Fallout 3: Gutterflower

[Cyberweasel89]

Fallout 3

 

Gutterflower

 

By Cyberweasel89

 

Prologue: Worlds Fall Apart

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

War... War never changes.

 

Since the dawn of human kind, when our ancestors first discovered the killing power of rock and bone, blood has been spilled in the name of everything. From God, to justice, to simple psychotic rage.

 

In the year 2077, after millennia of armed conflict, the destructive nature of man could sustain itself no longer. The world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation.

 

But it was not, as some had predicted, the end of the world. Instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue to another bloody chapter of human history. For man had succeeded in destroying the world... But war... War never changes.

 

In the early days, thousands were spared the horrors of the holocaust by taking refuge in enormous underground shelters... known as vaults. But when they emerged, they had only the hell of the wastes to greet them.

 

All except those in Vault 101. For on that fateful day, when fire rained from the sky, the giant steel door of Vault 101 slid closed, and never reopened.

 

It is here you were born. It is here you will die. Because in Vault 101... no one ever enters... and no one... ever leaves.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

“And so, that concludes the yearly viewing of the Vault 101 Introduction Movie. Any questions?”

Butch raised his hand. “Yes, Mr. DeLoria? What is your most enlightening question?” Mr. Brotch said with a sigh.

“Yeah. Do you really think we’d have any questions after seein’ that movie for the past nineteen years of our lives?”

Laughter throughout the class. Except Amata, Emma, and Freddie, his favorite students... except... that was because Emma was sleeping. “Ms. Carpenter? Sleeping in class again, are you?”

Even after slamming his hand on her desk, Mr. Brotch couldn’t wake the girl up. The teacher resorted to tipping over her chair. That worked. The girl scrambled to her feet, stretching her arms and yawning.

“Ms. Carpenter...” that got her attention. A deep blush of embarrassment spread across her face. “If I wasn’t fully aware of your reasons for sleeping in class, I’d give you detention for doing it so much. Just be grateful your father and I are such good friends.”

“Um... s-sorry, Mr. Brotch, sir.” She mumbled, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment.

“Okay, class dismissed.”

“Finally!” Butch shouted.

As everyone filed out of their seats, Amata ran up to the girl. “Hey, Emmie!” She slowed down to walk next to her. “Want to stop by the diner for some Nuka-Cola?”

Mmmm... Nuka-Cola. Her only vice. “Sure. Thanks, Amata.”

As she walked, Amata was telling her a story of running into Christine Kendall in the hall earlier. Emma only half listened. Her thoughts were turning to days past... Important events in her life that stood out, for some reason...

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Nine years ago...

 

She wasn’t sure why she was led out of her room and down the hall with her eyes closed. Her father just said that it was a surprise. Which made her nervous... she didn’t like not knowing what to expect... Conveniently, she had also forgotten what day it was today. She had been right in the middle of particularly engrossing issue of her favorite comic series when her father popped in and told her to hurry along with him.

“Okay, honey! Open your eyes!”

She did, to find the room dark. A blinding white filled her eyes as the lights were flipped on. Horns went off, people were clapping, and multiple people were shouting “Happy birthday!” all at once. Oh, right! It was her birthday today! The tenth one!

“Stanley, ya turned the lights on too fast! Ya blinded the poor kid!” she heard Officer Gomez chastise as she attempted to rub her eyes to clear her vision. When she could see again, it seemed the diner had been set up for her tenth birthday party, with ‘Happy Birthday!’ banners, streamers, balloons, and people wearing party hats. Directly in front of her was her best friend Amata, Officer Gomez, and Sparky. Her father was just behind her, and placed a party hat on her head with the stealth of a ninja.

“Can you believe it? She’s growing up so fast.” She heard Mrs. Palmer say.

“Happy birthday, honey! I can’t believe you’re already ten. I’m so proud of you. If only your mother-“

Her father was interrupted as Alphonse Almodovar, the Overseer, walked up with something held behind his back. She shrunk back from the leader of the vault, taking cover behind her father’s legs and peeking out at the intimidating man.

“Congratulations, young lady! I don’t have to tell you how special this day is, do I?” the Overseer greeted. Not at all with the warmth one usually should use when speaking to a shy ten-year-old who’s small for her age. “Down here in Vault 101, when you turn ten, well, you’re ready to take on your first vault responsibilities. So here you are!” His hand emerged from behind his back, revealing the object he had been hiding to be a Pip-Boy 3000. “As Overseer, I present to you your very own Pip-Boy 3000. Get used to it.” He added the last part a bit bitterly.

The Overseer held the personal information processor out for her to take, but she just shrank back and buried her face in her father’s leg. Sighing, as if he really didn’t want to put up with this, he tossed the device to her father, who coaxed her out from behind his leg with some gentle pushes, and helped affix it to her tiny wrist. She looked down at the screen, seeing a readout of her vitals. Three buttons switched to other modes of viewing, like data storage. Two dials on the side allowed scrolling horizontally to other sections in each particular button’s category, and vertically, for scrolling through lists of data on each page. There was even a record of her medical history. It mentioned how she was nearsighted, had a nervous stutter, was petite for her age, and showed signs of an early puberty. It actually was kind of embarrassing to have her Pip-Boy remind her of her early chest development... Luckily, her exploration of the device was cut short.

“You’ll be getting your first work assignment tomorrow.” The Overseer explained. He started chuckling heartily, but stopped when he saw she was smiling instead of showing signs of dread. She was already getting tips in mechanics from Stanley and studying her father’s medical books. Maybe now she could actually help with the maintenance and assist her father in the clinic. Why wouldn’t she be looking forward to it? She was getting bored with reading comic books.

“Enjoy you’re party. You’re only ten once, so have fun.” Her father urged her. He walked off to sit at the diner counter with Stanley, Sparky close on his heel, leaving her feeling naked and exposed without him by her side to protect her. Luckily, Amata ran up with something behind her back herself, putting the girl at ease to see her taller best friend.

“Happy birthday! We really surprised you, didn’t we?” She giggled. “You’re dad was afraid you were onto us. But I told him not to worry. You’re so easy to fool.” Really, only her best friend Amata and the engineer Jonas Palmer were allowed to playfully tease her like that. Anyone else and she’d just gaze down at the ground and feel bad about herself.

“Th-This is amazing, Amata. Th-Thank you. Um... I... I really appreciate what you did to put this together.” Normally Amata was the last person who made her nervous enough to stutter. But, admittedly, she was a nervous wreck right now, being the center of attention at her birthday party. Amata was helping to put her at ease, though, and she truly was thankful for the time and effort her best friend went through to set everything up.

“You’re welcome. But really, your dad did most of it. I just helped with the decorations and stuff. Hey, I betcha can’t guess what I got ya for your birthday! Go on, guess!”

“Ummm... I don’t know...” she mumbled, shuffling her feet uncomfortably.

“Ha! I knew I’d surprise you. Who’s your favorite samurai? That’s right, Sammer-Guy! Issue fourteen, and with no missing pages.” She pulled the comic book out from behind her back, making Emma light up about as bright as a girl like her could at the sight of the fourteenth issue of her favorite comic series. She already had issues one through thirteen, though Amata was the only one who knew she was a fan of the series. Most of the other kids in Vault 101 preferred Grognak the Barbarian, Tales of Chivalrie, or La Fantoma. Emma leafed through the first few pages, only looking up when her best friend spoke again. “I found this in a box of my father’s old things, believe it or not. Imagine him reading comic books! I guess everybody was ten once.” Emma only nodded in agreement, too stunned by the gift to speak. “Well, I’d better let you get back to mingling with your guests. We’ll talk later, okay? Happy birthday.”

The girl didn’t wait for Emma’s response. That was the thing with Amata. Emma wasn’t one to talk much, but she didn’t really need to with her best friend. The girl tended to know what she wanted to say without saying it. Maybe that’s why they became such good friends. They were both social outcasts. The quiet, shy girl and the Overseer’s daughter. Both picked on, both shunned. But together, they had a friend in each other.

“Happy birthday, missy!” Officer Gomez greeted before sipping from his bottle of Nuka-Cola. She gave a tiny wave back as she nervously shuffled around the booths to make her way to the diner counter. Stanley was there, and she wanted to ask him about her new Pip-Boy. But the Overseer stopped her as she passed, seated at the nearest booth.

“I hope you appreciate the effort Amata put into this party. She really seems to like you... for some reason.”

Emma opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She just hugged the comic book close to her chest and whimpered.

“That’s what I like to see. People in awe at my presence.” The Overseer joked, chuckling to himself. “Keep that up and you’ll have a future in this vault, young lady.”

She swallowed hard, walking past him, and was stopped by Mrs. Palmer sitting on the other side of the booth.

“Are you having a nice party? Ten years old, my, my, my. Seems like only yesterday that your daddy came.” At ten years old, most wouldn’t think Emma would pick up on that choice of words. But she was both a perceptive and precocious child. Of course, trusting her father implicitly, she just figured Mrs. Palmer was using a metaphor she hadn’t heard before. “Goodness, listen to me ramble! You’re waiting for your present, aren’t you?”

“Um... Y-You didn’t have to bring me a present, Mrs. Palmer...” she replied, in the tiniest of voices.

“Such a nice, polite young lady you are. But you really should speak up more. I was ten once, believe it or not. My goodness, the vault was practically crowded back then. Not like today. So few young people now... Of course, we had a real Overseer back then. Worthy of respect. Not like that one over there, with his rules and his secrets.” She subtly gestured to the Overseer, who Amata was scolding for giving his vault responsibility speech instead of relaxing and having fun. “Why, I have half a mind to just up and tell you...” She sighed. “Listen to me ramble. My point is... You have a brilliant mind, child. I just wish you had the voice to use it. ”

The girl looked down at the ground sadly.

“Now, now. No moping. It’s your birthday. So... Here you go. A nice sweetroll that I baked for you just this morning. And it’s all for you. You’re the birthday girl. No sharing required today.”

Mrs. Palmer handed her a sweetroll. It wasn’t warm, but it was fresh and smelled really good. She mumbled a thank you to Mrs. Palmer before continuing on down the tables, but was stopped by Paul Hannon, one of Butch’s friends, sitting with him and Wally.

“Hey, uh, thanks for inviting me. Really cool party and everything. I know that, uh, Butch and I give you a hard time, but you don’t take that seriously, right? Anyway, uh, happy birthday and everything. I better get back to, ya know.” He said.

“What, is she your best friend now? Wally, I think Paul’s in love!” Butch teased.

“Yeah, Paul. Why don’t you introduce us to your new girlfriend?”

“What do you mean, dork-face over here? Happy birthday, dork-face!”

The sadistic laughter that followed, though clearly forced, deeply hurt her. Paul was actually a good kid, but he fell in with Wally and Butch. She had just turned around and began to walk to the diner counter, when Wally grabbed her by her hair, bringing her screeching to a halt. She whirled around to face him, fighting back tears.

“This party’s pretty good, I guess. For a little kid. Balloons, party hats.” He mocked. “Not as cool as my party, though. Remember how my dad got Andy to do magic tricks? And we all played Hunt the Mutant in the Atrium? Oh, right! You weren’t invited to my party! Too bad, man. It was really fun.”

She turned around before Wally could get the satisfaction of seeing her wipe the tear forming on her eye.

“Attention everyone! It is time to cut the cake!” Andy, the vault’s resident Mr. Handy robot announced. He was situated behind the counter, facing the cake, but he wasn’t facing it with his pincer arm, nor did said arm hold a knife. Instead the side with the buzz saw was... oh no...

“Andy! Wait!” Amata cried.

Within moments, the cake was desecrated with Andy’s buzz saw arm, splattering all over the counter.

“Oh no...” Amata sighed.

Andy turned to face Emma. “Allow me to wish you a happy birthday.” He greeted in his British butler voice. “I would offer you a piece of cake, but...”

Emma sighed. “Oh, Andy...”

“Rest assured, I am mortified about the cake mishap. Simply mortified.”

She sighed again. “It’s okay, Andy... you didn’t mean any harm.”

At least Stanley didn’t mind salvaging some of the splatter onto his plate. She pressed forward on her gauntlet through the social setting of her tenth birthday party, finally rounding the counter to talk to Stanley. But she found Sparky standing in the corner, right by the maintenance worker.

“Happy birthday, young master!” the cyberdog greeted, his voice like a lighthearted child’s. Even while speaking, his tongue and mouth continued to pant. The speech program was built-in. He didn’t have to use his jaws to make it work.

“Sparky! I’m glad you could make it to the party!” Emma knelt down to rub the cyberdog’s neck and scratch his ears. The German shepherd may have had sub-dermal armor, but he could still feel touch, and most of it was covered with fur and flesh. It was just the large patch on his back, the area around his right eye, his left front leg, and his right hind leg that showed the metal underneath. The left eye was still a brown doggie eye, but his right was just a glowing red bionic eye. Butch one time told her that if he had a dog, he’d want it to at least have two eyes. Sparky would defend by saying he does have two eyes, and they work great.

“You know how it is. Where your dad goes, I go. Woo hoo!” the cyberdog cheered, barking along with it. Yes, he could even bark and talk at the same time if he wanted.

“Right. Um... just... try not to throw up on the floor, okay, boy?”

The cyberdog’s tongue slipped back into his mouth as he closed it and tilted his head to the side. “That doesn’t happen very often!” he defended.

She giggled, finding the spot right on his side that made his leg thump on the floor. “Maybe they should have let you cut the cake, Sparky.”

“Oh, yes! I would have loved to cut the cake!” It was funny how he could talk even while enthralled in a good petting session. “But, you know, I would have eaten it, too. All of it.”

Emma giggled. She stood up, leaving Sparky to shake his body a bit as he sat down on his hind legs and looked up at her, yawning. “Well, thanks for the happy birthday wishes.”

“Yes, indeed! And in ten more years, you’ll be older than me!” She giggled. The cyberdog tilted his head to the side once more. “No, wait... that’s not how it works, is it?”

“I don’t think so, you big goof.”

“Oh well. Have fun at your party, young master! I’ll be right here, seeing if I can mooch some of your birthday cake off Stanley.”

“Good luck then, Sparky.” With another giggle, she turned to talk to the maintenance worker himself. She attempted to scramble up onto the stool next to him, but was thwarted by her pathetic height and petite frame. Luckily, Stanly grabbed the back of her vaultsuit and helped hoist her up into a sitting position.

“How do ya like that there Pip-Boy, miss? Fit all right and everything?”

She blushed and nodded. Stanley was one of the few people in the vault she could be comfortable enough around not to stutter. She really enjoyed talking about programming and mechanics with him. “It kinda looks like you did some work on it, Stanley. Did you fix it up?”

“As a matter of fact, I did. I’m glad you like it. Some may think the A series, uhhh... a bit basic. Heavier than some of the fancier models, too. But I’ve always preferred them for their reliability.”

“Yeah, I think you mentioned that when you showed me your own Pip-Boy. Didn’t you say you can drop a bomb on these things and they’ll still work?”

“Wow, so you are paying attention to my tangents, huh? Just be warned, you can’t get it off once it’s on. Biometric seals and all that. I could tell you some stories of trying to take ‘em off the old folks.” He started to chuckle, but stopped as her eyes widened in horror. “Ah, well, that’s hardly a fit subject for a kid’s birthday party. Besides, not like you’d want to get it off. Your Pip-Boy’s the best friend you’ll ever have. You’ll get used to it. Soon, you’ll wonder how you ever got by without it. But here I am goin’ on about your Pip-Boy so I clean forgot to give you your present. Close your eyes, now.” She did. “Happy birthday!” She opened them to see him holding a sky blue ribbon. Her eyes widened.

“Stanley, you... you didn’t have to...”

“Of course I did. You can’t keep tying your hair with that rubber band, now can you? C’mon, lemme get rid of that thing and put this on you.”

Blushing, Emma turned around to give Stanley access to her hair. Her long, fluffy white locks, highly atypical against her chocolate skin, were down to the middle of her back, and she tied it in a low-hanging ponytail every morning. She could do it herself, but she knew it meant something to Stanley, so she let him removed the old, dirty rubber band and re-do it with the blue ribbon. “Well, don’t you look like a little angel!”

Emma turned around, her blush deepening. “Th-Thank you, Stanley.”

“Hey, don’t mention it. So, see you tomorrow in the water purifier? We’ve got some pipes that need replacing, and I could really use your help. First vault responsibilities, remember?”

“Of course, Stanley. I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

Hopping off the stool, she stepped out from the counter to the booths to see her father speaking into the intercom by the entrance. She was curious who he was talking to and why, but Butch got her attention. “Hey, Boobs!”

She nearly shrunk down to ant size at the sound of Butch’s nickname for her. She was smaller than most girls her age... but one part of her wasn’t. Bullies like Butch just loved to find the one thing about you that was different and make you hate yourself for it. She faced her tormenter, already dreading what he had to say.

“I’m hungry, and that stupid robot destroyed the cake! Gimme that sweetroll you got from Old Lady Palmer!”

“Um... uh... um... M-M-Mrs. Palmer said I d-didn’t have to sh-share...”

“Muh-Muh-Mrs. Palmer seh-seh-said I didn’t ha-ha-have to share!” He mocked. “Who’s talking about sharing, moron? I want the whole thing! Now are you gonna give me that sweetroll, or am I gonna have to give you a knuckle sandwich?”

She nearly felt like crying. “I... I could g-give you... h-half, B-Butch...”

“That’s it! You’ll be sorry!”

The taller boy got up from the booth, and before she could react, lunged forward with a solid slug to her face. She recoiled back just in time for a fist to the stomach. She was already close to tears. That was more than enough to send her over the edge. Every head in the diner turned as Emma started bawling her eyes out, her entire body racked with massive sobs as the tears streamed down her face. The sweetroll lay on the floor, dropped as a result of Butch’s assault. Officer Gomez, sitting over by the window, was quick to run up and pull the attacker away from her by the collar of his vaultsuit.

“Butch, what are you doing?! Hitting a girl, and on her birthday, for heaven’s sake!” he roared. Officer Gomez was a pacifist and a gentle man, but he knew when to be serious. He was scary when mad, but luckily he liked her. He was empathetic enough to know who deserved tough love and who deserved a gentle touch. Mrs. Palmer got up and ushered the boy out of the diner, while Officer Gomez knelt in front of the crying girl. “Did he hurt you, honey?” he asked, his voice gentle and soothing. With a steady hand, he brushed some of the long bangs hanging in front of her face away to find a bruise on her cheek.

“Oh, don’t worry, sweetie. It’s just a little bruise.” He soothed through her sobs. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a stimpak. Every officer was given a supply of two for emergencies just like this. “This may sting a little.” He injected the hypodermic into her arm. The bruise soon vanished. She knew it would’ve gone faster had he injected it at the location, but he could probably tell she really didn’t need a needle in her cheek. Not when she was crying so hard she could barely breathe. Officer Gomez gave her a big hug, patting her back and letting her sob into his vest until she calmed down. Pulling apart from her, he gave her a warm smile. “There. All better?”

Emma hiccupped, but nodded. Officer Gomez reached forward and removed the girl’s glasses, using a cloth from his pocket to wipe the tears off the lenses, before gently placing them back over her eyes. “It’s okay. Try to smile. It’s your birthday. Okay?”

She nodded, hiccupping once more. The Overseer had left to speak with someone out in the hall. No way was he dealing with a headache like this. Wally and Paul left after their friend as he was escorted out by Mrs. Palmer, with Wally looking quite amused and Paul looking worriedly at her. That just left Amata, Officer Gomez, Stanley, James, Andy, and Sparky. Amata ran up, Officer Gomez taking that as his cue to let the girl’s friend tend to her, so he went to see if he could salvage some of the cake.

“Emmie!” she cried, bringing the still hiccupping girl into a hug. “What’s Butch’s problem anyway? I can’t believe he tried to start a fight at your own birthday party! What a jerk!”

Emma fought back the urge to cry again. “I-It’s my fault.” She hiccupped. “I should’ve just g-given him the sweetroll.”

“You never learn, do you? You can’t just let Butch walk all over you like that...” Amata sighed. She was right, in a way. That wasn’t the first time Butch had hit her. It was just the first time he had done it in front of any adults.

Sparky tapped her on the rear with his nose. Emma turned around to see him standing there, holding the sweetroll gently in his mouth. Considering how much of a food moocher he was, it showed how much he was worried about her that he picked it up and was giving it back instead of eating it himself. Generally, he was encouraged to eat any food that fell on the floor.

“Th-That’s okay, Sparky.” She hiccupped. “You can have it.”

“Thanks! Sweetroll!” the cyberdog chirped, turning to go eat it in the corner. Heh. Even with something in his mouth, Sparky could still talk. The other thing about him was... he was smart enough not to scarf down any good “human food” he got. He could lie down and position any morsel between his front legs, eating it bite by bite. That’s probably what he was going off to the corner to do now.

Her dad walked up, kneeling in front of her. “Are you all right? Is Butch giving you a hard time again?” he asked. The gentle hand on her shoulder and his rich, soothing voice was enough to bring her out of her hiccupping.

“It’s okay, daddy. It was my fault. I should’ve just given him the sweetroll...”

“Hey. Sweetie, don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself. Just don’t go looking for trouble, alright? Try to be more assertive. Besides, it’s not your fault. Amata said we shouldn’t invite Butch and Wally, but I insisted. There just aren’t that many children your age in the vault. I thought he’d be happy he actually got invited. So... I’m sorry, honey. No more tears, okay? There are bullies out there far worse than Butch. Don’t let him ruin your birthday.”

She nodded, lunging forward to give her father a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back. “Now... I just spoke with Jonas over the intercom. He and I have been cooking up a little surprise present. Jonas is waiting for you downstairs on the Reactor Level. Go ahead. I don’t think anyone will mind if you slip out for a few minutes. Especially after what Butch did.” She nodded, stepping out of the door and into the hall.

 

Once out of the room, she ran into Beatrice, one of the adults of the vault. “Happy birthday, dearie! My goodness, I hope I didn’t miss the party.”

Most people would take offense to being spoken to like a child. But Beatrice spoke that way to everyone. To be honest, despite her warm aunt attitude, she found the woman intimidating just like most of the adults in the vault. Well, save for her father, Jonas, Stanley, Officer Gomez, and Mr. Brotch. Her response to Beatrice’s greeting was to clam up and fidget uncomfortably. The woman continued when it was evident Emma was not going to say anything.

“My, my. Ten years old already. Why, I can remember helping your dad change your diapers...” Emma blushed a deep crimson, hiding her face in her hands. She was just thankful no one else was in the hall, or she’d die of embarrassment. Her father had stepped back into the diner with Sparky as well, so she was spared the embarrassment of them hearing as well. “And now look at you! A great big grown-up ten-year-old, with your very own Pip-Boy. Since this was such a special occasion, do you know what I did? I wrote you a poem! Just for you! I hope you like it.”

She handed Emma a sheet of paper, and insisted she show the girl how to scan it into her Pip-Boy’s databank.

“Th-Th-Th-Thank y-you...” the girl stammered, her legs trembling.

“You’re welcome!” she said, seemingly oblivious to the girl’s discomfort. “Run along now, dearie! And have yourself a wonderful birthday!”

She couldn’t get away from Beatrice fast enough. Luckily, though small, she was a fast runner. But as she turned the corner and was about to turn the next one down into the reactor, she noticed the Overseer heading up the stairs ahead of her. Crouching down low, she stuck to the shadows of the wall and followed him up. He didn’t seem to notice her. She always was good at moving about silently and remaining undetected. Must’ve been from sneaking out of her room so much to go have secret sleepovers with Amata. As the Overseer turned the corner to go further up the stairs, she stopped, listening closely.

“Enjoy the party, sir?” That was Officer Kendall, one of the vault’s security officers.

“Bah, I only showed up because Amata’s friends with the brat.” She felt those bitter words like a knife stabbing into her heart. “Give them a few more minutes then I want that place cleaned up and everybody back to work.”

“Sure thing, sir.” Officer Kendall replied, oddly cheerful. She heard footsteps, and quickly retreated back down the stairs and down into the reactor before the security guard came down and saw her.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

She walked down the stairs while looking down at the poem in her Pip-Boy. It was... strange, to say the least. Despite her youth, she could tell there was something... different... about Beatrice. Maybe it was the tarot card readings she offered in the Atrium. But this poem didn’t seem like the kind of thing anyone would give a ten-year-old.

“What are you doing down here, young lady? I thought kids weren’t allowed on the Reactor Level.”

She froze in her tracks, looking up from her Pip-Boy to find herself already at the bottom of the stairs, with Jonas standing across from her, looking her over mischievously from behind his iconic glasses.

“Um... uh... B-But daddy told me it w-was okay to c-come down here...”

“Hey, relax! I was just teasing.” Now she felt silly. She blushed and rubbed the back of her head. “Listen, now that you’re ten, you don’t have to take guff like that from grown-ups anymore. Got it?” He chuckled. “Hold on one more minute. I think your dad will want to give you the surprise himself.”

She turned around to see her father walk in, Sparky just behind him. “Are you ready for your surprise?”

“Um... wh-what kind of surprise, daddy?”

“Relax, honey. You’ll like this one. The Overseer gave you your Pip-Boy, and you’re old enough to do some work, so... I think you’re old enough for this.”

He stepped over to the corner, grabbing something from the shadows, and returned to hold it out for her. “Your own wooden sword!”

Her face lit up. “Y-You got me a bokken, daddy?” she squealed.

“Bokken?” He looked to Jonas. The engineer just shrugged.

“I-It’s a wooden katana used to train. Sammer-Guy uses one all the time when he’s practicing.” She explained. “Where’d you find it?”

“We made it from some of the wood scrap that was getting tossed in the incinerator, actually. Took us a while to find a good piece of wood to use, and about three months to carve it right. Luckily Stanley was a big help. Want to try it out?”

“Um... here? W-We can’t practice here...”

“Right. Not unless you want the Overseer asking what the noise is. But Jonas and I found a place. C’mon.”

She followed him deeper into the Reactor Level, through a steel door, to where a nook had been set up with a training dummy, cobbled together with a mattress wrapped around a metal pole, a second pole with gloves on each end acting as arms, and a motorcycle helmet on top for the head. She gazed at it with stars in her eyes. “Well, what do you think? You can come down here and practice any time you want.”

“Th-This is so great, daddy! Thank you so much!” she squealed. James and Jonas chuckled.

“Couldn’t have done it without Jonas’s help. You make sure to thank him. Stanley too next time you get the chance.”

“Happy birthday, darlin’. I hope you have fun with it.” Jonas added, waving.

She ran over to the engineer, hugging him around the waist tightly. “Thanks so much, Jonas!”

“Hey, you don’t turn ten every day. Now go on and let me see you beat that thing into submission. Look at it, staring at you, daring you.” He teased.

She nodded, running up to the dummy and taking a stance. Specifically, the same stances she practiced while studying Sammer-Guy’s fight scenes, only this time she had an actual wooden sword in her hand instead of a baseball bat. With a jump forward, she smacked the dummy vertically across the chest, causing it to rattle as a tremor went through its pieces. With another jump, she hit it in the side with a horizontal swing, then landed and thrust the tip of the sword at its heart. She stopped when she heard some scurrying sounds.

“Careful, it’s a radroach. Thing you can take care of it? Don’t worry, you’ll be fine.”

She looked over at the giant cockroach. She wasn’t scared of it. She just wasn’t sure she could kill another living thing, even if it was a pest that wanted to hurt her.

“C’mon! Think like that samurai guy!”

“Sammer-Guy, Jonas.”

“She knows what I’m talkin’ about.”

So, closing her eyes, she set her imagination to work. A grassy field, the reeds up to her waist. A clear night with a full moon. The capital city in the distance, the next target of her enemy. Before her, Comrade Roch-Yang, head of the Roach Clan, a communist clan opposed to her own Vault 101 clan and supporters of the Red threat. She stared down at the bipedal roach, and he narrowed his eyes at her. Throwing off his straw hat and the jacket of his robes, Roch-Yang reached to his waist and unsheathed his weapons, four short swords, wielded in his four arms. Amusing. He thought he could beat quality with quantity. Wordlessly, she removed her own blade from its scabbard, holding it upwards before her face. Her eyes shot open, and she charged for her enemy. Roch-Yang was ready for her, parrying her blow with a swing of two of his own blades. She jumped back before he could counter with his other two, but he still managed to cut the sleeve of her robe. He was good, yes... But not good enough. She had the advantage of speed over him. She was smaller, nimbler. He could never hit what he couldn’t catch. Charging in, she jumped in for a downward slash on the samurai head, who prepared for another parry and counterattack. But she vanished. He looked about wildly, only to jump back as her blade stabbed downward into the ground.

“Too slow!”

Her sword embedded in the ground for leverage, she planted a solid kick to his chest with her wooden sandal-clad foot, sending the enemy samurai stumbling back. Pulling her sword from the ground, and still airborne, she spun around in the air with her sword held out, spinning like a buzz saw. With a mighty chop, she pierced his head, the blade sinking down to his neck. It was over.

“Tell Comrade Ping that it was me who killed you, just like I killed him. And the rest of your clan is next.”

She landed solidly on her feet, swinging her sword in the air to clean the yellow blood off it. She turned and walked away just as Roch-Yang’s lifeless body fell to the ground, dead.

“Good work! That’s one less Radroach to deal with.”

Strange, she could’ve sworn she was alone in this field. She turned to see Sensei Jamze run up to her and wrap her in a hug. That’s when she snapped out of it. “Let’s get a picture together. Capture the moment. Jonas, get a picture of me with the big samurai!”

Her father wrapped his arm over her shoulder, and she dumbly turned to face forward, her new sword still in her hands. Jonas was facing them with a big flashbulb camera held up.

“Smile!”

The flash was blinding.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Six years later...

 

“As far as I can tell, you’re a perfectly healthy sixteen-year-old girl. So, yes, you have to go to class to take your G.O.A.T. exam.”

“Perfectly healthy?”

“Yes. Of course. Why?”

Her gaze shifted down to her chest, then up to the top of her father’s head.

“Okay, so you’re not as tall as most of the girls your age. And you’re a bit ahead of them in terms of development.”

“That’s just a nice way of saying I’m too short and my boobs are too big...”

Her father sighed. She knew he hated when she got this way... But this was a big day for her.

“Listen, sweetie. Everyone’s body is different. For all I know, you might just hit a growth spurt soon. But checking your height on the wall every day isn’t going to make you grow any faster. Nor is measuring your chest with the tape measure every day going to make you develop any slower.”

She sighed. “If you say so, dad.” Her father sighed back. He could probably tell how depressed she was. “Um, dad? Anything I need to know about the G.O.A.T.?” Hopefully that would get them off the subject of her body.

“The Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test. G.O.A.T. Everyone has to take it when they turn sixteen. I had to, and you do too. Helps to figure out what kind of job you’ll have in Vault 101 when you get a bit older. So, pay attention, and try not to fall asleep. You know what the Overseer says. We’re born in the vault, we die in the vault. Each is tested to determine their abilities, that they may work for the betterment of all vault residents. Hm. Sound familiar?”

That left a question in her mind. Eager to lead the subject farther away, she pressed it. “Is it true, dad? Was everyone born in the vault?”

Her father sighed again. It seemed like he was conflicted... She could tell. “That’s what the Overseer says, isn’t it? He’s not about to let anyone else in, so I guess that’s how it’ll have to be. You’re here now, and it’s a hell of a lot better than being up there. All your mother and I ever wanted was for you to be safe, and you’re safe here.”

“Do we have to die in the vault? Can’t we ever leave?”

Yes, it certainly seemed like these questions bothered him... She had several guesses as to why, but none were even close to the real truth. “That’s not the way it works. And it won’t do to go around asking questions like that. Especially not around the Overseer.” The Overseer still intimidated her. Six years hadn’t changed that. “I want to tell you something now. It’s important, so listen closely... This place, this vault... It’s not perfect, but it is your home. You’re safe here. Stay on the Overseer’s good side and you always will be. You understand? You need to appreciate all you have. Because what’s up there, on the outside... that’s not the life I want for you. And it’s not what your mother wanted for you, either.”

Her mother... Her eyes glanced to the photo on her father’s desk. She knew she’d regret asking her next question. It always made her father sad, and that made her sad. “Um... C-Can we talk about... mom?”

“Your mother, she... She was beautiful. But... beyond the beauty you’ve seen. There’s just so much those old photos can never show.” her dad explained. She could tell from his words... he loved her. And he missed her. “And she was passionate. About life, about love. But most of all... most of all she was passionate about you. When she became pregnant, it was the happiest I had ever seen her.” He sighed. A long, pleasant sight. Emma felt herself smiling just from the sound of it. “She had big things in mind for you... And so! Time for you to stop stalling and get to class. Please, honey, please... Take these achievement tests seriously. The last thing I need is your mother’s ghost haunting me because her only child became a... a garbage burner.”

She giggled. “Okay, dad. Thanks... I love you.”

“I love you too, sweetie. Whatever the test says, I’ll still love you.”

He leaned down so she could plant a kiss on his cheek. As she walked out of her father’s office, she passed Jonas. “Good morning! Stopped in to see the old man before class, eh?”

She nodded. “Good morning, Jonas.”

As she passed him, she found Stanley in the corner, sitting in the chair reserved for waiting patients. He waved to her, giving a cough, and she waved back. Outside, Andy was fixing the wiring behind an open panel in the wall, wishing her good morning and urging her to be careful while he worked.

“Get out of my way, you stupid Tunnel Snakes!”

“I could show you a real tunnel snake, A-ma-ta.”

Oh, great. Her best friend was getting accosted by the resident vault bully and his two flunkies. She had to help her... but... It was Butch... sometimes, she’d wake up feeling the punch Butch gave her on her tenth birthday... No! She had to be brave...

 

Her trusted friend, the ninja Ninjata, lay in a pit of snakes. The Snake Clan, led by Butch and his two henchman, Wally and Paul. She was without her sword. The Snake Clan jumped her friend while her blade was at the blacksmith. But they didn’t have their swords, either. They weren’t samurai. They never used swords. They were just simple street thugs. Even without her sword, they were no match for her.

“Um... B-Butch?”

A samurai without her sword had less confidence... but her words still carried weight if they struck home.

“I look like I wanna chitchat, Boobs? What, ya want another beatin’?”

How silly of him. Her bosom was as much a weapon as her sword. That’s why she left her robes partly open, to show just a tantalizing amount of cleavage. It throws the enemy off guard. Distracts him. Allows her to strike at them while they still underestimate her. And it was working. His eyes weren’t on her hands, nor her face. They were on her chest.

“Um... uh... wh-what’s going on, B-Butch?”

He thought he looked tough in his leather armor, a cheap mock-up of samurai armor. The true samurai didn’t need armor. It is better to avoid attacks, not take them, after all. It was only in full-scale conflict between clans that samurai wore armor, and it was only as a matter of pride and honor.

“Nuh-Nuh-None a your business, Buh-Buh-Boobs. Get out of here, before you get hurt. If you mess with the Tunnel Snakes, you’re askin’ for it. Got me?”

He could make all the threats he wanted. He didn’t live life by the sword. But she did. Without her sword, words were her greatest weapon.

“Um... B-But Butch!” she cried, clasping her hands together under her chin. Her arms pressed up against her breasts had a desirable effect on her enemy, even if she didn’t intend it. Samurai were trained to use their greatest weapons without meaning to when they needed them most, after all. “I-If you keep harassing Amata, th-the Overseer might get m-mad!”

His eye flickered up from her chest to her face. There was hesitation in them. He could see a samurai’s logic, even though he was a simple street thug. She had him right where she wanted him. He thought he could beat a samurai by attacking her loved ones, waiting for the moment when she was without her sword. Even then, with the odds tilted in his favor... he never stood a chance. A handicap didn’t matter when the skill between the two foes was so far greater.

“Maybe you’re right. We can deal with her later. C’mon, Tunnel Snakes. This little *censored* isn’t worth our time.”

“Whatever you say, Butch. You’re the boss. Tunnel Snakes rule!” Paul Hannon cheered. He used to be such a nice boy... Butch and Wally had really tainted him...

“Fine. Let’s go.” Wally Mack shoved Emma roughly as he passed, but Amata steadied her before she fell over.

“Thanks for getting rid of them. Assholes. You’ve always been a good friend.”

Emma smiled at her. “I’m just repaying you for all the times you’ve helped me.”

Amata chuckled. “You know... I saw what you did there. With your arms. For once, that ill-fitting jumpsuit paid off.”

Emma blushed. Stupid jumpsuit... Her slow height growth along with her rapidly developing bosom meant most standard vaultsuits wouldn’t fit her. This one had the sleeves and legs rolled up... and wouldn’t zip up all the way. At present, it wasn’t too bad. The zipper just wouldn’t go past the top of her DD-cup breasts, so just a bit of cleavage was visible. It was enough that Freddie Gomez couldn’t even talk to her unless he was looking away. It was embarrassing... but she supposed it did distract Butch enough for her words to sway him.

The two made their way into the room, taking their seats at their respective desks. Butch and Wally were glaring at her, making her nervous. She tried to focus on Mr. Brotch addressing the class. “Well, now that everyone has managed to find the classroom, we can finally get started. No talking, and keep your eyes to yourselves.”

Butch snickered.

“Yes, I’m talking to you, Mr. DeLoria.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Brotch.”

“Unless anyone else has an insightful comment, let’s get started.”

The slide on the projection flipped over several images to depict the scenario of each question, which asked what the test taker would do in each hypothetical situation. The questions didn’t seem to relate much to occupations in the vault. Each one had four options to choose from, but few of them were things Emma would actually do. The tenth question was the strangest. Mr. Brotch read it as if he had done it many times before and was bored with saying it.

“Question ten. Who is, indisputably, the most important person in Vault 101? He who shelters us from the harshness of the atomic wasteland, and to whom we owe everything we have, including our lives?”

There were four options like the previous nine questions. But they were all the same. ‘The Overseer’.

“Pencils down! That’s it, people. The infamous G.O.A.T.” The lights turned back on. Mr. Brotch began walking over to his desk to receive the tests. “I’m sure most of you didn’t find it so bad. For the rest of you, well... there’s always openings in the maintenance department. Don’t forget to hand in your test before you leave. You don’t want to know what happens to people who fail the G.O.A.T. You can have the rest of the day off to celebrate, or to pray, as the situation warrants.” He chuckled.

She wasn’t sure what to put for a lot of the questions. Most of the students got up to line up at the desk. Amata was first.

“Here you are, Mr. Brotch. I hope I did okay.”

“Nothing for you to worry about, Ms. Almodovar. Let’s see... very well done!” he sounded impressed. “Looks like it’s the supervisory track for you.”

“Thanks. See you tomorrow.”

Butch was next in line. “Yo, teach. I’m done.”

“Ah, Butch. Can I say that I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long, long time? Allow me to savor the moment.” Mr. Brotch began. “Now then, let’s see... Really?... Interesting...” She knew Mr. Brotch was drawing it out because he was loving every moment of it, and enjoyed tormenting those who deserved it. “You’ve surprised me, Butch. I didn’t think you had it in you. Hairdresser! Who would have thunk it?” Emma giggled.

“You’re so full of it!” Butch asserted. “That isn’t true!”

Mr. Brotch offered no further words, so Butch walked off grumbling to himself while Paul Hannon stepped up to the desk. “I’m all done, Mr. Brotch. I guess. Uh... Wait a second. Can I have it back? I think I need to change one of my answers...”

“Just calm down a minute, Paul. I’m sure you have nothing to worry about. Let’s see... Mmm hmmm... Yep. Just as I thought. You’re slated for the engineering track. Congratulations, Mr. Hannon. You’ve passed the G.O.A.T.”

“Oh, gee. That’s not so bad. Engineering. All right!” Paul sounded pleased with his result. She could only hope she’d like what she got...

Christine Kendall was next. “Mother can’t wait to find out if I’ll be going into science or home economics.” She told Mr. Brotch as she handed in her test.

“Science. Ah, well... Perhaps. Let’s see what the G.O.A.T. says.” Mr. Brotch said with a bit unease. “Well, well! Maintenance department! I... hope your mother will be pleased. I’m sure Stanley will.”

“What? That’s impossible! I’m telling father! He won’t let you get away with this!” She ran off out of the room. She always was a bit of a snob...

Susie Mack, Wally’s sister, was next. “Here. What’s this stupid test say I’m going to be doing for the rest of my life?”

“Now, now, Susie. Is that anyway to talk about the infallible G.O.A.T.?” Mr. Brotch chided. “You will be...” He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “You’ll be going into teaching. No doubt due to your gift for communication. Not to worry, it isn’t as bad as it sounds.”

“About what I figured. I guess I’ll see ya around, Edwin.” Ugh. How could anyone talk to Mr. Brotch like that?

Her brother Wally Mack was next. “I’m finished. Here.”

“Don’t you want to find out what you got?”

“Nah, I already know what it says. Hardly takes a rocket scientist to crack that joke of a test.” He walked off. She overheard Mr. Brotch mumble to himself.

“Well I'll be damned, that little so and so. Wish I'd thought of that when I was sixteen...”

Her and Freddie Gomez were the last two in the room, both still at their desks and fussing over their tests. “Times a wasting, Mr. Gomez, Ms. Carpenter.” Mr. Brotch called over.

She turned around to look at Freddie. He seemed an absolute wreck. “What’s wrong?” she whispered. He looked up, his face distraught.

“I can’t figure out number five.” He whispered. “First I think I should listen to my grandma. But then... isn’t killing someone wrong?”

Sighing, Emma got up and crouched down next to Freddie’s desk, looking over his paper. It looked like most of the answers were hastily scribbled in. Some were marked twice, others had marks outside the circles’ boundaries.

“Freddie...” She lowered her voice even further. “Want to switch tests with me?”

“R-Really?”

“Yes. Mine’s not much better, but I’m sure you deserve more than this.”

For once, he looked directly at her. A challenge given his magnetic attraction to her chest. “But... I can’t...”

“Just do it, Freddie. Please? We can talk about it afterwards.”

He looked like he was about to cry. In truth, she snuck peeks at her father’s medical records in the clinics. She knew Freddie suffered from VDS, or vault depressive syndrome. He was a social wreck and had no confidence, with her father stringing him up on anti-psychotics to try and make him less depressed. She... sympathized. He was a social outcast. Just like her and Amata. Amata called him ‘Freddie the Freak’, but she would probably feel the same way if she knew about the real Freddie Gomez. His father raised him right... she could tell.

Silently, she swapped her test for his, encouraging him to get up and head to Mr. Brotch’s desk. “Um... I... I’m ready, Mr. Brotch.”

“Really? I’m quite interested to see what your results are, Mr. Gomez. Hmmm... Apparently you're management material. You're going to be trained as a shift supervisor. Could I be talking to the next Overseer? Stranger things have happened.”

“R-Really?” he sounded amazed.

“Yes. Congratulations, Mr. Gomez.”

Freddie ran back to the desks and tackled Emma in a big hug. She blushed and hugged him back. “Thank you...” he whispered. He turned and walked to the exit, but stopped and turned to watch her as she turned in her own test. Mr. Brotch only gave it a quick glance before he had her results figured out.

“Looks like you’ll be the vault’s new masseuse.”

“Um... m-masseuse? As in... massage?”

“Yes indeed, Ms. Carpenter.”

“A-Are you sure?”

Mr. Brotch looked both ways, then leaned in and spoke in a whisper. “Look... When I was your age, I didn’t take the G.O.A.T. seriously, and look where I ended up. Just between you and me? The whole test is a joke. Your father is a good friend of mine. And I know you’re a good kid. If you don’t like the results... I can make your G.O.A.T. turn out any way you want. Just let me know.”

She considered it for a moment. She turned to look at Freddie, who was giving her a worried look. He had heard her result, no doubt. And he was probably wondering what they were talking about now.

“No thank you, Mr. Brotch. I’m happy with my results. I’d rather not cheat the G.O.A.T.”

Mr. Brotch smiled. A knowing smile. He could tell what she had done with Freddie Gomez. But he wasn’t going to say anything about it. She smiled back, silently thanking him for keeping their secret. Turning, she left the room, walking out with Freddie.

Amata was waiting for her. “Hey, wanna head to the diner for some lunch?” she asked.

“Sure. Um... C-Can Freddie come with us?”

Amata looked to Freddie next to her, who gazed down at the floor with unease. She shot Emma a look like ‘are you crazy?’ Emma just nodded. She knew Amata could understand the look on her face. She was never this sure about anything before in her life. So, with a sigh from Amata, the three made their way to the diner.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Three years later...

 

She was brought out of her reflections by a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw Freddie walk up to keep pace with her on the opposite side Amata was on. Amata smiled at him, and continued her story. He and Emma laughed at the funny parts, shared her anger or sadness for the bad parts. For on that day, three years ago, Emma Carpenter added another best friend to her life. Even Amata Almodovar came to see the side of Freddie Gomez that only Emma saw. With true friends of his own, the boy’s VDS lessened with each and every day, finally all but disappearing the very day he shared his first kiss with the girl of his dreams, arranged by the girl who first opened up to him when no one else would.

 

For the three years after the infamous G.O.A.T., Amata and Freddie both trained as supervisors, while Emma trained as a masseuse. Butch insisted he was a barber, not a hairdresser. At the same time, when she wasn’t with Amata and Freddie, she spent her free time helping out her father and Jonas in the clinic, and helping Stanley with the maintenance. Her days were busy, so she often slept in class. But as long as she still had time to be with her two best friends, she was happy.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

August 17th, 2277, 9:04 AM, the next day

 

“Wake up! C’mon, wake up!”

Emma Carpenter peeled her eyes open to see one of her two best friends, Amata Almodovar, standing over her. She stood up, pausing to stretch her arms and yawn, before arranging the covers over her nude body so she could speak with her friend properly.

“C’mon, you’ve got to wake up!”

“Why? What’s wrong, Amata?” she asked, still not fully awake.

“You’ve got to get out of here! Your dad is gone, and my father’s men are looking for you!”

“Gone? What do you mean, Amata?” She rolled over and nestled back into the mattress.

Amata responded by pulling the covers off of her, sending her tumbling to the floor. “He’s left the vault! I don’t know how, but he’s gone, and my father... he’s kind of gone crazy.”

Now she was fully awake. Everything was incredibly blurry without her glasses, so she grabbed them from her bedside table and slipped them on. She stood up, walking over to her dresser to retrieve one of her vaultsuits. Normally, she’d die being naked in front of anyone except her father, but Amata was special to her. So was Freddie Gomez.

“He’s gone? That’s impossible... And that can’t be all. You sound too scared, Amata...”

“It’s Jonas! They killed him!” Emma’s rifling through her dresser stopped, turning to stare at her friend with wide eyes. “My father’s men... they took him, and... Oh my God, you have to leave, now!”

Amata seemed close to crying. Emma walked over and wrapped her arms around the girl in a hug. Again, something she wouldn’t do before getting dressed, but there were no secrets between her and her two best friends. “Are you going to be okay, Ammy?”

“Yeah. Don’t worry about me. I’m just sorry you had to find out like this. I know Jonas was your friend.” Her voice sounded feeble. If Emma hadn’t hugged her, she’d be crying right now. “But we’ve got to go now! My father’s men will be here any minute!” Now the urgency was back in her voice.

Emma returned to going through her dresser, tugging out one of the blue jumpsuits everyone wore in Vault 101. “Wasn’t the door sealed shut, Ammy? How’d dad get out?”

“I have no idea. But... you’re really telling me you had no idea your father was planning to do this?”

She paused in the middle of slipping her legs into the jumpsuit, staring down at the floor sadly.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Emmie...” Amata soothed. “I’m sure he had his reasons. Maybe Jonas was supposed to explain everything to you? But it doesn’t matter. I can help you escape! I have my own plan!”

“Okay. What do we need to do?” Emma asked, slipping her arms into the sleeves and zipping up the jumpsuit. Well, as much as she could, at least.

“There’s a secret tunnel that leads directly from my father’s office to the exit. You’ll have to hack the computer in his office to open it. I asked Butch, and he gave me some bobby pins to pick the lock on the door.”

She looked up from where she was lacing up her boots. “Butch?”

Amata looked down, fidgeting nervously. “Well... Butch has his uses when you want to snoop through your father’s office.” she admitted.

“It’s okay. Let’s go find Freddie and get out of here.” The look on Amata’s face spoke volumes. “Ammy? Did something happen to Freddie?”

“He... I got to him first. We were on our way to see you when my father’s men found us. Freddie... he turned himself in so that I could run and wake you up. My father’s probably interrogating him right now...”

“Fred-Fred sacrificed himself?” she gasped.

“He said... He owed you ten times over for last New Year’s Eve...”

She smiled at the thought. New Years... a lot of work, but it payed off to see the look on Freddie’s face. It was tough to get him and Amata alone together... But that was a memory for another time. “I need to hurry! Maybe I can save him!”

“Wait! I stole my father’s pistol. I hope you won’t need it, but you’d better take it just in case.” She showed her a 10mm pistol standard of all Vault 101 security officers.

Emma shook her head. “No. I have my bokken. It’s more humane than a gun in case I run into trouble. You might need that gun more than I do.”

“Well... okay. I guess it may come in handy if I run into any radroaches. I’ll try to meet you at the exit. Rescue Freddie if you can. Good luck!”

Turning, Amata ran off. That’s when the fear hit Emma. She’d have to make her way out of here alone... and she only had a short time to prepare.

She took a look at herself in the mirror. Grabbing the sky blue ribbon from her desk, she died her fluffy locks into a low ponytail. She had to wonder about her hair. Her mother was African-American, while her father was Caucasian. Her own skin looked quite African-American... But her hair... it was snow white. Soft and fluffy, too. She at times wondered if it was a mutation, but she’d been born in Vault 101, so... maybe it was a natural genetic mutation. Her eyes were a reddish-brown. Amata and Freddie noted that they looked as if they glowed red when the light hit them at certain angles. She was short, though. At nineteen, she was only five feet tall. But while she stopped growing at age sixteen, her breasts sure didn’t. In three years, they were an H-cup. That was a cup size a year from the DD she had when she was sixteen. Her jumpsuit wouldn’t even zip over them anymore. She had to leave it halfway zipped. The zipper stopped just under her breasts, so that most of them were on full display. And they were still growing. She measured them every so often. It was small and gradual, but it was evident the boob fairy wasn’t satisfied with her only having an H-cup. Compared to Amata’s B-cups or Christine Kendall’s D-cups, she made them look small by comparison. Of course, this only encouraged Butch to tease her all the more, particularly with his nickname for her...

 

Okay, she had to pack. She grabbed her dark green backpack from the corner and looked for anything she could put in it. First, a spare vaultsuit. She didn’t want to be stuck with only one outfit. She was a designated hitter for the little league games they played in the atrium. Chosen for her speed at running the bases, she was told. Her baseball and mitt from the game would make good memories. So would the Sammer-Guy issue she received from Amata on her tenth birthday. She packed all three. The first aid kit on the wall by her desk held a dose of Med-X and a few stimpaks, which she packed in the side pockets of her backpack for easy access. Her BB gun... or, rather, Freddie’s BB gun. Black Bart's Bane, he called it. He’d received it for his own tenth birthday soon after her’s, apparently, and gave it to her for her seventeenth birthday. It was less lethal than a handgun, and a firearm, even a toy, might come in handy. Plus, she could give it back to Freddie when she found him. She grabbed the canister of BBs as well. Finally, her bokken. The wooden sword had killed many a radroach, and probably slain her training dummy countless times. She had some apprehension about using it on a human, but as long as they weren’t lethal strikes she should be fine. What else? Her spare glasses. She’d be in trouble if this pair broke. Okay, that should be everything. Now she had to make her escape.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

The moment she stepped out of her apartment, she saw Officer Kendall just down the hall.

“There she is! Hold it right there!”

She froze, but the officer was set upon by three radroaches. “Criminy! More roaches!” He started hitting them with his police baton. “Take that, ya little buggers!”

Immediately, Emma ran forward and whacked one of the radroaches with her bokken, squishing it, then dashed for the second and sliced clean through its middle just as Officer Kendall finished with the first radroach.

“Um... O-Officer Kendall, a-are you ok-“ She was silenced with a police baton to the face. Emma recoiled back, clutching her bleeding nose. “O-Officer Kendall! Wh-What’s gotten into you?” She ducked as he swung his baton at her again. It was obvious he intended to either kill or maim her. Gripping her bokken tightly, she lunged in and jabbed him in the stomach with the back of the handle. As he leaned forward in pain, she used the tip to flip his helmet off, then whacked him on the side of the head with the flat side. He fell to the ground. It took her a few moments to register what she’d just done. She... she attacked another human being. One she actually knew. Was he dead? She looked down at his form to find he was still breathing. Good. Just unconscious. She’d have to do something similar with any other vault security officers she ran into. Shaking her limbs to steady her nerves and rid herself of the trembles wracking her body, she ran ahead to make her way out of the vault, but was stopped when Butch turned the other corner and ran up to her.

“You gotta help me! My mom’s trapped in there with the radroaches!”

She recoiled a bit at the sight of her lifelong bully. “B-Butch? You’re... a-asking m-me f-for help?” she squeaked.

“Yeah, I’m askin’ you. So what?” was his indignant reply. “Look, I’m sorry for the way I’ve always treated you. You know I never meant any of it, right? But it’s my Mom. You can’t leave her in there with the radroaches, alright?”

She was surprised. He sounded genuinely sincere for once. The sorry for how he’d treated her all her life was a bit half-hearted, but he actually seemed concerned for his mother’s safety. “Um... O-Okay, Butch. T-Take me to her, a-and I’ll help.”

“No, I can’t go back in there. It’s dark, and... and there’s radroaches.” the Tunnel Snake explained, albeit with unease.

Okay, it really wasn’t all that dark in this part of the vault, not with all the fluorescent lights, even if they were duller than usual right now. So that means... “Um... Butch, a-are you... afraid of radroaches?”

“Yeah, I hate radroaches. I can’t stand them! They seriously creep me out. I admit it! You just gotta help my mom! Can’t you hear her in there screamin’? She’s not gonna last much longer!” he pleaded.

Hmm... She knew she should probably go and do this for Butch... but if he didn’t face his fear right now to save his mom, he’d regret it. It’s what was best for him.

“Butch... You have to go in there. She’s your mom. You have to face your fear and be a hero.”

“Yeah, what do you know?”

“You’re lucky, Butch... I’ve... I’ve never had a mother...”

That did it. She was sincere, but she really didn’t expect, or plan for, her show of emotional weakness to actually faze her lifelong tormenter. The look on his face... she’d never seen him look at her with anything else than contempt. Was that... sympathy in his eyes?

“Okay, okay... But all I got on me is my toothpick. I need somethin’ better.”

She was going to regret this... but she reached for the strap on her backpack and handed him Freddie’s BB gun. “Take this, Butch.”

“Whoa, where’d ya get this?” the Tunnel Snake exclaimed with renewed confidence. “Let’s get in there and save my mom!”

Butch turned and ran back around the corner, with Emma in fast pursuit. He led her right into his apartment, where his mother was being nipped and ravaged by three radroaches. Her distraught cries for her ‘Butchy’ were particularly unsettling. When the two entered the room, it was clear Butch’s confidence was wavering now that he was actually faced with his greatest fear. She reached up and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. He didn’t turn to look at her, but his face tightened in determination, as did the grip on her BB gun. Charging in, he kicked one of the radroaches off his mother, firing a BB right into it as it sailed through the air. Two more dead-center shots into the other two radroaches and the toy rifle fell from his hands, the Tunnel Snake dropping to his knees to soothe his traumatized mother. Emma stood at the doorway, watching the touching scene while fighting back the urge to cry. It... must be nice... to have a mother...

She was brought out of her thoughts when Butch lunged at her and held her in a tight hug.“We did it!” he cheered. “My mom’s gonna be okay! You’re the best friend I’ve ever had, Em!”

“Um... Em?” Not ‘Boobs’?

“That’s your name, isn’t it? Hey, I know it isn’t much, but I want you to have my Tunnel Snakes Jacket. Go ahead, take it.” And he slipped the garment off his shoulders and tossed it to her, which she caught. It smelled a bit... but she could tell giving her this meant a lot to him, so... she slipped it on over her vaultsuit, just so he wouldn’t feel bad. Actually... it was kind of comfortable.

“Thanks, Butch. Now... I need to get going. My dad left the vault. I need to escape, too.”

“Good luck, Em! Lemme know if there’s anythin’ I can do to help!” Butch exclaimed. He turned to help his mother into a chair, handing her a bottle of vodka. Emma turned and quietly slipped out the door to continue her trek out of the vault.

 

As much as she envied Butch for having a mother... she also felt bad for him. Ellen DeLoria was an alcoholic, vodka her drink of choice. She always used up all the ration coupons on as much of the vile stuff as she could, often leaving Butch hungry or neglected. It probably explained his bad behavior and serious attitude... she didn’t think she’d ever see Butch again, but maybe his new opinion of her would stick.

 

She passed the diner, the same one she had her tenth birthday party in, and saw someone lying on the ground, surrounded by another trio of radroaches. Fearing for their safety, she dashed in and gave each radroach a solid whack or slice with her bokken. She checked, and it was grandma Taylor. She had no pulse... she was dead. She wished she could’ve gotten here sooner... maybe she could’ve saved her. But no use regretting it. She had to get out of here. It looked like the door leading straight from the diner to the Atrium was disabled for some reason. She’d have to take the long way around, past the clinic and classroom.

 

She ran past the hall to the Reactor Level and climbed up the stairs to the next level of the vault. She saw Officer Gomez ahead, and was prepared to subdue him. He saw her, but he turned right around and started beating a radroach that emerged from the clinic. Three more accompanied it, but they were soon burned to a crisp by Andy’s blowtorch. She had to wonder why Mr. Handy robots were equipped with blow torches and buzz saws... it seemed so impractical for a robot designed for household chores. Though... Andy himself was a maintenance work type of Mr. Handy, not a household butler type. So that may explain it. Regardless, Andy ventured into the clinic right when the radroaches were burned. Officer Gomez turned and ran up to her.

“Oh, you’re lucky it was me who found you. The others won’t be so forgiving. I don’t know what you’re up to and I don’t wanna know. Just clear out of here and I’ll pretend I never saw you.”

She smiled up at Officer Gomez. He wasn’t offering her much help... but she knew he was offering as much as he could without risking his own life. If the Overseer or one of the other security officers saw him actually helping her escape, he’d be locked up. Possibly even killed, considering what the Overseer did to Jonas. She knew that just simply pretending he hadn’t seen her was a big enough risk as it was. That’s why she lunged forward and wrapped Officer Gomez up in a tight hug.

“Thank you, Officer Gomez... you’ve always been the kindest security officer in the vault.”

Though he was nervous a moment before, he noticeably relaxed in the girl’s arms, reaching down to pat her on the back. “Don’t worry. I’ve always had your back, right from the start. I’m just sorry it had to come to this. I can’t believe what they did to Jonas... Officer Mack was just out of control... But you’re a good kid. Always have been. You never did anything to deserve this. Go... Go find your dad. I just wish I could offer more... oh, hang on.” He pulled away from her and kneeled down to her level, reaching into his pocket and pulling out two stimpaks. He injected both into her arm, one after the other, and her bloody nose healed right back up. “Hate to see your pretty face like that, Emma...”

Emma smiled and wiped a small tear from her eye. That was all the thanks Officer Gomez needed to let him know that his care touched her. “Um... Officer Gomez, sir... Ellen DeLoria and Butch were attacked by radroaches. They could use someone to guard them for a while in case more come or an officer other than you shows up.”

He merely smiled and gave a slow nod. Giving him one more hug, she parted for the clinic. Maybe there was a clue in her father’s office.

 

Andy had indeed headed into the clinic. Stanley, the maintenance worker who gave her the sky blue ribbon she still wore and fixed up her Pip-Boy, was in there as well.

“Looking for your dad, huh? Well, he always took good care of us, so it’s none of my business. I won’t tell anyone I saw you.” Stanley explained, grabbing his tool box and opening up a compartment on Andy’s chassis.

“Ah, the young miss is looking for her father, is she? I believe he went topside for a spot of fresh air. Should be back any moment.” the Mr. Handy explained. She could only sigh at the robot’s lack of common sense.

“Thanks, Stanley. Thanks, Andy. You’re always been so nice to me.” She ran up and gave the maintenance worker a big hug. He seemed surprised at first, but reached down to pat her hand.

“Don’t worry, kid. Everything’ll be okay. Now... I need to get to work on Andy. His circuits got all frazzled after that. Good thing he loves toasting roaches so much, huh?”

She giggled. “Um... Mind if I look around my dad’s office for a sec, Stanley?”

“I sure don’t mind. He might’ve left a note for you, or something.”

“Thanks again, Stanley.”

“Don’t mention it, miss.”

She turned and made her way to her father’s office. Stanley paused in his work on Andy, who was complaining all the while, and closed the door.

 

Inside, it looked like the place had been ransacked. The desk was overturned and the computer was on its side. She lied down on the floor to see if there were any files her father kept that might be of help.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Remember: Medical files are confidential!

 

(She just knew that message was for her... he probably knew she was reading her father's medical files. She really only wanted to learn more about medicine. Honest!)

 

Patient Files: Stanley Armstrong

 

Stanley continues to suffer from severe and chronic head pain. I’ve been feeding him aspirin like it’s candy, but I’m reticent to give him anything stronger. He blames the lighting in his quarters, and though eyestrain is certainly compounding the problem, the headaches are actually a symptom of overwork and lack of sleep. Knowing Stanley, and the schedule the overseer has him on, the problem isn’t likely to get better anytime soon. So it’s aspirin, indefinitely.

 

Patient Files: Amata Almodovar

 

Once again, the Overseer has insisted on being in the room for Amata’s examination, throwing any inkling of doctor-patient confidentiality out the window. I know he doesn’t trust me. He never has. But I honestly believe the reason he attends his daughter’s medical appointments is that he doesn’t trust her. That’s as ridiculous as it is sad. Amata’s a great girl, and the chance of her doing something stupid, like pregnancy, syphilis, whatever, is so unlikely it’s not even worth mentioning.

 

Patient Files: Freddie Gomez

 

I’m deeply surprised by Freddie’s progress. Ever since the G.O.A.T. three years ago, his Vault Depressive Syndrome has diminished significantly. He doesn’t even need the Chlorpromazine. My only guess is that getting such an outstanding result on his G.O.A.T. boosted his confidence in his abilities. Though, I must admit that he’s been spending a lot of time with Amata and my daughter. Hmm. Masseuse, indeed.

 

(She swallowed hard. He was onto her... She was hoping the massages she practiced on her father would keep him from wondering about her G.O.A.T. results. Ammy and Fred-Fred certainly seemed to not care about any bad news she told them when she was giving them one...)

 

Experiments: Experiment 27CE

 

The cells are still replicating normally. No mutation. Thank God. If whatever’s out there could penetrate this vault, I can’t even begin to imagine what the Overseer would do.

 

Experiments: Experiment PP216

 

After “borrowing” a few more water chips and rerouting some of the power here in the clinic, I’ve finally been able to affect the latest sample. It’s not much, but considering what I have to work with it, a definite step in the right direction. But this new experiment was also monumental for another reason. It’s the first time Jonas has assisted me. He’s suspected forever, I know, so I guess it was inevitable. And his help has been invaluable. I just hope he knows what he’s gotten himself into.

 

(She wasn’t sure what to make of that one... the first experiment was obviously a test on the water purity in the vault, but... what was the second one? Could it have something to do with why he left?)

 

(She really knew she shouldn’t... she’d never looked at it before... but this might be her last time looking at these files. She just hoped she wouldn’t be disturbed by what she found...)

 

Patient Files: Emma Carpenter

 

My daughter... my only daughter... it surprises me every day how much she reminds me of her mother. She takes after me, yes... but there’s so much of her mother in every fiber of her being as well.

 

Well, enough sentimental ramblings. From her last check up, I can honestly say I’m a bit worried. It’s not that she’s in poor health. Far from it, in fact. But at nineteen years old, she hasn’t grown an inch in height since she was sixteen, her height clocking in at exactly five feet for the past three years. Catherine and I were both of average height, so I’m not sure how to explain it... but her development in other areas... I’m quite aware of where that comes from. Catherine herself was quite “blessed”. As was my own mother. Her height may have stopped, but she’s still growing there, surprisingly. Considering her current rate of growth, I suspect J-cups by the time she’s twenty-one. They should stop growing then, but I can’t say for sure. She seems to have a slight sensitivity to estrogen levels during puberty. I doubt it’s virginal breast hypertrophy... If it is, it’s a very minor case. She doesn’t exhibit tingling in her fingers or anything. Some very minor back pains considering their size compared to her height, but nothing serious.

 

Other concerns are... her hair. Catherine was African-American. I’m Caucasian. That makes Emma biracial, though her skin tone looks distinctly African-American. But that hair... snow white... and perfectly soft and fluffy. Not at all like the usual frizz typical of her mother’s racial background. And those eyes... brown, clearly, but at the right angle, the light hits them and they look like they glow red...

 

I have to wonder if she was exposed to some kind of mutation... it would certainly explain all of the above. But she had so little time to be exposed, considering... well, nevermind.

 

Blood tests seem to indicate she has a natural tolerance and slight natural resistance to radiation. Other tests seem to indicate she absorbs less radiation from food and drinks than most people. Isolated tests using Med-X seem to show she has a resistance to the addictive effects of chems, as well. Her metabolism is quite miraculous, which may explain why she’s so slender and petite. Her small frame, though, means she has a higher chance of injury to her limbs than other, larger, people.

 

Anyway, she’s in perfect health, oddities aside. I fear she’s spent too much time reading instead of sleeping, though. Her eyesight is terrible without those eyeglasses. From the vision tests, it seems anything more than a foot in front of her is a total blur. I’ve only just begun to use reading glasses in my advanced age, and Catherine never needed any vision correction... so I must wonder exactly how much she reads and for how long each day. I’ve always noticed her to be an overachiever. From what I’ve heard from the other vault residents, she’s a jack of all trades. Skilled in many, but master of none. Pretty good with that wooden sword, though. I think I’ll suggest she name that thing “the Roachslayer”, considering all the radroaches it’s helped exterminate. Didn’t she mention that that samurai from her comics named his sword? Well, anyway, she’s in perfect health, oddities aside once again.

 

Though... I must keep an eye out. She likely will inherit Catherine’s little quirk. All the women in Catherine’s family inherited it, so it would be no surprise if Emma did, too. I just hope she isn’t too uncomfortable about it to tell me when it happens.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Many thoughts passed through Emma’s head as she read through her father’s file on herself. She was quite touched by her father’s sentimentality in comparing her to her mother... but she was quite worried about some of the concerns he mentioned. She already couldn’t find any bras that fit her, at least not in the vault, and her vaultsuit could barely close... would they really get bigger? She shuddered at the thought. And... she knew about her mother’s hereditary ‘little quirk’. Her dad had warned her about it during his birds and the bees talk when she was twelve. So far, it hadn’t started... but then again, she wasn’t exactly sexually active.

 

Standing up, she took a look around the room for anything else that could offer a clue. On the wall was the framed quote from the bible her mother loved. Revelation 21:6. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. She had it memorized, considering how often her father told it to her. But she noticed something else for the first time... a keyhole on the side of the display case. She tried to pry the case open, but... it seemed to be a very advanced lock. Despite her skill in many categories, lockpicking was definitely not one of them. The bobby pins Amata had given her might as well have been useless in her hands.

“Yo, Em. What’s up?”

She turned to see, to her surprise, Butch standing in the doorway! “Butch? Um... wh-what are you doing here?”

“Gomez stopped by our place to keep an eye on us. Said you sent him. Thought I’d repay the favor by givin’ back your BB gun.” He tossed the toy rifle to her, which she caught. “Now it looks like I can repay you another way... Havin’ some trouble with a lock, huh?”

“Uh... yeah. There might be something behind this framed quote... you know?”

“Not to worry. Leave this to the Butch-man.”

Striding forward, Emma sidestepped out of the way so Butch could take a look at the lock. “Um... I... I have some bobby pins... i-if you need them...” she offered.

Butch just scoffed. “Please, Em. Bobby pins are for amateurs.”

The Tunnel Snake reached into the pocket of his jacket... the one she was wearing. She gave a little squeak in ticklish fright, but his hand soon exited with some kind of wallet-like object. He flipped both flaps open, revealing it to be a folder filled with various little tools.

“Um... wh-what are those, Butch?” she asked. He grabbed two of the little tools from the folder and set to work on the lock.

“This...” he began, talking as he worked. “...is an expanded lockpickin’ kit. Unlike a regular lockpickin’ kit, this one has some of the more obscure locksmith tools used on the more advanced mechanical locks. With this baby, I can easily break through any pin or tumbler lock.”

“Oh... um... Amata mentioned you help her break into the Overseer’s office sometimes. Is this what you use?”

“Nope. That door uses an electronic lock, Em. There isn’t even any keyhole to put this stuff into for that kinda lock. I use a separate tool for the electronic stuff.”

She was about to ask about what kind of tool he uses in such a case, but there was a clicking sound, following by Butch exclaiming “Got it! Damn, that’s gotta be the hardest pin lock in the vault. Still, no match for the Butch-man.” The Tunnel Snake meticulously placed his locksmith tools back in the folder, closing it and slipping it into his vaultsuit’s pocket. He stepped aside so Emma could take a look inside the frame. Grabbing the desk chair to stand on so she could reach, she was surprised to find a hidden compartment behind the quote. Inside she found a holotape and a bag that jingled as she picked it up.

“What’s in the bag?” Butch asked.

“Bottecaps...” Emma answered, peeking into it. There seemed to be about three hundred of them, although that was only a rough estimate. And math was never her strong suit.

“What, your dad collect ‘em, or somethin’?”

“I’m not sure...” She decided to load the holotape into her Pip-Boy and give it a listen.

“Well, here we are. Nestled all safe and snug inside Vault 101. It's so cold down here. Colder still with Catherine gone... Oh, Catherine... I so wish you were here with me. How the hell am I supposed to do this by myself? Live down in this hole. Take care of our child... But this is our life now, so I guess I'd better get used to it. The Overseer who runs the place is an overbearing bully, but I've dealt with worse.”

She wasn’t sure what to make of it. Nor was she sure why she pocketed the bag of bottlecaps in her backpack. If dad collected them, he might want them back, she figured.

“Some message your dad recorded?” Butch wondered.

“I guess so... I’ll have to ask him about it. Thanks for your help, Butch. I need to get going.”

“Hold on a sec, Em. I’m comin’ with you.”

She paused, turning to look at the Tunnel Snake. “What?”

“You’re gonna need my help to reach the entrance, Em. Let Butch be your bodyguard.”

“Seriously? But why, Butch?”

“Em... you saved my mom’s life. That’s all the reason I need.”

“Okay, but... you’ll need something to defend yourself with.”

“Got it covered.” He showed her a scoped .44 magnum revolver. Her eyes widened.

“Butch? Where’d you get that? The only firearms kept in Vault 101 are 10mm pistols...”

“Just a memento of my pa. This thing was snuck into the vault by one of my ancestors right before the war. Every generation has kept it safe, tinkerin’ with it a little bit over the years. My pa was the last to own it, and he kept it in a locked box until I was old enough to have it myself. Of course, I’d picked the lock on that box ages ago, but only now did I take it out. Pa said it was called the Blackhawk. Got more kick than a usual .44, but nothin’ I can’t handle.”

“And you have ammo for it?”

“You bet. Pa’s ancestors snuck in a whole box of the stuff along with this thing.”

“Um... Okay. But no killing anyone, okay Butch? I can’t have that on my conscience. Only use that gun if you have to. Otherwise, use your knife or your fists. Okay? And try not to cause any serious injuries. Just incapacitate them.”

“s***, that goody-two-shoes crap is crampin’ my style.” She gave him an icy look. He sighed. “Fine. Your escape, your rules, Em.”

“Thank you, Butch.” She felt the urge to hug him... but she still felt the sting of that slug on her tenth birthday... Maybe once he helped her make it to the exit.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

The second Emma and Butch exited into the Atrium, they found Tom and Mary Holden standing there.

“We should go back to our rooms...”

“It’s our only chance, don’t you see? We’re getting out of here just like the doctor. I’m not gonna let anyone stop us!”

Tom took off running, despite Mary’s cries to be careful. Emma knew she had to stop him. Dashing forward, surprised at her own speed, she tackled Tom Holden out of the way just as the bullets flew at him from down the entrance hall. Brandishing her sword, she charged down after the assailants. Both security officers, Richards and O’Brian, had 10mm pistols, and fired upon her the second they saw her. As she ran, she jumped side to side, preventing any chances of them hitting her. Still, a bullet grazed her shoulder. When she was nearing them, she ducked low and slid under Richards’s legs, flipping his helmet off his head and whacking him on the back of the head. Emma jumped to her feet and gave O’Brian a a swing to the head with the flat side of her sword. The helmet flew off, so she took her chance to jab him right in the face with the handle of her sword. He toppled. Just in case either of them woke up, she stole both their pistols and all the ammunition they had and stored it a metal box in a side room of the Atrium. Mary was tending to Tom on the ground. She ordered them both to run for the apartments and stay in their rooms. They obeyed wordlessly.

“Em, that was amazin’!” Butch exclaimed. “I didn’t know you could move that fast! And your eyes, they almost looked like they were glowin’ red. It was wild!”

She blushed. “Um... thanks, Butch...” She clutched her shoulder, wincing. “Uh, we need to head to the second level. We can still rescue Freddie.”

“Whoa, not yet. There’s radroaches on the stairs. You take care of ‘em first. Then I’ll follow you up.”

She sighed. He faced his fear for his mother, but... old habits die hard. So Emma stormed upstairs, cutting down three radroaches as she ran. She found Security Chief Hannon on the way up, and quickly subdued him, but made sure he was just knocked out, not dead. The stairs deposited her on the balcony of the Atrium, where she found two more radroaches scurrying about. She chopped them down as she passed. Butch was hot on her tail, but as she passed by the window to an apartment, she saw Allen Mack pounding on the window, his wife at the table behind him, telling herself to get a grip.

“You! This is your fault! You and your stupid father! He had to go and leave, didn’t he? He had to mess things up for everybody! Guards! Guards! She’s over here! The doc’s stupid kid is over here! She’s trying to leave the vault! Don’t let her get away!”

She was frightened that he would call more guards to her location, so she continued on into the utilities room, though Butch paused to make a face at Mr. Mack through the window. Inside, she found four more radroaches, which she cut down while Butch waited outside the room. She found one of the Vault’s engineers, Floyd Lewis, lying dead on the floor next to his tool box. He was probably killed by the radroaches. She didn’t know Mr. Lewis very well, but she still felt bad that now three people had died because of all this. She continued on down the hall, and soon passed the security office. She paused and ducked down at the window to the room, peering in to see the Overseer interrogating Amata with Officer Mack. The same Officer Mack who killed Jonas!

“I told you, I don’t know anything!” Amata cried. Butch ducked down low to watch with her.

“Be reasonable, Amata. Officer Mack may enjoy this, but I don’t. Just... tell us where to find your friend, so we can... talk to her.” She gave Butch a look. When the time was right, they’d rush in and save Amata. The Tunnel Snake nodded in understanding.

“She’s my friend! I was worried about her! What does she have to do with any of this anyway?”

“Probably nothing. Which is why you need to tell me where she is so I can talk to her.” Emma didn’t like the Overseer’s tone of voice. It was like a sneaky weasel...

“Watch out, sir! She’s got a gun!” That was Officer Mack’s voice. Sure enough, Amata pulled out the 10mm pistol she had intended to give to her. Emma gasped, while Butch’s eyes went wide.

“Amata! Where did you get that gun?”

“Just get away from me! I don’t want to shoot you, but I will. I swear I will!” Her best friend warned, getting up from her seat and backing away slowly, the pistol aimed at her father.

“How dare you threaten me! And with my own gun!” the Overseer growled. “I’m your father, damn you, and you’ll show me some respect! Officer Mack, don’t just stand there!”

“Don’t make me take that gun away from you, girlie. Just hand it over nice and easy, now.” The officer warned. He slowly walked towards Amata.

“No! Get away from me!”

She fired. It hit Officer Mack right in the knee. He fell to the ground, clutching his leg. “Oh my God! Amata, what have you done?” She took this chance to run out of the room. Emma stormed in right after she left, but gave Butch a look that silently told him to go after Amata and see if she was okay. He complied. Officer Mack looked like he passed out from the pain. Good. Now she could face the Overseer alone.

“I hope you’re here to turn yourself in, young lady.” The Overseer told her, perfectly calm and condescending. “You’re already in enough trouble as it is. Don’t make it worse for yourself.”

Tears streamed from Emma’s eyes as she glared up at the Overseer, the light hitting her eyes and making them glow red. The Overseer wavered, if only for a moment. “If you ever lay a hand on Amata again, I’ll make you regret it!” She half-growled, half-sobbed.

“I place the good of the vault above everything, even my own paternal feelings. We must not allow sentiment to cloud our judgement! But I admire your protective instincts.” He crossed his arms. “Very well. I give you my word that Amata will not suffer further because of your actions.” Her fists clenched in anger, possibly the first anger she’d ever felt in a lifetime of being so passive and submissive, but forced herself to be calm. If she hurt the Overseer, it’d hurt Amata more. “Now, then. If you really care about Amata, you will see how dangerous your father’s actions were. Hand over your weapons, and put an end to this dangerous situation. There’s no need to join your father as a traitor to the vault.”

Her anger returned. “Is that what you said to Jonas before you murdered him?! Jonas was my friend! My father’s no traitor, and you’re nothing but a murderer and a thug! Now tell me where Freddie Gomez is!” she chocked down a sob. “R-Right now! P-Please!”

The Overseer clammed up, but his eyes glanced over to the prison cell. She ran over and hit the button to open the door, finding a bloodied Freddie Gomez on the cot. “Freddie!” she cried. He only groaned in response. She ran over as fast as she could and pulled out every single stimpak she had, using them all. The swelling went down, but there was still dried blood on his face. “Fred-Fred? Are you okay?”

He opened his eyes, giving her a weak smile. “Better... now that you’re here.” He reached a hand up to wipe the tears from her cheeks. Smiling through her tears, she placed her hands on his and nuzzled her face into the back of his hand. She was so glad he was okay… She’d already lost Jonas. She didn’t want to lose Freddie, too.

 

Emma helped her best friend up and gave him some support out into the security office again. She looked to the Overseer just as she turned to leave. “Just give me the key and password to your office, please, Overseer, sir. Then I’ll go and never bother you again.”

“Oh, is that all? Is there anything else I can get you while you’re here?” the Overseer mocked. “You’ll get nothing from me. I’ll die before I see the safety of the vault compromised again.”

“I’ll escape without your help, then, sir. I’m not the one who started killing people.”

“Save your sanctimony. The world is a dangerous place and I make no apologies for doing whatever it takes to keep the vault safe. Guards! Help me!”

She should probably knock him out... but she shouldn’t hurt him. That’d hurt Amata. So she helped Freddie out the door and into the hall, but he paused. She looked as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a card key. “Freddie? You stole the security card key? When?”

“When Officer Mack was roughing me up, of course.”

“But you could’ve escaped any time! Why wait?”

“I was just waiting for you, Emmie. I knew you’d come to rescue me. Now the least I can do is help a bit.” Turning around, he pressed the button to close the door to the security office, then swiped the card across the scanner to lock it. “There. That should keep the Overseer from interfering with your escape, Emmie. I’ll unlock him once you leave and he’s cooled down.”

She caught the implication in his words. “Freddie... you’re not coming with me?”

“Nope. I don’t know about Amata, but I need to stay here. Make sure this place doesn’t go to hell after today. Don’t worry. I’ll see you again someday. I know it.”

She smiled, a single tear falling from her eye. She wiped it away and helped Freddie down the hall, further toward the Overseer’s office... and the exit.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Just in front of the Overseer’s office, Emma found a shocking sight. Jonas. Dead. On the floor, clearly beaten with a police baton. She promptly released the contents of her stomach, Freddie holding her hair for her. She was reminded of the fact that she hadn’t eaten breakfast today... But no way could she eat now. Freddie walked over to Jonas’s body and removed his glasses, closing his eyes before returning the spectacles to their rightful place. He reached next to Jonas where a holotape sat, handing it to Emma. She nodded, loading it into her Pip-Boy.

 

“Hold on Jonas, I need to record this first. I... I don't really know how to tell you this. I hope you'll understand, but I know you might be upset. I thought about it for a long time, but in the end I decided it was best for you not to know. So many things could have gone wrong and there's really no telling how the Overseer will react when he finds out. It's best if he can blame everything on me. Obviously you already know that I'm gone. It was something I needed to do. You're an adult now. You're ready to be on your own. Maybe someday things will change and we can see each other again. I can't tell you why I left or where I'm going. I don't want you to follow me. God knows life in the vault isn't perfect, but at least you'll be safe. Just knowing that will be enough to keep me going.”

“Don't mean to rush you, Doc, but I'd feel better if we got this over with.” That was Jonas’s voice.

“Okay. Go ahead. Goodbye. I love you.”

 

Emma was completely silent and still after listening to the recording, a last message from her father before he left. She might’ve stood there, lost in her own emotions, for years had her best friend not walked up and wrapped her in a hug. The door to the Overseer’s and Amata’s rooms opened, and out came Amata, who joined the group hug. Butch was just behind her, but he didn’t take part. It was understandable. His idea of friendship was different from theirs. But then again... he had said she was the best friend he’d ever had. So, uneasily, Butch walked up and joined in hugging Emma. She could bet it felt weird for him... but it probably also felt warm. A warmth he wasn’t used to. They pulled apart, leaving Emma to sniffle and wipe her glasses clean. Amata spoke first.

“Butch says he can pick the lock to my father’s office.”

“Course I can. Just watch the Butch-man go to work.” He reached into the other pocket of his Tunnel Snake jacket, the one Emma was wearing, eliciting another ticklish squeak from her. His hand emerged with some kind of electronic device, which he attached to the key card reader next to the door.

“Now, you see, when Amata told me she needed to break into a lock, she didn’t tell me it was the Overseer’s office, so I just gave her some of my mom’s bobby pins. Had I known the magnitude of the lock she was talkin’ about, I would’ve come here and done it myself. As I told Em, bobby pins are for amateurs. They’re like anal sex, really. They’ll get you there, but they ain’t the best way to do it. They won’t do a damn thing to electronic locks like card readers, either. That’s why I’ve got this baby. An Electronic Lock Pick Mark Two. Produced by the pre-war company Wattz Electronics, it’s top of the line in electronic lock pickin’. While standard locksmithin’ tools’ll do just fine on a pin or tumbler lock, they won’t do squat on this.”

Amata sighed at Butch’s crude sex joke, but Emma was genuinely impressed with his knowledge of locksmithing. Was this Butch’s equivalent of a nerd rant or geek tangent? “Wow, Butch. You sound like you really know what you’re talking about.”

Butch snickered. “I don’t sound like I do, Em. I just do. You won’t find another lockpicker in Vault 101 who’s better than me. Not even Stanley can compare. Hell, I’ll bet there isn’t even a better lockpicker outside the vault, either. And there we go. Done.” He put the device back in his pocket and pushed the button, the door easily sliding open. “Would’ve taken sooner, but my people asked for the Butch-man’s wisdom, so I had to share.” He swept his arm across his stomach and bowed, ushering the three into the office. They entered, Freddie and Amata sighing, but Emma blushing. Butch promptly locked the door from the inside. Good. This’ll give them time to look around.

 

Amata went to look out the window onto the Atrium, while Butch went to rummage through the nearby lockers. Emma and Freddie went straight for the computer. “Can you hack it, Freddie?” she asked. He took a seat at the desk with a groan, obviously still a bit sore, and set to typing.

“Sure can. I’m pretty sure what the password is, too.”

A few more pushes on the keyboard, and they were in. “Wow. What was the password, Freddie?”

“Amata.” Both Amata and Butch turned to look, surprised. “The Overseer may have a weird way of showing it, but he really does love you, Amata.”

“I know.” was the girl’s only reply. She ran over to look over Emma and Freddie’s shoulder at the screen. It seemed several files were there. The door was locked, so they had plenty of time to read them.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Welcome, Overseer.

 

View Security Dossiers: Jonas Palmer

 

I never should have assigned Jonas as James' assistant. He was always too idealistic for his own good. Now he spends every waking minute with the good doctor, who gleefully fills his ears with even more idealistic nonsense. I’ve considered re-assigning him, but the truth is Jonas is a fine medic in his own right, and hiding him down in maintenance would be a terrible waste of resources.

 

View Security Dossiers: Beatrice Armstrong

 

Just what Vault 101 needs. An absent-minded, sexually repressed sycophant. Beatrice has served Vault 101 admirably for years, but her mind is growing feeble. I'll have to speak with our good doctor about some kind of long-term pharmaceutical solution. We may at least be able to keep her comfortable, and quiet, until she passes on.

 

(Emma gasped at the implication.)

 

View Security Dossiers: Amata Almodovar

 

Every time I try to get Amata to open up, she just pushes me further and further away. Since she was a child, I’ve tried to instill in her those virtues that have made this Vault what it is today. Loyalty, honesty, commitment, hard work. She does try, and with a lot of guidance has grown into a fine young woman. That makes it all the sadder that she continues to alienate me. She looks at me and sees the Overseer, not the father that has cared for her alone (alone!) since she was an infant.

 

View Security Dossiers: “Tunnel Snakes”

 

If Butch and his leather-clad delinquents accost Amata one more time, they'll have more to deal with than their acerbic teacher. Their "services" have come in handy upon occasion, I must admit, but they’re starting to become... unruly. If dogs become feral, they must be put down. I'll have to remind Butch of that upon our next meeting.

 

(What? She looked to Butch, who, to her surprise, looked ashamed. She decided she wouldn’t question him about it.)

 

View Security Dossiers: Emma Carpenter

 

As far as I can tell, she’s a very well-behaved girl. Doesn’t start trouble, never complains, never talks back, and always does what she’s told. The fact that she’s been such a good friend to my Amata is both a blessing and a curse. When I look at her, I see an untapped, hidden potential. She might actually make a good candidate for next Overseer should something happen to both Amata and the Gomez boy. She has a natural presence of leadership that even I lack. She rarely takes charge herself, but every time she led an activity or helped plan an event, the other children all seemed inclined to follow her every word. I can tell. Deep inside, she has that fire that makes anyone willing to follow her into the depths of hell itself. It remains untapped, but again, should anything happen to both Amata and the Gomez boy, I may be able to cultivate this seed into a ferocious venus fly trap. At the least, she would make a wonderful security chief. I’ll be keeping a close eye on her. For now, though, the only conclusion I can come to is... her back massages feel like heaven.

 

(She felt highly uncomfortable about that... she’d never make a good leader. Not like Butch or Amata. Freddie reassured her with a hand on her shoulder. She continued with her confidence restored.)

 

View Scouting Reports: Report 2241-02-10

 

As our tests suggested, the immediate vicinity of the vault is no longer dangerously irradiated, although the background radiation is still well above safe levels. Pockets of more intense radiation appear to still be common, and all surface water seems to be undrinkable. We will need to carry ample supplies of Rad-X with us on all future surveys. But hazard suits do not seem to be necessary for general exploration.

 

Our old maps are largely useless. The town of Springvale is an abandoned ruin, and all pre-War roads have disappeared or are no longer passable.

 

We encountered a group of monstrous ants which appeared to confirm Mackay's theories of mutation due to extended exposure to radiation. We drove off the ants with gunfire and collected several specimens for study upon return to the vault (see Exhibit A).

 

The good news is that human civilization still survives, despite everything! We discovered a settlement known as "Megaton" (see Exhibit B), whose inhabitants, although somewhat wary at first, soon welcomed us into their town.

 

We spent a good deal of time in Megaton, and learned a great deal about the "Capital Wasteland" (as the area around Washington D.C. is now called) from them. Megaton is a fortified outpost of "civilization" (of sorts), but it seems that giant ants are the least of the dangers of this new world. We agreed that it was prudent to return to the Vault immediately to revise our survey plans in light of what we have learned. Lewis and Agnes remained in Megaton to serve as "ambassadors" and continue to collect information until we return.

 

Anne Palmer, Survey Team Leader

February 10, 2241

 

(What? A scouting report? From thirty-six years ago? But... the Vault’s been sealed since the Great War! She looked to Amata and Freddie to see their reactions, and they were just as shocked as she was.)

 

View Scouting Reports: 2241-02-10 Exhibit A

 

It seemed to be a picture of giant ant. A dead one, but a giant ant. Emma was quite disturbed by it.

 

View Scouting Reports: 2241-02-10 Exhibit B

 

It looked like a picture of some sort of towering structure of scrap metal.

 

Vault-Tec Instructions: Letter from Doctor Stanislaus Braun

 

A Letter to the Overseer from Dr. Stanislaus Braun:

 

If you are reading this, emergency Vault internment procedures have been initiated and you and your control group have been sealed into your Vault. Congratulations! You are now a vital part of the most ambitious program ever undertaken by Vault-Tec.

 

If you have not yet read your sealed orders, do so now. They will outline the experimental protocols assigned to your control group. Please remember that deviation from these protocols in any way will jeopardize the success of the program, and may be considered grounds for termination by Vault-Tec Corporation (as outlined in your Employment Agreement).

 

Your Vault may or may not have been selected to receive a G.E.C.K. module. Please see Attachment A for details.

 

Doctor Stanislaus Braun

Director, Societal Preservation Program

Vault-Tec Corporation

 

Vault-Tec Instructions: Attachment A

 

Vault 101 will not receive a G.E.C.K. module, and should operate under the guidelines laid forth in the Overseer's sealed orders.

 

Vault-Tec Instructions: Vault-Tec Scientific Entry: The G.E.C.K.

 

The G.E.C.K. is, quite simply, the most advanced piece of technology ever developed by Vault-Tec. A terraforming module capable of creating life from complete lifelessness. After riding out the storm of nuclear Armageddon in a Vault-Tec patented vault, residents can then activate the G.E.C.K., and create a new Earthen paradise. Craters and dust will give way to rolling grasslands and sparkling clear water. Of course, due to time and monetary constraints, not every vault will be equipped with a G.E.C.K. module.

 

(She had to wonder why they included an article on what the G.E.C.K. is even though Vault 101 wasn’t given one.)

 

Open Overseer’s Tunnel

 

Opening...

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

To the four’s surprise, the desk raised up on extending pistons, while the floor just in front of the desk slid open, revealing a set of stairs leading down. The three looked to Amata, unsure at first, but she gave them a simple nod, assuring them it’d be alright. They headed down and found a steel hatch, along with an electrical switch. They flipped it, putting the desk back in place and hiding the entryway, before continuing onward.

 

The door led to a dark room lined with steel. It almost looked like a sewer passage. All four turned on their Pip-Boy lights and ventured deeper, turning the corner to find a radroach. Emma promptly sliced it with her sword, surprising Amata and Freddie with her skill.

“Um... Emmie, where’d you learn to use a sword like that?” Amata asked.

Emma shrugged. “Practice on my training dummy. And on other radroaches. And I suppose studying the fight scenes in Sammer-Guy.”

Butch snickered. “You read Sammer-Guy?”

Emma looked down at the ground in shame. Amata promptly elbowed the Tunnel Snake in the ribs as punishment. “It’s okay, Emmie. Without that comic, you probably wouldn’t have these skills, which we’ll be in desperate need of if we run into any other guards.” Freddie assured her. She smiled, blushing at his subtle compliment.

 

They passed through one more hatch, emerging in an empty room with grated floors and metal plating on the walls. Nothing was in the room aside from some white pips leading from the floor to the ceiling in a few places, but ahead was an odd-looking indentation in the wall paneling, next to another electrical switch. Emma ran forward and flipped it, and the wall slid down to reveal the main entrance room! She hurried out, followed by her three friends just on her tail, the hidden door closing behind them. The door to the rest of the vault was locked, so Butch and Amata stood guard on either side while Freddie worked the control panel for the vault door. Butch had his switchblade and pistol, the latter she hoped he wouldn’t use in the conventional way, and Amata still had her father’s 10mm. She handed Freddie a police baton she had taken from one of the knocked-out guards, just in case more than two came out and one went for the battered boy. With a few button presses and a pull of a lever, an alarm sounded in alert, a large piston swinging down from the ceiling to lock into the gear-shaped door and turn it aside. The entire process was accompanied by a mighty screeching of metal against metal, with them only able to stare in awe, to the point they almost didn’t notice the two guards enter from the previously locked door. Amata was quick to bash the one on her side on the head with her 10mm, while Butch whacked his on the back of the head with his .44 magnum. It looked like that was all who was coming.

“You did it! You opened the door! My God, I almost didn’t think it was possible!” Amata cheered as the four rejoined in front of the control panel.

“No, we did it. Thanks Freddie, thanks Butch, thanks Amata.” Emma said to them. Butch apparently wasn’t used to being thanked. He turned to face away, shifting uncomfortably. Freddie just smiled, but Amata shook her head.

“No, you didn’t need us, Emmie. If anyone can survive out there, it’s you. The Overseer is right. You’re a person who can get things done and done right, even if you don’t believe it yourself. I’m sure you won’t be alone out there. You’ll find people who’ll be willing to follow while you lead.”

“You’re really not coming with me, Ammy, Fred-Fred, Butch?”

Freddie shook his head, putting an arm around Amata’s shoulders. “No. It’s tempting, but we need to stay here. Damage control while you’re gone. Butch, too. We may need his muscle.”

Emma giggled, despite Butch turning around to stick his chest out proudly.

“If you catch up with your dad, tell him... I’m sorry. For Jonas, and my father, and everything...” Amata began. She stopped when Emma hugged her. Freddie did, too. Butch actually joined in, surprisingly.

“Ugh. I’m not used to this lovey-dovey stuff.” The Tunnel Snake complained. All three laughed.

Just before she left, they each presented her with some gifts to see her off. From Freddie, some stimpaks, since she used all of her’s on him. Amata gave her some bottles of water, while Butch handed her a Nuka-Cola, a bag of Cheezy Poofs, and a tin of Mentats, the latter from the locker in the Overseer’s office. She became acutely aware that she hadn’t eaten all day. She’d have to ration these Cheezy Poofs until she got to that town, Megaton. The scouting report said it was nearby, right? She offered Freddie his BB gun back, but he shook his head.

“You may need Black Bart's Bane soon, yourself, Emmie. It's not like most BB guns. I've tinkered with it over the years. It has increased pressure for added force, improved parts for better performance, and a custom mechanism for an increased rate of fire. The red and black paint job is just to make it look flashy.” He winked, making Emma giggle. She accepted it, reluctantly.

With a final hug and a wave goodbye, Emma Carpenter set off out of the vault, the giant steel door closing shut behind her. Up ahead through the cave was a wooden door, decorated with a few skeletons holding protest signs, begging the Vault 101 dwellers to let them in. She was saddened at how privileged her ancestors had been... but for now, she had to think about the future. Find her dad. Get the answers she needed. And, if possible, return to Vault 101 with him. Hopefully the Overseer would’ve cooled down by then, right? Right?

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Emma Carpenter would soon be thrust into a new world she would have to quickly adapt to. She would make a great many enemies and friends. But she would not be alone in her travels.

 

A bear cub that’s lost his mother. An ex-Raider, retired but not enjoying it. A slave who enjoys her lot in life. A rebel barber with freedom on his mind. A Brotherhood of Steel soldier who’s more machine than woman. A ghoul bodyguard who hates his master. A super mutant with more mind than most. A robot looking for a cause to fight for. A cyberdog she’s known all her life. A lawbringer with wisdom to pass on. A motherly woman stuck at a dead end. A mechanic on a mission against his will. A child who hasn’t been born yet. A doctor enamored with the people he’s been ordered to annihilate. A mysterious boy who seems to exist only to be her patient protector.

 

It is these people who Emma Carpenter would come to call allies and friends in her travels. Together, they would surpass insurmountable odds in the name of what is right. They would laugh. They would cry. Maybe... just maybe... they might even love. But most importantly... they would press forward into the annals of history. For the name of Emma Carpenter would be known across the Capital Wasteland in just the coming year. A beacon of hope as the last, best hope for humanity. Great change would be brought on by a true heart. But war... War never changes.

 

- - - - - - - - - -

 

Notes

 

1: Sparky belongs to FO3Phalanx.

 

2: Masseuse actually is a result you can receive on the G.O.A.T. It just wasn’t properly implemented.

 

3. If you take control of the camera using console commands during the birth scene, you’ll see that Catherine is, in fact, African-American, regardless of selected player race. James is Caucasian by default.

 

4: The “Expanded Lock Pick Set” (or ‘kit’ as Butch called it) is an item from Fallout 2, used to enhance the player’s Lockpick skill temporarily before picking a mechanical lock. The bobby pins of Fallout 3 essentially replaced them.

 

5: The “Electronic Lock Pick MK II” is also an item from Fallout 2. The improved version of the standard Electronic Lock Pick, it is instead used on electronic locks like card readers.

Edited July 30, 2011 by Cyberweasel89

[LordWushin]

Excellent work! Would love to see more. Kudos.