everything they had just heard. The truth had hit them like a sledgehammer, and the cracks in their resolve were beginning to at her fellow guards, uncertainty in her eyes.
Finally,Delaneystepped forward, her weapon lowering completely. "What do we need to do?"
Jake nodded, his heart pounding in relief. "First, turn off your Pip-Boys. After that, we'll take this vault back.
…
Theelevator doors hissed openwith a soft mechanical whir, revealing themain area of Vault 33. Jake and Rose stepped out, the room filled with vault residents going about their routines, unaware of the truth that was about to shatter their world. The familiar sterile atmosphere of the vault felt like a cage to Jake now, a place designed to conceal the darkest of Vault-Tech's between them, bound and silent, his face pale with dread.
As the elevator ascended again to bring down the rest of the team, theVault 33 security guards, now visibly tense after their encounter above, marched forward toward theleadership platform, where three overseers, Betty Pearsonand her two fellow overseers, stood watching the commotion unfold. Betty's face was composed, but there was a flicker of concern behind her eyes.
The head security officer,Corwin, was the first to break the silence, his voice ringing out louder than he intended. "Is it true?! Did Vault-Tech start the war?!"
The room fell into a stunned silence. Every vault dweller stopped what they were doing and turned to face the leadership. Conversations ceased, tools were dropped, and all eyes locked on the three overseers standing on the platform. The heavy accusation lingered in the air like a tangible weight.
Betty's eyes narrowed, and she glanced sideways at her two fellow overseers, who looked just as shocked as everyone else. They exchanged uneasy glances, clearly blindsided by the question. "Corwin, we have no reason to believe—"
But before she could finish her sentence, theelevator doors slid open again, and Jake stepped out, holding up a large folder of photographs for all to see. Rose followed closely behind,Hankin tow, still bound, his face ashen with fear. The tension in the room grew thicker as Jake moved forward, standing in front of the gathered crowd.
"This…" Jake's voice was loud and clear as he raised one of the photos high for everyone to see. It was an image of theMegaton bomb, its cylindrical shape unmistakable. TheVault-Tech logo, belonging to a black ops division, was clearly visible on the side of the bomb. "...is a bomb from Washington, D. didn't blow up."
He paused, allowing his words to sink in, then continued, his tone cutting through the shocked gasps of the crowd. "This bomb sits in a crater, in a place calledMegaton. A town built around it, still -Techplanted it started the war."
Betty Pearson's face paled slightly, but she quickly regained her composure, raising a hand in an attempt to calm the room. "This is preposterous! Vault-Tech saved us from the war. Without the vaults, none of us would be alive! You can't—"
Jake cut her off, stepping closer to the platform. "Vault-Techdidn't build these vaults to save you," he said, his voice sharp. "They built them toexperiment on you. They started the war to test how people would survive in a post-apocalyptic world, locking you in here like rats in a cage."
Rose, standing beside him, pointed at Hank, who was still trembling under her grip. "Ask him. He was part of 31's management was frozen before the war, waiting to take control after the bombs fell."
The crowd murmured in disbelief, eyes darting between Jake, Rose, and Hank. The two overseers standing beside Betty looked as if the ground had been ripped out from under them. They glanced at each other, clearly unsure how to respond.
Jake held up another photo from the folder, this one of theVault-Tech logoclearly visible on the bomb's casing. "This isn't just some conspiracy theory. Theproofis right here. Vault-Tech's black ops division placed bombs like this all over the lit the now, they've been hiding behind the walls of these vaults, keeping you in the dark, using you for their twisted experiments."
For a moment, the room was dead silent. Then one of the residents, a woman namedRiley, stepped forward, her face twisted in confusion and anger. "You're telling us we've been living in a vault built by the same people who destroyed the world?"
Jake nodded grimly. "Exactly. They've been watching you, tracking your every move through yourPip-Boys. The cameras, the listening devices, they're everywhere. You're not survivors to them. You're test subjects."
Betty's composure finally broke. "This is ridiculous! Vault-Tech has only ever had our best interests at heart!" But even as she spoke, her voice wavered, and her fellow overseers took a step back, unsure of their own ground.
Rose stepped forward, her voice laced with ice. "You've been lied to your entire lives. Vault-Tech never cared about your survival, they cared aboutcontrol. And the sooner you accept that, the sooner we can make sure it never happens again."
The room erupted in whispers and gasps, the vault dwellers turning to each other in disbelief. The two overseers beside Betty looked at her, shaken. "Betty," one of them,Carter, said, his voice low and uncertain, "is it true? Did Vault-Tech really… start the war?"
Betty said nothing, her face frozen in fear as the weight of Jake's revelations sank in. The room, once busy with activity, now felt like it was standing on the edge of a precipice, waiting for the truth to finally come crashing down.
As the murmurs and disbelief spread across the room, Jake knew the only way to truly convince everyone of the depth of Vault-Tech's crimes was through hard evidence. He glanced atX6-88, standing near the edge of the group, calm and collected as always. With a subtle nod, Jake signaled to the synth.
Without a word,X6-88activated his internal systems, tapping into the vault's network interface he had accessed earlier. His eyes flashed with a faint blue glow as his mental link connected with the hidden vault systems. In seconds, he began downloading the vast collection ofclassified Vault-Tech documentsthey had recovered from various facilities and archives. The vault's systems, now breached by his advanced software, offered no resistance.
Suddenly, thePip-Boysof every vault dweller beeped in unison. A new notification appeared on their screens, and the vault residents hesitated, confused.
Jake stepped forward, his voice echoing through the now-silent room. "Everyone, check your Pip-Boys. What you're about to see is the truth Vault-Tech has been hiding from you."
Slowly, the residents raised their arms, scrolling through the files that had been forcefully uploaded to their devices. The screens flickered to life, displayingclassified documents, each one more horrifying than the last.
The first document that appeared detailedProject FEV (Forced Evolutionary Virus), experiments designed to forcibly mutate people into super mutants, stripping them of their humanity in the process. Diagrams of subjects writhing in pain, their bodies twisted beyond recognition, filled the screens. The captions described the subjects as "successful transformations," meant to create superior beings for Vault-Tech's envisioned future.
Gasps and horrified murmurs began to ripple through the crowd as more documents came up, Vault 87, where children and adults alike had been subjected to the FEV experiments. Vault dwellers scrolled faster, their faces twisting with anger and disbelief.
Another file showedVault 11, where a sacrifice system had been implemented, forcing residents to vote for one person to die each year, under threat that failure to do so would result in the vault's entire population being killed.
The documents continued…
Vault 12, where the door was deliberately left open, exposing everyone inside to radiation, turning them into ghouls for the sake of observing long-term radiation effects on the human body.
Vault 22, where a genetically modified fungus had been unleashed, leading to the death of its inhabitants and the creation ofSpore Carriers.
Vault 69 and 68, where population control was tested through extreme gender imbalances, resulting in one male and 999 females in Vault 69, and one female and 999 males in Vault 68.
Every file displayedunthinkable horrors, social and physical experiments that violated every human right. The vault dwellers scrolled through page after page, their faces growing pale with shock. Their entire existence, the systems that had kept them alive, had been part of these sickening trials.
Jake's voice cut through the growing unrest. "These are thereal plansVault-Tech had for us. We were never meant to rebuild the world. We were test subjects in their cruel, twisted game. They started the war to see how humanity would react, and this is the result."
Beside him,Roseheld Hank tighter, her voice low but full of barely contained fury. "Andhewas part of it. All of them were."
Even Betty Pearson, who had tried so desperately to maintain her composure, was speechless as she stared at her own Pip-Boy, seeing the truth laid out before her.
Jake continued, his voice rising over the murmurs of disbelief and anger. "Now you know. Vault-Tech isn't your savior. They're the reason the world is in ruins. And it's time to take control back—starting with this vault."
A heavy silence fell over the room as the weight of everything they'd learned sank in. The truth had been laid bare, and there was no going back.
The tension in the room reached its breaking point as the vault dwellers continued to scroll through their Pip-Boys, taking in the full horror of Vault-Tech's twisted experiments. Murmurs of disbelief, anger, and shock filled the air, and Betty Pearson, the overseer who had worked so hard to maintain control over the situation, was visibly unraveling.
Betty's face had gone pale as she scrolled through the documents, her hands trembling. She felt the eyes of the vault dwellers boring into her, judging, accusing. Panic welled up in her chest, a suffocating wave of fear and anxiety that she could no longer suppress. She had spent years keeping order in Vault 33, hiding the truth, and now it was all crumbling in front of her.
Suddenly, she snapped.
Her breathing grew shallow, her heart pounding wildly in her chest. She started to hyperventilate, her voice rising as she tried to regain control of the room. "This… this is alltheirfault!" she shouted, pointing wildly at Jake, Rose, and the rest of the outsiders. "These interlopers!They've come in here, spreading lies, trying to turn you against Vault-Tech! Against everything we've worked for!"
Her outburst caught everyone off guard, and the crowd fell into a stunned silence, all eyes now on her. Betty's voice grew shrill, her body shaking as she tried to regain her composure. "So what if we purged the surface?!" she screamed, her words frantic, her emotions spilling over. "Humanity was going to destroy itself anyway!We were just speeding it up! At least this way, some of us had a fighting chance!"
The room erupted in gasps, the vault dwellers recoiling at her words. Even her two fellow overseers,CarterandRiley, were staring at her in shock, unable to believe what they were hearing.
"No…" one of the vault residents whispered, her voice filled with disbelief. "You… you knew?"
Betty's eyes darted around the room, panic flashing across her face as she realized she was losing control. "We had to do it! Don't you see?The world was already doomed!Vault-Tech gave us a way to survive! They gave us a chance to start over!"
Her words grew more desperate, her voice cracking as she tried to justify the horrors of Vault-Tech's plans. "Do you think humanity would have survived on its own? We would've torn ourselves apart! At least in the vaults, we hadorder! We had a plan! They saved us!"
But her rant only served to stoke the flames of anger and fear among the vault dwellers. The crowd, once silent, now erupted in angry whispers and shouts. The truth had finally come out—Vault-Tech's plans, the war, the experiments, it was all too much.
Jake stepped forward, his voice calm but firm, cutting through the chaos. "Betty," he said, "you can't hide behind Vault-Tech's lies anymore. This isn't about survival, it's about control. You helped them destroy the world. And now, it's time to answer for it."
Rose, standing beside him, tightened her grip on Hank's arm, her eyes never leaving Betty. "You're done, Betty. It's over."
Betty's face crumpled, her breath coming in ragged gasps as the full weight of her guilt and panic crashed over her. She stumbled back, eyes wide with fear, as she realized there was no escape from the truth anymore. The crowd surged forward, their anger palpable, but Jake raised a hand to stop them.
"This isn't about revenge," Jake said, his voice carrying over the chaos. "It's about justice. And it starts now."
The vault dwellers stared at him, some still trembling in anger, others in fear. But the message was clear, Vault-Tech's control was broken. And they would no longer live under its shadow.
…
Several hours later, the situation had drastically changed. The group wasted no time after disabling the monitoring devices inVault 33and quickly moved on toVault 32. They had already hacked through its vault door, a tedious process, but necessary. As the door creaked open, a foul stench hit them, and what awaited inside was a chilling scene of devastation and madness.
The inside of Vault 32 was agrisly sight. The lights flickered, casting a sickly yellow hue over the disarray. Thecorn crops, once meant to feed the residents, had withered and died long ago. The hydroponic systems lay broken, water pooling on the floors, but it was clear that the vault's residents hadn't tended to them in years. The smell of rot was everywhere.
Rose led the group cautiously through the vault, her weapon ready. Jake followed closely behind, his Pip-Boy flickering as he scanned for any signs of life. They passed bodies—people who had either starved or taken their own lives in despair. Some had been shot, others hanged, while others showed signs of havingstrangled each otheror wereshanked to deathin some last violent frenzy. It was clear that whatever had happened here had been brutal.
Rose glanced at Jake, her face hardening. "We just missed the party," she said, her voice dripping with grim irony.
At the far end of the vault, they entered theoverseer's office. It was clear something had gone very wrong here. Theoverseerwas dead, tied to his chair, his body slumped over, long decayed. His face was twisted in an expression of terror, and his hands were bound behind him. It was clear he had beentortured by his own residents. Blood covered the walls, and in large, smeared letters, someone had written,"DEATH TO MANAGEMENT!"The words seemed to glare down at them, a haunting reminder of the chaos that had erupted within these walls.
Jake grimaced, the pit in his stomach growing heavier. "It's worse than I thought…"
As they continued to move through the vault, they found more evidence of violence—civilians who hadhung themselvesor had beenstrangled by others, likely in fits of madness or desperation. It was clear this vault had turned on itself long before they had arrived.
Near the back of the vault, they encountered thelast remaining survivors—four gaunt, malnourished figures with wide, crazed eyes. Their clothes were stained with blood, and they looked more like animals than people. They were trying tocut through the vault doorleading toVault 31, wheremanagementwas sealed away.
The survivors spun around, brandishing makeshift weapons when they saw Jake and the group enter. For a brief moment, the tension spiked, and it looked like a fight might break out.
One of the survivors, a woman with matted hair and blood-smeared clothes, snarled at them. "You're from Vault 31, aren't you?! You're management! You did this to us!"
Rose quickly stepped forward, trying to diffuse the situation. "No,they're not from Vault 31. They're from theoutside. We know what Vault-Tech did."
The survivors stood frozen, their crazed eyes wide with disbelief. The weight of what Rose His hands began to shake more violently, his knees buckling as he collapsed to the floor, the realization tearing through him like a knife. He stared at the crimson stains on his hands, as though seeing the blood for the first time. "Their blood… it's all over me…" His breath hitched, a sob clawing its way from his throat. "They were my friends…"
The woman, her matted hair sticking to her face, let out a choked cry as her own realization set in. She took a step back, her eyes darting wildly between the others, her voice breaking. "We fought… we killed each other… for nothing." Her gaze locked on the blood staining her clothes, and her body trembled as the horror overwhelmed her. "We were so close… all this time… so close to being saved…"
One of the other men, gaunt and wild-eyed, let out a bitter, broken laugh that quickly turned into a sob. He clutched his head, his fingers tangling in his hair as he rocked back and forth. "We killed them…we killed them… and it didn't even didn't even matter!" His voice cracked, his tears flowing freely as the guilt and despair consumed him.
The survivors crumbled under the weight of their own guilt. Each of them was covered in the blood of their friends, people they had lived with, fought with, and ultimately killed. All for survival. All because they had believed there was no other choice.
The last survivor, a young man who couldn't have been much older than his early twenties, sank to the floor, his face blank with shock. His voice was barely audible, a hollow whisper. "We didn't have to do it… We didn't have to kill them…"
The room fell into an eerie silence once more. The survivors, broken and devastated, couldn't bring themselves to look at each other, or at Jake, Rose, or the others. The realization that salvation had been within reach, that they hadjust missed it, was too much to bear.
Jake's heart sank as he watched the survivors crumble, their minds finally grasping the full extent of what had happened. He had seen this before, people pushed to the edge, made to do the unthinkable, only to realize too late that they'd been manipulated from the start. Vault-Tech had taken everything from them, and now all they had left was the grief of what they had done to one another.
Rose, standing beside Jake, was silent, her eyes flickered with sympathy for the shattered remnants of Vault 32.
None of the survivors moved. None of them spoke. The devastation was too great, the horror too fresh.
…
The group wasted no time after realizing the broken state of the ,Rose, and the rest of the team acted quickly, their mission shifting from uncovering Vault-Tech's horrors togetting the survivors out of Vault 32and to safety.
Rose approached the remaining survivors, "We're getting you out of here," she said. Jake helped guide them, carefully avoiding any sudden movements that might agitate them further. The survivors, still dazed and shell-shocked, nodded numbly, following the group like shadows of their former selves.
As they moved through the grim halls of Vault 32,Brotherhood soldiershelped guide them, their power armor clanking softly in the sterile corridors. It didn't take long before the team led the survivors through the vault door and into thefresher airof the outside. The survivors blinked against the waning daylight as they stumbled out, filthy and bloodstained.
The survivors ofVault 32stumbled out into the fading light, their minds still reeling from the horrors they had witnessed, and caused. Exhausted, covered in blood, and weak from hunger, they followed Jake, Rose, and the Brotherhood soldiers out of the vault, the chaos they had left behind haunting their every step. They had no idea what awaited them on the surface, but they knew one thing: they could never return to the life they once knew.
Ahead of them, standing just beyond the open vault door, wasWanda Maximoff, theScarlet Witchfrom the dark multiverse. Her presence was palpable, like a force of nature waiting just beyond the horizon. Her red eyes gleamed in the dim light, and her crimson aura flickered faintly around her, ready to be unleashed if necessary. She watched over the scene like a guardian, her stance calm but alert.
Jake spotted her immediately, and a sense of calm washed over him. Wanda was waiting for him, her presence reassuring him that everything was under control. They hadn't spoken in a few hours—he had been too busy with the vaults—but the moment his eyes met hers, he knew they were in sync. She gave him a brief nod, acknowledging him and the broken survivors following behind him.
The Brotherhood soldiers began to help the survivors, guiding them toward the nearbyNCR troops, who stood ready to assist. The NCR had set up temporary stations with medical supplies and food, preparing to help the vault dwellers transition to life on the surface. As the group gathered, the Brotherhood continued to work, while the remaining vault dwellers fromVault 33filed out as well, their faces a mix of fear and curiosity.
A few hours later, the mood had shifted. The survivors of both vaults had been cleaned up, fed, and were in the early stages of adjusting to their new reality. But the tension wasn't over yet.
Thevault door to Vault 31finally creaked open, and the Brotherhood soldiers stood at attention as they led out themanagement, those who had been incryogenic storage, frozen in time while the world outside had burned. They emerged, pale and disoriented, blinking against the light of the outside world. Among them was the small robot carrying the brain ofBudd, the overseer of Vault 31 and the pre-war representative of Vault-Tech.
The moment Budd was carried out, his metallic voice began to plead through the speakers. "Please! You don't understand! I can help! I was just following orders, there's still time to make a deal!"
His voice grew more desperate with each word, the robot's small limbs flailing uselessly as the Brotherhood soldiers carried him forward, completely ignoring his cries. "We can restore Vault-Tech! You need me! Please! Don't do this!"
But Jake and Wanda stood by, silent and unmoved. Wanda's crimson aura flickered slightly as she observed the scene, her power kept in check but ready to act if necessary. The Brotherhood soldiers marched past her, carrying Budd and the other overseers away, their pleas falling on deaf ears.
"They still don't understand," Wanda said, almost to herself. "Vault-Tech's time is over. There's no place for them in the world we're building."
Jake nodded in agreement. "No place at all."
…
The major settlement was bustling with her two children,Lucyand her younger brother,Norman, adjust to life on the surface. Lucy, not yet old enough to fully understand what was happening, clung to her mother's side, while Norman, still a toddler, watched the unfamiliar world with wide eyes. This was their life now, a world they had never known beyond the confines of the . House, alongside leaders from theNCR,Brotherhood of Steel, and other factions, had worked tirelessly to help the new residents of Vault 31, 32, and 33 adjust to their new reality.
Amidst the relief of newfound freedom, there remained the grim task of processing the residents ofVault 31, particularly themanagement, whose crimes ran deep.
In the main hall,Jake,David, andMr. Housesat at the front, surrounded by faction leaders from across the of Steel Paladins,NCR commanders, and representatives from other groups gathered around as they began the difficult task of bringingVault 31's leadershipto account, starting withHank McClain. The Brotherhood's senior Paladin stood, holding a file that contained a seemingly endless list of crimes, each more horrifying than the last.
As the list of crimes was read aloud, the room fell into a tense silence. The charges went on and on, and Hank, tied and restrained, could only sit and listen, his face growing paler with every word.
Initiating the Nuclear War:
Vault-Tech, including Vault 31's leadership, had been part of the conspiracy to start the nuclear war by dropping the first bombs onWashington, D.C., sparking the global conflict that destroyed civilization. Thisfalse flag operationwas meant to allow Vault-Tech to control the post-apocalyptic world.
Social and Physical Experiments:
Vault-Tech orchestratedpsychological and physical experimentson the residents of various vaults. These included:
Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV)testing in Vault 87.
Manipulating social dynamics throughextreme isolationorforced sacrificein Vaults like Vault 11, where residents were forced to vote for one person to die each year.
Deliberate radiation exposurein Vault 12, turning residents into ghouls to observe the long-term effects of radiation on human physiology.
Extreme population controlin Vaults 69 and 68, with gender imbalances designed to test social collapse.
Cryogenic Freezing of Management:
Thecryogenic freezingof the management staff in Vault 31, including Hank, was done to ensure that when the world was "ready," Vault-Tech's upper echelon couldseize control of the rebuilt society, manipulating its future from behind the scenes.
Manipulation of Pip-Boy Technology:
Installingsurveillance technologyin Pip-Boys and other vault tech, allowing Vault-Tech to monitor and control the thoughts, movements, and actions of vault dwellers without their knowledge.
Using the Pip-Boy to track and influence populations even long after they had emerged from the vaults.
Deliberately Sabotaging Vault Resources:
Vault 31 leadership, in conjunction with other Vault-Tech executives, sabotaged vaults likeVault 32by deliberately causing food shortages, crop failures, and resource exhaustion to observe how the residents would behave under extreme conditions.
Torture and Psychological Manipulation:
Vault management allowed and evenencouraged psychological tortureto break down the residents' resolve. In some vaults, residents turned on one another, committing unspeakable acts of violence, like in Vault 32 where residentstortured and killed their overseerand fought one another in a bloodbath.
Orchestrating the Death of Millions:
Vault-Tech's role in starting the war and creatingunsustainable conditionsinside many vaults led to the deaths of millions. Entire vault populations were left to suffer, either through theharsh experimentsthey were subjected to or by being abandoned after the war.
Genetic Manipulation and Eugenics Programs:
Vault-Tech conducted secreteugenics programsin certain vaults, manipulating the gene pools of entire populations for decades in an attempt to create a "perfect" or "superior" human race, regardless of the consequences.
Attempting to Create a New World Order:
The end goal of Vault-Tech's leadership was to create anew world orderin their image, using the survivors of the war as pawns in their plan torebuild civilization under their complete control, devoid of free will or independence.
Pre-War Black Ops and Assassinations:
Hank and others in Vault 31 had been part ofpre-war black operations, including targeted assassinations of individuals who threatened Vault-Tech's plans. They had gone to great lengths to ensure their survival and dominance after the apocalypse, eliminating anyone who got in their way.
As each charge was listed, Hank's face grew whiter, his once-defiant posture crumbling under the weight of the crimes he had been a part of. He tried to speak several times, his mouth opening and closing without sound, but the sheer magnitude of the accusations had robbed him of his voice.
Finally,Mr. Houselooked at Budd's associates, his normally calm demeanor tinged with quiet rage. "You had a chance to rebuild the world, you and your leaders which I remember," he said, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "Instead, you chose to destroy it, and thencontrol what was left. You and Vault-Tech are responsible forunimaginable suffering, and there will be no deals here today, not like the last time I heard your plans."
The leaders of theBrotherhood of Steel,NCR, and other factions remained silent but they all agreed. , their decision clear. Justice for Vault-Tech's crimes would not be swift, but it would beabsolute.
As the proceedings continued, Rose remained at Jake's side, in her hands was Norman, with lucy holding onto her leg confused by why daddy was in trouble, watching as the sins of Vault-Tech were finally laid bare for all to see.
…
Themaximum security prisonloomed large on the horizon, an imposing structure designed to house some of the most dangerous criminals the wasteland, and the multiverse, had ever seen. This prison was a marvel of collaborative engineering, its construction aided by factions from various worlds. The towering walls were reinforced witharcane runesfromFaerûn,magical wardsfromNirn, and the alchemical knowledge ofWitchers, all combined to create a facility that could not only hold those who committed heinous crimes but also withstand any attempts to escape through magic, technology, or brute force.
Inside, the facility was divided into different sectors, each with its own level of confinement—the most secure and isolated wing, was deep within the prison's fortified walls. Each cell was designed to be inescapable, withmagical barriers,technological safeguards, andpsychological isolationmeasures that ensured the prisoners were kept in total isolation, cut off from contact with the outside world or each other.
As theVault 31 management, includingHank McClain, were led toward their final destination, the Brotherhood soldiers andNCR troopswere flanked by powerful mages from Faerûn and Nirn, all working together to ensure no escape attempts could be made.
Jake walked alongside Rose, the grim atmospherewas written on everyone's faces as they escorted the prisoners through the prison's reinforced halls. Each step reverberated through the vast facility, a reminder of the seriousness of the crimes these individuals had committed.
Hank, bound in shackles both physical and magical, was quiet, his expression blank as he was led deeper into the prison. Every few moments, his eyes flicked toward theruned doorsof the cells they passed, realizing the enormity of his fate. There would be no bargaining, no escape from this.
As they reached thesolitary confinement wing,a high-ranking Brotherhood officergave a signal, and the heavy doors slid open with a low, ominous creak. Beyond the door, the walls of the cells glowed faintly withmagical glyphs, wards that ensured no one could leave their cell or interfere with the others.
The prison guards, wearing a mix ofBrotherhood armorand arcane robes from Faerûn, moved with practiced precision. Hank was the first to be led toward his cell, his wrists glowing with enchanted cuffs that nullified any attempts to resist. He hesitated for a moment at the threshold, but Jake was there, his expression hard as stone.
"Time's up, Hank," Jake said coldly. "You're not talking your way out of this one."
Hank swallowed, his eyes darting between Jake and themagesmaintaining the wards. He looked like he wanted to say something, make one last desperate plea, but no words came. His face paled as they guided him into the solitary cell. The door shut behind him with adeep, final thud.
Once inside, Hank's cell lit up with the faint hum ofmagical energy. The air felt different in there, heavier, almost suffocating. The prison's combination of magic and advanced technology ensured that each prisoner would be completely isolated, not just physically, but mentally as well. The runes on the walls of his cell were designed to prevent escape, but also to preventmagical communicationor any form of magiccould break through.
The next prisoners weremembers of the Vault 31 management, each led into their own solitary cells. As they entered, the same process followed, magical bindings and technology-laced restraints. Each prisoner receivedindividualized containment, some with more extreme measures based on their involvement in Vault-Tech's atrocities. They were cut off from each other and the world outside, destined to live out their days in utter solitude.
Mr. House,David, and other faction leaders stood behind, watching the transfer with quiet satisfaction. Each layer of security had been meticulously planned—from themagical wardsthat surrounded the prison to theNCR patrolsstationed outside, ensuring that no one could enter or leave without authorization.
One of theWitcher advisors, an elder sorcerer known for his ability to craft powerful magical seals, approached Jake. "The wards are secure. Even if one of them had knowledge of magic, it wouldn't matter now. They're completely sealed in."
Jake nodded, satisfied. "Good. Let's keep it that way."
TheBrotherhood Paladinsstood at attention, ensuring every prisoner was contained and the maximum security procedures were followed. The leadership of Vault 31 wouldnever see the light of day again, and any attempt to break out or use their connections was nullified by the joint efforts of theseworlds.
Outside the prison,NCR troopsandBrotherhood soldierscontinued their patrols, while magical wards and technological sensors scanned for any disturbances. In the distance, the sun began to set, casting long shadows over the wasteland.
For the former leaders of Vault 31, there would be no escape. The crimes they had committed were too great, their punishment sealed in the depths of thismaximum-security facility, forever isolated from the world they had sought to control.