Chapter Text
I left Nadine and her mother on the docks, checking my map: the time stamp read, “11.24.77, 19:24.”
“Okay, now to go back to the Citadel. I don’t even know what’s happened since I left. It’s been what, over two months? Can’t believe it took that long. Time to go; no more stalling.”
I went back the way I came, past the Talon mercs’ fort. When I got close, a merc ran out toward me.
“Grrr…damnit! I don’t have time for you!”
I fired nonstop and killed him; another shot me from behind. “Ah! You either!”
There were two, and they had a Sentry Bot! It fired a missile that shook the ground. Dodging it, I took out a few Pulse Grenades.
“Catch!”
I threw one and injured the Bot; two more short circuited it; the mercs still fired. “Fuck you! I don’t wanna play! I have to get back to the Citadel!”
I sliced one to shreds as he came at me, dodging the others’ shots. “And you’re in my way.”
I tried going around, but they chased me.
“Alright, fine. You wanna play? I’ll play!”
I carved the second merc up, but the third shot from behind.
“Jeez! I hate you guys so much…”
I ran away, around the rubble to the back of the library; the merc did not follow. “No. I’m not gonna play with you. I’m leaving. Good-bye.”
I raced around to the front of the library, where the Citadel loomed in the cloudy black sky.
Jeez, this is creepy!
AS I ran toward it, I heard the whirring of Enclave choppers.
“Oh god, Vertibirds….You guys aren’t still bombing things, are you? It’s been months! Or are you just keeping eyes on the Brotherhood, making sure they stay out of your keep?”
I followed the road to the outer Citadel walls, where the roof top gunners fought with a Super Mutant Overlord.
Oh shit….
I took out a Stealth Boy and activated it, making sure to stay out of sight; a Vertibird flew overhead as I crept down the road past the fighting.
“Ohhh dear…you don’t see me, you don’t see me, you don’t see me, you don’t see me!”
I kept my eyes on the Mutant while I snuck through the fence and into the parking lot. “Especially you…! I’m not here.”
I stood up and ran through the parking lot, up a flight of stairs to the Tidal Basin shore.
“They don’t even want you! Well…the Enclave does, I guess. Of course they do! With Dad gone and Doctor Li with the Brotherhood, I’m the only one who knows how to get the purifier running. Wait…do I? Maybe they think so. But, I’ve never even seen a G.E.C.K., let alone know how it works. But I was there when Dad died, so of course they’ll be coming after me.”
I reached the front gate to the Citadel; the guard nodded as I passed. Entering the Courtyard, I found Elder Lyons talking to a blonde woman in silver Power Armor. Curious, I stopped to listen:
“Father,” she said, “might I have a word with you?”
“Yes, my daughter? What is it?”
“I’ve been talking with the other members of the Pride. We want to assault the purifier, father! Now! The Enclave must pay for what they’ve done!”
Oh? And you’ve been preparing for this these two and a half months? This must be some operation!
“You may be a Sentinal,” the Elder replied firmly, “but you’re also my daughter. And I won’t throw your life away fighting an enemy we know too little about. I’m sorry, but no.”
She bowed her head, disappointed.
“Yes, father. I understand. You have my apologies.”
An assault on the Enclave, huh? Maybe I can help.
She turned as I approached her; she looked a year or two older than me, tall and lightly tanned.
“Pretty impressive work for a civilian,” she said to me, “bringing the Doctor here in one piece. Sarah Lyons, Sentinal and commander of Lyons’ Pride. Welcome to the Citadel.”
“Lyons’ Pride.” Nice word play. I like it.
“What can you tell me about Lyons’ Pride?” I asked.
She was pleased with the question.
“It’s the best of the Brotherhood, bar none. No one gets in without my say-so.”
“So…any thoughts on the Enclave?”
From what I just heard, they have little to no intel.
“I’ve read the reports, seen the initial scans. But I can hardly believe it. I figured those radio transmissions were just old recordings. Never figured the Enclave would actually show up in the flesh.”
Tell me about it.
“But don’t worry,” she assured me. “Whatever they try, we’ll be ready for it. I’ll lead the Pride to knock them out tomorrow. If my father permits it.”
So you’ve been lying in wait, raring to go. But he is right. We know nothing about the Enclave, what they really want. Dad knew they couldn’t be trusted. I don’t want him to have died for nothing.
She walked away and went into the A Ring; I followed, looking around: the place was a lot like Rivet City, only way more official. The different rooms and hallways were neat (but still had a weathered look), there were computer servers scattered against the walls with interconnecting cables on the floor. The whole place had the look of a pre-War fortress, with directories by each exit door.
“Great Hall, Barracks, Lab, B Ring…huh. Gotta find this Scribe Rothchild and a Vault-Tec computer. I suppose it’ll help me find a G.E.C.K.”
Heading west I found the door to the Lab.
Just a hunch. Unless someone can give me directions.
This lab was much larger than that of Rivet City; multi-leveled, with an armory repair shop and something peculiar in the center of it all: a tall, rusted red scaffold, and within it an enormous humanoid robot.
“Whoa…what is that? Is this what they’ve been working on? It looks like a potential weapon. Maybe that’s what they’re waiting for, getting it ready for the assault. Cool!”
A Paladine in Power Armor came up to me when she noticed me admiring the robot.
“Hail to you,” she said. “By the traction of hospitality and on the word of Elder Lyons, I welcome you to the Citadel, Miss Dalton. I am Star Paladine Cross, Keeper of the ARM, and Seneschal to Elder Lyons.”
She was an African American in her late 30’s to early 40’s, with a silver buzz cut and dark eyes.
Sheesh! Does everyone here talk so officially?
“And,” she continued, “I am honored to say, I was acquainted with your father. Now, what may I do to help you?”
Wait a minute….
“You knew my father?”
She nodded.
“I did. And you as well. Long ago, I helped guard the purifier against the Mutant horde. When your father left, I escorted the two of you to Megaton.”
Ah-ha! It’s all falling into place now.
“He was…a noble man. I was saddened to hear of his passing. But from what I’ve heard, he died with honor. He died for you. I only pray that my own death has such meaning.”
My eyes welled up with tears at her words.
He died protecting me. The Enclave are dangerous and he knew it.
“I loved him so much,” I told her, my throat tightening. “I’ll never forget him.”
And I forgave him for leaving. Now I understand. I only wish I could’ve saved him.
“And so our deeds are carried on through our sons and daughters. Continue to remember him fondly, continue to tell his story, and continue to do his work. Through you, he shall carry on. But now I must ask you a difficult question, if I have your permission to do so.”
“By all means, ask,” I said with a grateful smile.
“I escorted your father across the Wastes. It was the best I could contribute to his efforts to restore fresh water to the people. I would like the honor of escourting you on your journey to complete his work.”
It’d be fitting.
“I would be honored, Star Paladin Cross.”
She bowed in an official gesture (as much as her aromor would permit).
“Then I shall follow your leave and submit to your command.”
Oh wow. She’ll probably refer to me as “Lady Celeste,” next, haha!
“As James’ child, I know I don’t need to explain, but I am not your servant. If I do not like the path your actions take, I will return here.”
Only fair. I’ll be on my best behavior.
“Now, let us go forward, crush the Enclave, and fulfill your father’s mission.”
Sounds like Dad was a big deal to these people. And yet they did nothing to prevent this.
“Okay, now can you lead me to this Scribe Rothchild?”
We went down to ground level, where I found a man with white hair in a scarlet Scribe’s robe.
Just like Yearling.
He turned when he saw me, as if expecting me.
Madison must’ve told him.
“May I start by saying that I am sorry for your loss,” he said. “I was aquainted with your father, many years ago. The world has lost one of its true visionaries.”
So everyone tells me.
“Thanks for your sympathy.”
“Think nothing of it. Now, Doctor Li has explained your predicament. You need to locate some Vault-Tec equipment?”
“My father was looking for something called a G.E.C.K. Do you have one?”
He blinked, surprised by the question.
“A G.E.C.K.? Goodness, no. Certainly not. I must say that there are some who doubt such a device really exists, let alone works.”
But it does exist. That mad man Braun built one.
“If, however, you share your father’s determination, I may be able to assist you in locating one.”
Good.
“I’m running short on time, here. Let’s cut to the chase.”
This is dire. No time to talk in circles.
“Yes, well…I am afraid that with the emergence of the Enclave, the Brotherhood is rather busy right now.”
Hmph! You don’t look busy to me.
“I elected to take time from my responsibilities to assist you. Perhaps I was in error. Nonetheless, we may have what you seek. In the archives upstairs is an old, pre-War Vault-Tec terminal. I will send word that you need access to it.”
“Thanks for the help.”
“You are welcome. If you require further assistance, I may be able to help.”
Finally!
Turning to the left staircase, I noticed the feet of the big robot along with a computer terminal.
“So what is this humanoid bucket of bolts? I have a feeling I’ll find out sooner or later.”
I climbed the stairs to the western lab entrance, leaving it and heading out to the Courtyard; Paladin Cross followed. “Where’s Dee? Oh, yeah, I should tell you I have a dog! So, Vault-Tec terminal in the archives, huh? And he couldn’t be bothered to tell me where that is?”
I noticed the tick mark on my compass and followed that, going north back into the A Ring. Inside, I went past the Armory and the other lab entrance; the archives were through a door to the right. A lone terminal sat among servers directly aread.
“There we go! Is this the one? ‘Vault-Tec’ --- yes!”
Inside were three files:
-D.C. Area Vault Listings
-Vault-Tec Personnel Assignments
-Order Requisition Forms
Clicking the first entry:
-Vault 76
-Vault 87
-Vault 92
-Vault 101
-Vault 106
-Vault 108
-Vault 112
The first had a log of general information about the Vault: its occupants, construction, the different function systems. Clicking the third entry, “Project Goals,” I hit a dead end.
“‘Access Restricted.’ Pointless.”
Next, I tried “Vault 87”; the logs were similar, except it listed no occupants. I checked the equipment file and found what I was looking for:
“‘Non-standard equipment…
Stasis Chamber (4)
Plasma Containment Field (3)
G.E.C.K. (1)
Food Processing Station (6)’
“YES! Got it!”
I raced out of the archives and back to the Courtyard.
“Now, if they’d just told me that Vault 87 has a G.E.C.K., this would’ve been solved ages ago. They knew where it was…didn’t they? I mean, the information is right there and they never bothered to look for themselves. It doesn’t matter now. I have a fresh lead, I know what to do.”
Returning to the laboratory, I went down to ground level, looking for Scribe Rothchild. “Ohh, Rothchild…we need to talk….”
I found him in his quarters to the east behind a lighted map.
“Did you have any success with that old terminal?” he asked.
“Vault 87 has a G.E.C.K., but I don’t know where it is.”
“Ah. Well, that much I believe I can help with. Step over here for a moment. I’ll show you where it is.”
He led me to the map, on which appeared five gear icons with the Vault numbers.
Where’s 76?
“This map shows the locations of all known Vaults in the local area. Vault 87 has been highlighted for you, there. Entrance to Vault 87 will be particularly difficult for you, I’m afraid.”
“Why? What’s difficult about it?”
“The area is highly irradiated; lethal levels are all around the entrance. Gaining direct access will be quite impossible.”
What?!
“How do I get through the radiation?”
I have to get in there! I cannot give up! I’m so close now!
“Quite simply, you don’t. To attempt such a thing would be certain death for you.”
I won’t accept that.
“There’s got to be another way.”
“You share your father’s determination, it seems. And in this case, you are correct. There may well be another way.”
Well?
“Vault 87 is located very close to the site of Lamplight Caverns. It is entirely probable that the Vault may be entered from within the caves.”
I stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
“So there’s a Vault down there, and you’ve never bothered investigating it?”
Yeah, seems legit.
“Attempts were made, but our resources are stretched thin. The radiation proved fatal, and so our efforts were focused elsewhere.”
So you gave up and abandoned it, just like you abandoned Project Purity.
“Perhaps you will have more success.”
“Well, I guess it’s time to find out. I’ll go there myself.”
“If you do find anything, please return here so that we may decide on how best to precede.”
Right. So, go out there and risk my life, doing what the Brotherhood should’ve done. These guys are just lazy, cowardly. That Sarah Lyons seems to be the only one around here willing to take action. Rather zealously, from the sound of it.
I left him, going up and out into the Courtyard with Paladin Cross at my heels.
“Hang on,” I said, “I wanna go back to Vault 101 first. Go get my dog.”
*
When we arrived, I didn’t see him in the darkness.
“Dee? Where are ya, boy? (Whistles)”
I found him sitting against a big boulder outside the cave door leading into the Vault. “There you are!”
He barked happily, jumping up on his hind legs and licking my face.
“Haha, alright, boy alright. Hey, you want to do some more adventuring?”
“Arf!”
“Okay, come on.”
I pulled up my map and found a trail leading to the Lamplight Caverns; I traced the distance from the VAPL-58 Power Station.
“This is closer.”
*
We arrived there at about 4 a.m., making our way west; I heard the soundwaves and lasers of a Robobrain to the northeast. Rummaging into my bag, I took out the new Microwave Emitter.
“I wanna test this out.”
I ran toward it and fired a few times. “Hey, buddy! Smack ya with my own waves!”
I heard more lasers nearby and saw a Protectron hobbling toward us.
“Ahh, Protectrons, huh? You want some too?”
I took it out in a few shots. “Huh. This thing seems to be just as good as pulse grenades. Good to know.”
The sun rose as I turned around, continuing west.
“I need to find Lamplight Cav--- wait! Wasn’t that where the kids I rescued from Paradise Falls went? What did they call it? ‘Little Lamplight.’ (Gasp)”
I froze at the pacing figure of a Deathclaw under a powerline tower; it did not see me.
“Oh god…it’s a Deathclaw! Shit. Umm…go around it!”
I sprinted around the side of the power station, only to be shot at from the road below. “Huh? Oh, great. Talon mercs. Leave me alone!”
I shot back with Lincoln’s Repeater, but they were far too out of range. “And please, for the love of --- you’re gonna attract the Deathclaw!”
I slipped the Deathclaw Gaunlet on, dodging their shots.
“Kill ‘em all!”
“Yeah, sorry,” I said to Paladin Cross. “I’ve got assassins on my tail.”
I sliced two up and went for the third, whom Dee was already fighting. “Guess I should’ve mentioned that.”
I cut him down and looted his corpse, finding another “Private Contract: Kill Celeste.”
“What? That’s impossible. Why do they still have this? I chased Burke off and Tenpenny doesn’t give a fuck. There’s no way the Enclave would hire amateur civilian mercenaries. They want me alive!”
Yeah…it’s broad daylight and there’s a Deathclaw pacing around. Get your ass in gear.
“Yeah, I need to be very, very careful.”
I pulled out the Incinerator and moved uphill. “Heh-heh, Deathclaws no like fire….”
Instead, I stumbled across a Robobrain and killed it with the Microwave Emitter. “So many Robobrains around here.”
I continued up the road and caught sight of a building embedded in a rock face. I took a detour northwest to investigate: it was a warehouse, with an enclosed fence leading to a quarry behind it. Reaching the building and ascending the front steps, I noticed a new marker on my map: “Jalbert Brothers Waste Disposal.”
Inside was a vacant office with a downward staircase; Enclave radio played faintly from a desk against the wall. There was a safe against the wall next to the stairs, but the lock was frozen; a Radroach crawled carelessly by the stairs.
“Radroach!”
I pulverized it with the Metal Blaster. “Hehehehe. Splatifying Radroaches, just about my favorite thing to do. Next to blowing up cars. Dad didn’t like that one much.”
I descended the stairs into a locker room, blasting two more roaches. The lockers had Stimpaks and loads of Rad-Away with radiation suits.
“I don’t need the suits. I just need meds. And booze. Booze helps, too.”
I’d found vodka and scotch on the locker shelves. “Okay,” I said, stashing them in my bag, “from now on, scotch is my best friend. Time to embrace that Irish heritage.”
I turned to Paladine Cross and winked; she returned a tiny smile. On the western side of the lockers, another staircase led to the back end of the office; there I found more desks and a workbench. In the far corner, I found a Quantum bottle on one of the desks.
“Quantum! Mine! Abraxo Cleaner…detergent? Yes?”
I searched the room, which was littered with junk. “Hmm. I’m not seein’ any detergent. Turpentine, either. But I wanna make a cocktail!”
Opening the exit door, I stepped outside --- and a frag mine exploded!
“Ah! Ow. Well…that hurt.”
Dee ran down to me as I searched a dumpster, triggering another mine. “Ah! So it’s booby trapped. Whose bright idea was that?”
I’d come out the other side of the fence; a cargo truck with waste barrels sat in the center of the road. I unlocked the fence and climbed a dirt path on the side of the warehouse, getting back on course.
“Gotta go find Lamplight Caverns, and hopefully find a way into this Vault.”
I found my way back onto the road to the west; Dee was alerted by something unseen. “Uh-oh. Dee’s a-growlin’. He found something.”
I heard a squeak and a second later, he ran over to me.
Huh. Bloatfly.
I found a small shelter with ammo crates, but a pair of mines blew up when I approached it. “Ah! Okay, that was booby trapped.”
While unlocking a crate, I got burned by a triple laser: an Army Sentry Bot rolled out from behind the boulders ahead. Both Dee and Paladin Cross ran to attack it and we shut it down together.
It must’ve been guarding this keep.
After looting the rest of the crates, I continued west uphill to another road.
“Help me!”
I turned to see Paladin Cross running from something; I couldn’t see her foes, but they’d run behind a pair of old cars, which I blasted into flames. The cars exploded, killing whatever was behind them in a huge ball of fire.
“Victory!” she cheered.
“Easy.”
I walked over to the wreck to look for bodies. “Now, what was it you were shootin’ at? What’d I just kill?”
I found nothing, continuing on around a huge cluster of boulders. Hopping a guardrail and climbing another steep hill, I ran into another Sentry Bot.
“Oh. More of you….”
I shot at it but missed. “Wait a sec. There’s a better way to do this. Pulse Grenade, bitch! Ouch!”
It fired rapid shots and I threw a few more grenades in return. “One more?”
It fired a missile as Paladin Cross ran up to me; I jumped aside and it landed away from me.
“Missed!”
One more Pulse Grenade fried the bot. I looted its ammo, noticing a water tower to the northwest. Descending the hill to the road below, I got a better look and noticed a wooden fort next to the water tower.
“Huh. Looks like a look-out station. This could be it.”
I heard gunshots not far off. “What is that? Gah! Super Mutants! No….”
I hopped the second guardrail and ran downhill, the rock face of the caverns coming into view.
“Don’t attract attention by shooting at the…car or the bus. Just go.”
Above the destroyed vehicles, colored streamers hung from old street lamps. “Yeah, this’s gotta be it.”
Passing through the broken chainlink fence, I found the old rangers’ station, scavving for supplies. The gunshots grew closer and more rapid. Dee ran into the cabin as the gun-toting Mutant came closer.
“(Sigh) I guess I should take care of y --- ooh!”
It wasn’t a Super Mutant shooting: a Sentry Bot rolled up to us. Dee and Paladin Cross went after it while I dropped a Pulse Mine on it. The Bot sizzled, shocking us.
“Ooh, sorry.”
“Caution is advised,” Paladin Cross warned.
“Noted. C’mon, let’s go check this out.”
I slipped the Deathclaw glove on, going down to the cave entrance with strings on colored lights hanging from the rocks.
“Ooohh, pretty….”
Inside, the cave was dark; the only light another string running from above the door.
“Just…follow the lights, I guess. Ooof, it’s cold down here.”
The path spiraled downward; at the bottom I found a “STOP” sign with more string lights and what looked like a billboard made into a gate with metal plating all around it.
“Curious.”
I approached the gate, but was stopped by a guard: a little boy, about ten years old or so, garbed in hunting gear with the sleeves of a shirt wrapped under his chin and a rifle strapped behind his back.
“Hold it right there, lady! Don’t take another step, or we’ll blow your fuckin’ head off!”
Excuse me?
“Whoa, hold on there,” I said, raising my hands (my right still had the Deathclaw glove). “I’m a friend.”
Oops.
I quickly hid my right arm behind me; the guard stared at me suspiciously.
“You’re big, and I don’t have any big friends. You better just go out the way you came in.”
Oh no you don’t, kid.
“What is this place?” I asked, trying to stall.
“This is Little Lamplight. We live here, and we don’t need no mungos messing it up. So just take a hike.”
“Mungos”? Ah-ha!
“Can I come in?”
“Hell no!” he shouted. “No mungos allowed!”
Oh yeah?
“I’m the one who saved the kids from Paradise Falls.”
He paused, realizing.
“Oh yeah? Well why didn’t you say so, you stupid mungo?”
He stepped back and the gate opened.
“Ugh, you’re gonna want to refrain from calling me ‘mungo’, kid.”
I went inside and saw a curious display: a group of kids gathered by the gate, talking to an older teenage boy wearing a party hat. I stopped to listen:
“Happy birthday, Sticky. Sorry I missed your party.”
“Yeah, me too. Sorry.”
“There’s nothing happy about it,” Sticky replied sadly. “This is the worst day of my life.”
“It’s time to go!” a girl in a pink dress commanded.
“You know the rules.”
“The rules are stupid.”
“You’re a mungo now. You got to leave.”
He was younger than me, maybe sixteen or so.
“Maybe I can stay just a little longer?” Sticky pleaded. But the kids were unphased.
Just then a familiar face came up to me.
“Squirrel!”
“Wow,” he said, “thanks for the help out there. If it weren’t for you, I’d be a goner, for sure! Far as I’m concerned, you’re welcome in here anytime! Of course, it isn’t really up to me. So, what’d you need?”
“I really need to get into Vault 87. Do you know the way?”
He cringed.
“We don’t go there,” he stated. “It’s bad back there. Ask Mayor if you really wanna know.”
So it is here! Well then, I’ll find this Mayor and have a talk.
“Take care, Squirrel.”
I turned to see the guard facing me; he was about half my height.
“Okay, so you get in, but I got my eye on you.”
Fair enough.
“You don’t make trouble in here, got it? I ain’t havin’ no shit-butts making trouble.”
You kiss your mother with that m--- oh, wait. But that’s interesting, though. Were there ever any adults here?
“I’m not planning on starting any trouble.”
“Good. Better stay that way, mungo.”
Better get to the point.
“I’m looking to get into Vault 87,” I told him. “Do you know how?”
He frowned.
“It’s not safe, even for someone as brave as you. There’s monsters back there.”
“Monsters? What monsters?”
“The big ones. You know, the ones that sort of look like people except they’re all wrong.”
Oh, great. More Super Mutants.
“So you know the way to get there?”
“Yeah, I do. It’s through Murder Pass. Not a real safe way to go, but it’s the only door that works.”
“That’s the only way?”
“That’s the only door that works, yeah. The other door hasn’t worked since before I was here. Computer’s busted, and not even Joseph can make it work.”
I might. I’m good with computers.
“Where can I find Joseph?”
“I’m the Mayor, not a babysitter, mungo. Beats me. Maybe he’s back there by the door. Fuck if I know.”
Alright, fuck it.
“I want to use Murder Pass to reach Vault 87.”
His expression stiffened.
“You sure about that? It’s scary in there. Even I don’t like going there, and I’m really brave.”
Fret not. I’ve got backup.
“You see this?” I held up my right arm, flexing the razor sharp talons. “I slaughtered a Deathclaw to make this. I’ll be fine.”
That’s a lie. It was a gladiator.
He stared at it, eyes wide.
“Okay, if you say so…Come on. Let’s go get the gate open for you, mungo.”
I followed him through the caves to the northwest, passing a makeshift directory and even more kids! We ended up in an open area to the north: a picnic area with two small bathroom cabins and a larger store front up a flight of stairs.
“Wow…you kids built all of this yourselves? Obviously not. Looks like this must’ve been a tourist rest stop and the big cabin was probably a gift shop.”
He led me along a path lit by camping lanterns; I paused at a red sign that read, “Murder Pass.” We went even further into the caves, winding around until I saw another wooden gate with a scaffold. A little girl with a rifle ran up on top of it, pulling a lever on the left; the guard did the same on the right. Two heavy nets of big rocks lowered slowly, lifting the gate open.
“Wow! Okay, heh-heh. Something tells me I’m gonna find all kinds of wrong in there.”
It’s nothing you can’t handle.
With a deep breath I went through the cave and found another door; this one was smaller, covering a hole in the cave with chain link fencing and wooden boards.
Way too small for a Super Mutant to squeeze through. Smart move.
Inside, the cave was colder, the front path dimly lit; stilagmites jutted out from the ceiling like spikes.
“Oh, gee! This isn’t --- ow! This isn’t creepy at all….”
I’d nearly tripped over an oil drum; ahead was a barricade of old doors, shelving, and wooden boards in a “X” pattern. Through that, I noticed a gorilla-like silhouette; Dee barked in alarm.
“Shh! Dee!” I scolded, taking out the Reservist’s Rifle and scoping in for a better look. “‘Sorta look like people, but all wrong’. You got that right, kid.”
The Mutant disappeared; I put the sniper rifle away and hastily rummaged through my bag for a better weapon.
“I need…a Nuka-Cocktail. That’s what I need!”
But they’d been spent, so I took out the Dart Gun instead. I heard the clicking of chainmail armor as the Mutant paced. Paladin Cross ran forward the eastern path, further into the cave.
“FOUND YOU!”
He fired his Assault Rifle as her while she attacked with her armored hammer. “Why…you…stupid…humans…always fight?!”
I fired darts from outside the wooden fort she’d backed him into; two shots took him out.
“Gotcha!”
More gunfire rang out from the corner path; another Brute emerged and I fired from after.
He can’t see me. Keep shooting!
Paladin Cross and Dee chased him further back; I followed, keeping a safe distance. Paladin Cross finally took him down.
“The Wasteland will forget you ever existed,” she taunted.
Haha!
I looted his corpse, taking his ammo and rifle.
“You guys are only armed with .32 cals? Pfft!”
I retraced to the fort, looting all the ammo and meds I found there. “This glorified sling shot isn’t too effective against these armored Brutes. But it’s quiet.”
When the coast was clear, we all went north further into the cave.
“There might be hostiles in the area,” Paladin Cross cautioned.
“Yep,” I replied, searching. “Countin’ on it.”
The rocky path was lit only by dim flood lights scattered every few feet. Around the southwest corner, though, camping lanterns lit a brighter path. “I’m gonna try to be all sneaky-beaky like, but that might be easier said than done. Sound carries in caves.”
Then stop talking.
To the northwest I found an area full of sand bags and an old Vault-Tec sign meant to block off a lit corner path.
“‘Keep Out…Not Part of the Tour.’ Ha! Like that’d stop me.”
Going in, I nearly ran into a Super Mutant Master; Dee and Paladin Cross ran to attack and I heard the clanking and whirring of a piston.
“Fuck, he’s got a Minigun!”
I fired a few darts, but Paladin Cross killed him. “Damn! You did that faster than I ever have!”
Well, she is Brotherhood. And she has Dee to help.
I picked off all his ammo and tried lifting his Minigun.
“Oof! N-n-no. It’s great, but I don’t want it.”
I dropped it and took a moment to heal with a Stimpak. “Murder Pass is right (sigh). Now where do we go?”
Ahead, I came to two paths: taking the right one, I inched through a tight passage and came out to a fenced area lit by flaming oil drums.
“Hell of an entrance.”
Through the fence to the east was yet another casm. Right as I stepped into it, another Mutant emerged, wielding an axe.
“Oh, fuck…it’s an Overlord!”
I fired more darts as the other two charged at him, doing little damage. “No…I need to…use somethin’ a little better than this.”
I quickly put the Dart Gun away and took out Lincoln’s Repeater, shooting immediately; the Overlord went down with a few shots (likely from Cross’s hammer). Past him, I turned left and saw the shape of a familiar blast door.
Is this it? Did we reach the Vault?
I ran up and opened it: it was indeed a concrete room, with support beams, pipes on the ceiling and another door directly ahead.
“So this is the infamous Vault 87?”
I turned my light on and explored: there wasn’t much, just a few desks and a supply shelf. The shelf had a First Aid kit, an ammo box and a Nuka-Cola Quantum.
BOOM!
“Ah!”
Something had knocked me off my feet, injuring my limbs; I medicated and looked around for the source. “What the hell was that? Dee…did you trigger a mine?”
He glanced sideways at me, in a “what did I do?” expression. “No. That wasn’t a mine.”
I found a pressure plate on the floor next to one of the desks.
“Holy shit, a pressure plate! Be on your guard, then. I just stepped on it…and it let somethin’ loose.”
I opened the other door, which led me into another part of the caverns; through that was another wooden door surrounded by chain linked fencing. A placard on the door read, “Reactor Chamber.”
“So this is where I need to get a G.E.C.K., huh?”
I went in to find a foreboding dark tunnel with another Vault-Tec sign, like the last one. “Well…now that I’m here…I don’t think I want to.”
I stared at the tunnel, my eyes glassy, and then shook it off.
“Wait, I don’t wanna go in there yet. I kinda wanna do a little, uh…exploring. Yeah, that’s it!”
Paladin Cross gave me an “are you kidding me?” look, but followed me back out of the cave toward Little Lamplight.
“Eh-heh-heh, eh-heh…now that I did all that Murder Pass biz? Now I want to explore!”
Of course. I’ve already killed everything behind me, so there should be safe passage.
So we turned back and went south through Murder Pass.
“Besides, it’s a town of children. All kids. How could that not be worth exploring?”
I wonder how the kids got here. Where do they come from?
Just as we were about to reach the door leading out of Murder Pass, a Super Mutant Brute with a Missile Launcher fired at us from across a bridge in the western corner. Dee ran after him, but was pelted with flying baseballs.
“A pitching machine? Clever trap.”
Paladin Cross ran at him next; I took out a frag and threw it. “Look out --- I mean, frag out!”
A second frag took him out; Paladin Cross ran back to me. “Ooh, sorry. I gotta be a little less clumsy with those.”
Curious, I walked across the bridge to loot his corpse, drawing my Dart Gun. I went west, past the pitching machine downhill to another cavern, finding a cache of ammo and First Aid. Going back up, I heard the faint taunt of another Mutant. More Mutants fired from behind a fort on the northern side of the bridge. Using VATS, I found their position but could only hit one’s leg. The other Brute fired at me with a rifle; ducking for cover, I put the Dart Gun away.
“Okay, this isn’t working. How about another frag?”
I threw it, but the fort was too high; the frag landed behind it and exploded.
Fuck!
Using VATS again, I analyzed the situation, trying a few different guns.
“Oh, there’re two of you in there!”
Paladin Cross was taking on heavy fire, so we both ducked behind the cave wall. “Guh! Possibly three.”
I took out the Incinerator and shot a few fire balls at the fort, but their armor was too thick.
“Uhh…stop paying attention to me! These guys don’t know when to quit.”
I put the Incinerator down and drew the Perferator, ducking for cover between shots. “Okay, this is better. The scope definitely helps.”
I took them both out, just as the ammo was fully spent.
“Phew! Finally. Aww, shit….”
A third had emerged and fired at me; I drew the Metal Blaster and returned fire. Killing him with nearly a full clip, I went up a series of ramps to loot their fort. I found stores of ammo and aid, including Blood Packs.
“Mmm…Blood Packs. I never got the chance to tell Dad that I’m a vampire now. Just as well; he’d have freaked out. But it was a tactical decision. And oooh, how I got it was absolutely glorious.”
Sensually spoken suggestion followed by a massive orgasm, haha!
After a lot of circling, I finally reached the door leading to the open gate at Little Lamplight. The little girl in the pink dress stood guard, followed closely by the kid who greeted me, whom I guessed was their Mayor. I stopped him to talk.
“What do you want, mungo? Too scared to go through Murder Pass? I told you so.”
“Actually,” I retorted, “I cleared that out. I want to know more about this place.”
He stared at me quizzically.
“Such as?”
“How do you keep it so organized?”
“Organized?!” he said with a laugh. “Have you walked around this place? It’s pure anarchy! And I wouldn’t have it any other fuckin’ way. We can’t all stay here forever, so we’ve all got to leave eventually. And there’s not much to look forward to out there. So we have a good time while we’re here, and the occasional ruthless little bastard like me makes sure it doesn’t fall apart for the other kids.”
“You said everyone has to leave eventually?”
“People change when they grow up, and we don’t trust mungos living down here. So we leave for a place called Big Town before we get too old.”
That must’ve been what I saw coming in. That boy must’ve reached his prime, so they turned him loose.
“Kids who grow up fighting and surviving in Lamplight are better trained for the world out there than idiots who were pampered by grown-ups outside.”
Very interesting. He makes a good point. But it does make me afraid for the residents of Vault 101. I had to adapt when I was forced out. That took time but at least I found Megaton not long after.
“How did you get to be in charge of this place?”
“It’s not that complex,” he explained. “Any kid can say they want to be mayor here. It’s just that most don’t want to bother with responsibility of leading. Most of the time, they last until the kids get tired of them and then they get kicked out on their ass by the new mayor. One only lasted 5 minutes. Of course, I’ve kept this place going strong for three years. To most of these kids, that makes me Mayor for Fuckin’ Life. Fine by me, I say.”
“Thanks for the info, kid.”
“Yeah, that’s nice. Scram.”
He walked away to go back on patrol.
“Pfft! No, you scram. Punk.”
I stopped a boy in a police hat for more intel.
“Whoa,” he said, looking me up and down in amazement, “are we letting mungos in, now? Didn’t here any shots, so I’m guessing you’re not here to raid us. And if you’re not here to raid us, you might just have brought something cool for us, see? So who are you, and how’d you get let in?”
“I’m from Vault 101,” I told him, “and I rescued some of your friends from the Slavers.”
“Oh, that was you? Nice work! I hope one of you grabbed some of their gear before you left --- gotta make them pay for something like that. Speaking of which, I’m Knick Knack, and I take care of the general store around here. Which is to say, I collect a lot of stuff and sometimes trade it for other stuff. That’s pretty much a store, see?”
Ahh, the barter system!
“It is. Thanks for the intel.”
I turned to check out the restroom cabin: the lavetories were grimy from neglect. I took a drink from a fountain, wincing from the irradiated taste.
“Blegh! Free, clean water for all sounds like such an ingenius idea. I doubt the Enclave has the same vision for that purifier. I’m going to get it out if their control, one way or another.”
And that starts with Vault 87, you coward!
Opening the door to the Great Chamber, I encountered another familiar face:
“Sammy?”
He looked much cleaner than he had in the slave pen at Paradise Falls.
“We didn’t need any mungo’s help getting out of there, you know. But you did it, so, uh, thanks. But that means I gotta go back to guarding the back gate with Princess. Ugh.”
Your apology sucks, but I’ll accept it.
“Do you enjoy guarding the back gate?”
“No, because Princess always bosses me around and there’s never nothing to gun.”
Double negative. There’s something alright. And trust me, you wouldn’t last a second against a Super Mutant.
“She’s always making fun of me just because she’s angry all the time about her nickname and not being in charge and stuff.”
“Hey, we all have to do jobs we don’t like, for a while. I mean, look at me! I’ve done all sorts of things I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t left Vault 101. That includes rescuing you and your friends.”
He looked at me, unsure of what to say, and then walked away.
Can’t blame him for that. I don’t know what they went through in those pens.
Turning the corner, I stopped, beholding a beautiful scene: it was like a gigantic tree house, with wooden forts, catwalks, and bridges built around the cavern walls! Hanging string lights and enormous bobble lanterns lit up the caves.
“The kids built all this? It’s incredible! And beautiful. Probably took generations to build. Makes me wish I’d grown up here.”
For about sixteen years. I wonder if the kids of twenty years ago would’ve allowed Dad to stay as their doctor. He’d have been a fantastic mentor. He was for me.
Walking around, I stopped to talk to a little girl in the same police cap as the general store owner.
They must be brother and sister.
“Hey,” she said, “are we letting mungos in now? Didn’t hear a scuffle, so I’m guessing you’re some sort of guest? So, what’s so cool about you, fancypants? Must be a pretty good reason for you to get let in, see?”
“I’m from Vault 101, and I rescued some of your friends from the Slavers. How’s that for cool?”
“Oh, was that you? Nice work! I hope you got some good laughs out of it before you left --- gotta make sure they know not to try that again!”
Well…I started a bash of nasty in-fighting. That was pretty funny…uh, after the fact.
“Speaking of which, I’m Knock Knock, and I take care of the general morale around here.”
“Knock Knock” and “Knick Knack”? Clever, for twins.
“Which is to say, I collect a lot of stories, and sometimes trade them to keep the others amused. Morale’s better than less-al, see?”
I snickered in spite of myself.
“You said you’re in charge of ‘morale.’ What does that mean?”
“Well, technically, I’m patrolling and ‘keeping the peace.’ Mostly that involves making sure people are happy and not getting into trouble. You can’t very well keep the peace if you’ve already lost it, see? So --- bam! Jokes! Wanna hear one?”
I kinda like her. She reminds me of myself at her age.
“Sure, let’s hear one.”
She beamed.
“Prepare to be amused! Knock, knock!”
“Who’s there?”
“Noah!”
“Noah who?”
“Noah place where I can get some food?”
Lame, but an “A” for effort.
“That was…um…really funny,” I lied.
“Gee, thanks! I have to admit, most of them aren’t really funny. At least, not ha-ha funny. They’re more like a tradition. Most of them were passed down from this book we found down back, called ‘Vault Boy’s Big Book of Laughs for Kids.’”
I remember that book.
“They’re not really funny, but something about hearing them is a little comforting, you know?”
True. Freddie, Amata and I made a game out of who told the worst joke from the book. We turned it into a drinking game when we were sixteen.
“Why don’t you come up with new jokes or stories to tell?” I asked.
“Oh, we’ve got lots of funny incidents. Like when Sammy shot that Raider who thought he was a girl, that sort of stuff.”
The best kind!
“But we don’t really get a lot of new stories from outside. The scav teams spend all their time hidden, so they don’t get much news, see? I’d sure like to hear more tales from the great big outdoors myself. Actually, if you hear any, feel free to tell me!”
Oh, boy do I have one! But…it’s a bit dark for these kids.
“I’ve got a tale I could tell you.”
“Oh really?” she exclaimed. “Tell me about it!”
“Not long ago,” I began, “my father left me. So I went searching for him.”
She stared at me, not expecting the subject to be so serious.
“So, you’re like a three-legged dog, then? Looking for your lost paw? Hah! Anyway, what happened next?”
I smiled at her, grateful for the comical interpretation.
“I finally found Dad, but then he died protecting me and his life’s work.”
“Wow…” she mused, taking it all in. “That’s some crazy bad timing. I mean that is to say, I’m really sorry to hear about your loss.”
“It’s okay,” I told her. “It…actually feels better to talk about it.”
“So, what happens next?”
Present tense, eh?
“I’d tell you more, but I’m still working on how it ends.”
The story continues with Vault 87.
“That makes sense, I suppose. A good story can take a while to put together, you know?”
“It sure can.”
I put my hand on her shoulder before walking away to look around more.
“Looks like a sweet life you kids got going.”
I passed by a few Shepards wandering around; one of them stopped to sniff Dee.
“Heh-heh. Look, Dee. Some friends!”
I explored the cavern to the south through another winding cave; I found another door and went in. The smell of musty water and fungus filled the air; floating islands with rafts and picnic tables scattered the pool. Strings of lights hung from the ceiling.
“Huh. So this must be their cafeteria. What do they eat?”
I found clusters of fungus and various topside fruits on each table; on the main island, I found a bar counter with a fridge. Enclave radio played softly; I tried listening for intel.
“Agh! Nothing but the same broadcast ‘news.’ Why are you kids listening to Enclave Radio, anyway? Did you know that stuff is bad for your ears? GNR…now there’s a station! Sweet tunes, storytime, a host that’s actually entertaining --- there’s nothing better!”
Assuming Three Dog still gets intel on my antics.
Leaving the cafeteria west back toward Murder Pass, I decided to visit the general store. Looking around, I saw ammo boxes and other stuff, but I had nothing to trade. But two holotapes on a shelf caught my eye.
“‘My Diary, by Jason Grant --- Entries 1 & 2.’ Huh. Just out of curiosity.”
I downloaded them and played Entry 1:
“‘Um…I guess this thing is working. I’m Jason Grant. I’m 10 years old. I’m in Mrs. Delaney’s class at Early Dawn Elementary. A month ago, the big war came and everything was destroyed. Except us. We’re still okay in these caves. Kind of. Mrs. Delaney went out this morning to get help, and she never came back. The other adults never came back, either. So now it’s just us kids.
‘A lot of the others still cry every day. They’re really scared. I’m not. There’s nothing to be scared of, as long as we don’t go outside. Nobody else wants to be in charge, so I’m going to try. Most of the kids listen to me already, so it should be easy.’”
I played Entry 2:
“‘It’s been almost two months, and we’re all doing pretty good, even if we are all alone. There’s a door that leads to a Vault, right here in the caverns. Every day we bang and bang, but they won’t let us in. We can hear them in there! One time, a guy on the other side told us we were dead already. Fuck those grown ups. Fuck them all. We don’t need them ever again.’”
“Huh…so they tried to get into Vault 87? Why weren’t they let in?”
Exiting the general store and going back into the Great Chamber, I walked around to look for more holotapes. “Okay, now I’m intrigued. This is like a…‘Lord of the Flies’ sinerio.”
The Vault had a copy of that book: an interesting read about a group of British choir boys that crash-landed on a mysterious island and built their own township.
“Yeah, exactly. No grown-ups allowed!”
On the north bridge, I spotted a kid in a leather jacket with a worn black velvet top hat and goggles; he was about twelve or so. He didn’t stare when he saw me, but rather seemed to accept my presence.
“Okay,” he said firmly, “RJ had better have had a good reason to let you in. Because right now, all I’m seeing is a mungo who’s here to take our food and screw us over.”
Oh no, I didn’t just snatch some of the lovely scraps of fruit and fungus lying around!
“The Mayor let me in for rescuing those kidnapped kids,” I told him.
Don’t expect a big reaction from everyone.
“Oh, great,” he said sarcastically. “Maybe next, he’ll take in a Deathclaw or something. And he’ll make it the town mascot. But anyway, yeah, thanks for bringing them back in one piece. Maybe now they’ll learn to be more careful out there! If you need what passes for food down here, look me up. Name’s Éclair, and if you so much as snicker, I’ll carve you up for steaks.”
Yikes!
“Where do you get food for this place?”
“Honestly? When we can’t scavenge some from outside, we mostly scrape it off the walls and skim it off the water.”
I couldn’t help but cringe.
“No, really,” Éclair insisted. “Most of our food comes from fungus that grows in these caves. It’s not so bad when you get used to it, and we don’t have much choice. At least it’s filling, so we don’t have to eat much of it. But, man oh man, it tastes terrible.”
Sounds like you could use some spices. Salt, pepper, chyanne.
“Where does the fungus come from?”
“It’s pretty hard to find, and I hear it doesn’t grow in other caves. I don’t know why it’s here, but without it, we’d be goners. ‘Think fungus just grows on trees? No, it grows in caves!’ Ugh. Knock Knock came up with that one once, and now it’s stuck in my head forever. Doesn’t take any work to get it to grow down here. All I have to do is collect and prepare it. Mostly, I try to get the stink off it.”
“How does the fungus grow?”
Why am I talking about food? I’m getting so hungry I could eat a whole Mole Rat!
“They say the fungus grows in pools where the first Lamplighters dumped the mungos. That’s about the most they ever helped us. I don’t know how true that is, but I know sometimes the scav team comes back with this strange meat that tastes terrible, but the fungus loves it.
“I don’t know where they find that meat, but if you could bring some back, I’d be glad to trade fungus for it. Of course, MacCreddy’d have to okay it.”
“Strange meat”…I think I know what he’s talking about.
“Shit, kid. I’ll bring back spices if I find any.”
I left him to look around, going west; I found another holotape on a pool table and a work bench inside a cranny. I put my bag down and dug into it to see what I could repair: I made a Nuka-Cocktail and recycled some drained ammo canisters.
“I’m a fixer. I fix things. But I’m also a hacker, which means…I could probably get that Vault door opened.”
I downloaded the tape and played it for more information; it was a little girl’s voice this time. “January 26, 2077.”
“‘We’ve been in here for 3 months now, and it’s way better than it used to be. Who says kids can’t take care of themselves? Jason has done a really good job keeping everyone busy. He says if we want to survive, we need to work together, and work hard. A few of the kids have started saying we’re like a whole new city. A city of kids. They call it ‘Little Lamplight.’ It's so cool. All of us voted in secret, and tomorrow we’re going to tell Jason that he’s the city’s first mayor! He’s going to be so happy with us!’”
“Pretty cool.”
Going east, I bumped into a boy dressed in old mole costume with a miner’s hat; he wore swimming goggles over his eyes.
“The mayor said it’s okay for you to be in here, right? Because mungos aren’t allowed in here unless the mayor says so. So are you an okay mungo?”
He talks so fast I can barely string the words together!
“I’m ---”
“Because if you aren’t an okay mungo, that means I have to get my gun from lockdown so stay here, okay?”
All I got from that was “mungo…gun from lockdown…”
“No, no,” I stopped him quickly. “I’m not here to cause any problems! You don’t need your gun!”
Bet this kid got his taken away for being a bit too trigger-happy.
“Oh, that’s good because Mayor MacCreedy says I can’t have my gun in town anymore, not since last time, but that was totally an accident anyway! That reminds me, got any Nuka-Cola? ‘Cause if I’m not gonna have a gun in town, then it must be okay for me to have one more Nuka-Cola, right?”
“Umm….”
“Anyway, everyone calls me Zip, you know, like a zipper, only not really like that because I’m not made of metal, but I do go up and down, I guess.”
Or because you talk a mile a millisecond, ha-ha!
“I don’t have any Nuka-Cola,” I said honestly.
“Yeah,” Zip replied, “and I got lots to trade. But if you got no Nuka, you’re not getting’ nothin’, no way!”
Again with the double negatives.
“I’m going away,” I said quickly, backing up. “You stay here. Away from me.”
“Okay, see you next time, miss!”
I went north off the bridges into another part of the caverns: a junk yard of sorts, with various clutter; empty lockers, a ton of barrels, old bed frames, shopping carts and picket fences. Beyond all this, hidden in a corner, was a chain link fence that looked like it’d been pushed over by a bulldozer.
“Another Nuka addict like Sierra Petrovita. Only this one’s much smaller. I’d hate to see what would happen if he tried a Quantum! Hang on…what’s back here?”
Through the fence in the corner to the west I saw copper piping affixed with cement. It was a metal pod; following the ramp up, I saw what looked like a reactor with computer terminal behind it!
“No way! I found it! This should be a ciche!”
I tried hacking it, but couldn’t even start it up. “Ahh…it’s got no power. Murder Pass it is!”
Retracing my steps, I passed Zip.
“Hey, excuse me, hey!” he shouted.
“Nope. No Nuka for you. I’m not enabling another addict. Especially not one so pint-sized.”
I cycled around and under the scaffolds back up, and then took the bridge to the east. I passed a little girl talking to an older boy and recognized her voice.
“Penny?”
She turned when she saw me, beaming.
“Thanks for getting me back,” she chirped. “I really missed my brother. Everyone calls you a mungo, but I think you’re an okay mungo.”
I smiled at her and decided to talk to her brother.
“Well,” he gawked, “here’s something new. What’s a grown-up like you doing in Little Lamplight? Don’t tell me MacCreedy’s going soft on us!”
“Mayor MacCreedy let me in for rescuing those kids.”
“That was you?” he cheered. “Well, my most sincere thanks, then. You brought my sister Penny back to me, and I couldn’t ask for more than that. I’m Joseph, and if there’s ever anything I can do for you here, just name it! As the oldest kid in town, I spend most of my time teaching, but I do what I can to keep the kids clean and fresh-faced. Say, if you’re ever looking for a haircut, I’d be glad to offer my services. You only need to ask!”
Nah, I’m good for now. What I could really use though is a shower!
“What sort of education do the kids get in here?”
“Well,” he explained, “back at the start, all the children had were the notes from the grown-ups that hadn’t left yet, and a few books on caves from the store. But after finding the vault, a few scavengers brought back holotapes for basic schooling. Reading, basic math, encyclopideas, that sort of stuff. We don’t get many books anymore from the scav team, but I make sure to keep my own notes on the computer for whoever takes over after I leave.”
Very resourceful.
“Thanks for the intel. See ya, Joseph.”
“Bye, lady!” Penny called out, waving.
“G’bye, Penny. Stay safe.”
Zip ran up to them, trying to get my attention. “Nope. I told you I don’t have any Nukas, you little…twerp.”
I took the path to the south, going deeper into the caves. “Murder Pass it is! It’s…so easy to get lost in these caves.”
I backtracked through the cafeteria, going east, ending up at the front gate.
“This place seems…somewhat organized, even if the kids just do what they want without fear. Sounds like a pretty sweet life.”
I backtracked again to the northwest, past the “Souvenirs” sign to the picnic area and general store.
“Well, it’s good that they’re keeping each other safe down here. I only hope that when Amata opens that door, my old friends will learn to look out for each other.”
Through the northwest path, I found the gate to Murder Pass once again, going in.
“I already cleared everything out of here,” I said to my companions, “but let me take point.”
I drew my Metal Blaster and went north, after a lot of circling and retracing my steps, I got back on the right path.
“God, I hate these caves.”
“Is this relevant to the mission?” Paladin Cross asked, getting impatient.
“No. I mean yes, we’re…getting closer to the Vault. But I’ll admit the reality of going in there makes me nervous as fuck.”
I found the Vault-Tec tour sign with the sandbag wall, coming across the Overlord’s corpse. Going back to the north I found the steel and concrete corridor leading to the Vault, and then the door to the Reactor Chamber. I stopped cold, my hands shaking.
“I don’t really want to go in there, but I have to. I have to do this. We’re so close!”
With a deep breath and a brave face, I marched forward on the path to the steel door of Vault 87….