Chapter 17: There's No Place Like Home

"Michael!" Natalie shouted with tears in her eyes and a massive smile on her face. She ran to her younger brother and threw her arms around him in a longing hug. Michael embraced her back, happy to know she was safe. The two siblings had finally been reunited after what felt like so long. The two held onto each other like their lives depended on it, neither wanting to break the moment. "I thought I lost you." Nat cried into her brothers shoulder.

"I'm here. I'm here." Michael wept. Everyone watched the two siblings embrace, standing in silence. The moment continued up until a certain someone had jumped onto Michael. "Hey! Down boy." Michael joyfully ordered to his dog. Dogmeat followed his order and sat down next to his master.

"Oh God! What is that?" Nat asked, looking down at the strange creature in front of her. Dogmeat tilted his head at her.

"This is Dogmeat. He's my dog." Michael responded, petting his faithful canines head.

"Michael. You look like Hell." Nat said, finally getting a good look at her brother. "And you smell like death. Is that a tattoo?"

"I think we all have questions that need answering." Michael said. As the two siblings were reconnecting, footsteps against the steel floor came closer from behind Michael. The guards all took up their batons and Nat shoved her brother behind her. They were all staring down the intruders.

"Stand back!" Nat ordered.

"Woah! Nat, calm down." Michael shouted. "They're not enemies. They're my friends." Nat looked at her younger brother with a puzzling look on her face.

"These guys are your friends?" Nat asked.

"And what about us?" Bonnie shot back at her.

"Easy, Bon." Jenkins turned to her.

"These guys are your friends?" Nat repeated.

"Well, yeah." Michael answered. "They're my companions, I travel with them. There was another one, but he stayed in California."

"California? You went all the way to California?" Nat asked, shocked.

"Yeah. It was crazy." Michael said.

"Why are you back? When you left, we all thought the worst happened. You've been gone for months!" Nat cried out.

"After the door closed, I went out in search of a cure for what's going on. I believe I have something that could help." Michael said. He presented the metal case to his sister.

"Is this what I think it is?" Nat asked.

"A Garden of Eden Creation Kit; our salvation." Michael answered.

"I always thought they were just rumors and stories. I never thought they're actually real. Does it work?" Nat said.

"Only one way to find out. I must present this to the Overseer." Michael replied.

"If you think this will work, then let's haul ass to him. Men, on me!" She ordered the officers to escort Michael and his entourage to the Overseer. There were two guards that volunteered to escort Michael and his group. Jenkins and Bonnie followed. As they walked into the vault, they triggered the rad sensors, but it was nothing too dangerous or life threatening to the inhabitants.

"Why do we need protection?" Michael asked.

"Things have changed around here, and not for the better. We cannot risk losing that case, and I can't have you hurt now." Nat answered, much to Michael's ever-growing worries. Security lead the group through the metal corridors of the vault all the way to the atrium, and it was in such a sorry state. The inhabitants were scattered and were just barely managing to have some semblance of a normal life. There was graffiti on the walls, stains and scattered junk on the floor, broken vending machines and jammed doors, some of the dwellers didn't even bother wearing the vault jumpsuit. Some of the lights were out and the lights that were on were dim. Vault 25 was on the brink of catastrophe. Michael looked around what he called home and saw just how much the vault needed a miracle.

"You can't do this!" The group saw one of the dwellers screaming at another security guard just as they were entering the atrium.

"Sir, please calm down. No one is allowed to leave the vault." The guard responded.

"Becker got to leave. Why can't we?" The dweller shot back.

"Sir, I'm gonna ask you again, please just return to your quarters." The guard demanded.

"My quarters?! My quarters were on the third floor! You call a gymnasium full of roll out beds quarters?" The dweller was getting increasingly irritated.

"By orders of the Overseer, no one is allowed to leave. What happened with Becker was an accident. Please, return to your quarters." The guard was also noticeably getting more aggressive.

"Screw you, and the Overseer! I'm going through that damn door!" The dweller shouted. He tried to push pass the guard, but the guard shoved them onto the ground, with a loud thud from the metal floor. The guard took out his nightstick and began to beat the dweller.

"Brady!" Nat called out and grabbed his nightstick before he could hit the dweller. "We don't hurt the commoners." She barked at him. Owen stared at Nat, almost mad that she stopped him.

"Right. Yes, Ms. Becker." Brady hissed. Nat turned to her brother.

"Sorry you had to see that. The whole place has gone to hell since you left." She said. The group continued into the atrium, one of the more horrid places in the vault currently. Some of the rooms were blocked off with lockers and benches while the rest were either raided or abandoned. The only room that even had some semblance of functionality was the medical wing. The interior of the vault was in disarray, but the most frightening thing were the vault dwellers on the floor, spread out on medical beds. These were either the injured or the sick, but it didn't matter. Michael looked at his home, distraught and upset over the state of his fellow dwellers. He looked back at Danny behind him. His bully had this sorrowful look on his face, showing that even he was upset of the state of the vault. Michaels companions were put off from this sight, finally seeing just how bad the situation really was. He then looked to Toddsworth who, even if he was a robot with no facial expressions, he movements exclaimed that he too was heartbroken to see Vault 25 like this. In the center of the atrium was the resident vault priest, Father Wyatt. He was sitting on a chair next to a patient on the medical bed. He had his hands together with his creased forehead resting on his knuckles, silently praying to the Lord. This place was no longer a safe home underground, it was now soon to be a mortuary; a tomb for those who only wanted to stay below the horrors that awaited outside. Michael looked up the wall toward the Overseers window. He saw that the window was still shattered from when he escaped, but it was since barricaded with what looked like lockers. Just then, the door on the far left wall shuddered open. Two men came rushing out, carrying a stretcher with another patient on it.

"We got an injured!" One of the men shouted, grabbing the attention of everyone who wasn't on the floor. The man was different than the rest for he had on a bright yellow hazmat suit. However, the glass visor on the head appeared to be smashed in. Glass pierced the face of the man inside. He was still alive, but was in horrible pain. Blood flowed out of the cuts and gashes, so much so that the back of the mans head was now dunked in a pool of his own blood. The two laid the hazmat man on a free table and the priest rushed to their side. Two doctors came out of the medical room, both having their white doctors coat's stained with dried blood from previous patients.

"What the hell happened?" One of the doctors ask.

"He was part of Dweller Team. He was attacked by one of them." One of the two men who carried him explained.

"Is he infected?" The other doctor asked.

"No. I don't think so. He was in the elevator when it happened. One of them got in with him and attacked him inside." The man explains further.

"And what of the infected?" The other doctor said as he began taking the hazmat suit off the man.

"Beat to Hell by the guards down there." The man replies.

"What happened to him?" Michael asked his sister.

"He's Dweller Team. They go down into the lower levels of the vault to see if they can scavenge some supplies and do maintenance to keep the reactor running. Must've been attacked by the infected." She explained.

"People who were stuck on the lower levels. Poor bastards." Jenkins butted in.

"Why are they performing surgery? Why not just put him in an autodoc?" Michael asked.

"The reactor's haven't been properly maintained for awhile. There's not enough power to get an autodoc working." Nat said. The group continued on their way, but Michael couldn't shake the sight of that man from his mind. That image may forever be burned into both of his psyche's. The guards lead Michael and his companions up the stairs to the Overseer's office, but first there was the checkpoint in-between. The guard station looked normal enough, besides the obvious state of disarray everything was in. There was only one guard present and he halted the group from continuing further.

"Hold it. Nobody is authorized to enter the Overseer's chambers." The guard ordered.

"Move aside, Finn. We got something for the Overseer to see." Nat ordered.

"I apologize Officer Becker, but no one has the authorization to disturb the Overseer. If you have something of interest to him, I will make sure it gets to him." The guard was not moving. As they were talking, Dogmeat snuck in-between them and barked at Finn.

"Oh shit!" The guard exclaimed, never having seen a dog before. He instinctively kicked the mutt, making Dogmeat wince in pain.

"HEY!" Michael yelled. He threw the G.E.C.K. to his sister, pushed past the other guards and jumped on the guard for hitting his dog. The guards, his sister and Paladin Jenkins tried to pull Michael off the guard, but then the guard punched The Prodigy on the cheek. Bonnie then jumped in and jabbed the guard in his nose. Jenkins pulled Bonnie and held her back. The other guards had to restrain Finn while Nat held onto Michael from escalating the situation further. Yelling ensued in the room, which could be heard throughout the metallic halls of the vault. Just then, the blast door to the Overseers office opened.

"What the Hell is going on here?!" The Overseer yelled. The group stopped fighting. Both Michael and Finn were let go, but were kept far away from each other. "Officer Natalie, what is with all this shouting?" He demanded an answer.

"Sir! We believe we have something that could fix the situation in the vault." Nat stood at attention.

"Oh? Do tell. What magical solution do you have to make our inhabitants from killing each other?" The Overseer sarcastically asked. Nat held the metallic briefcase with both hands, presenting it to the Overseer. The briefcase immediately caught the Overseers attention. "Is this..?" He slowly walked closer to the case. He put his hands on the latches, unlocking the case. He opened the case and saw the internal junction of wires, dials and components. He was shocked and amazed at the sight of it.

"A fully function Garden of Eden Creation Kit." Nat said.

"How...How did you get this?" The Overseer asked, bewildered. Nat gestured next to her. There stood a young man in a dirty, blue and gold vault jumpsuit with metallic and leather armor. The Overseer looked at him and was astonished to see The Prodigy standing there, alive. "Michael." The Overseer said to him.

"We need to talk." Michael stated, rubbing his cheek from the punch he took just a moment ago. He quickly grabbed the G.E.C.K. from Natalie's hands and closed the case. The Overseer didn't respond for a second, just stood there, bewildered.

"Of course. Please, come inside. I'm sure we have much to discuss." The Overseer finally muttered out. The group went up the short stairs that lead to the Overseers office. The Overseer watched as Michael went in first, but was confused and surprised as his companions walked behind him. The Overseer looked down at the dog and was surprised to say the least.

"Sup. You got anything to drink?" Bonnie asked as she didn't let the Overseer even answer her. She walked in and Jenkins followed, which shocked the Overseer the most.

"Don't mind her." Jenkins, the hulking man in T51b power armor with a massive hammer on his back, said as he walked in. The Overseer stood still for a second, trying to process these new visitors. He quickly gathered his bearings and walked back into his office. Michael had already sat down in the chair across from the Overseer with Dogmeat next to him on the floor, guarding the G.E.C.K. while Jenkins had decided to be on guard duty and positioned himself next to the door with his Gauss Rifle. Bonnie was raiding his alcohol cabinet for something to drink.

"Hello." Bonnie said to a large bottle of wine she pulled out of the cabinet. "You look as if you can get someone drunk."

"Excuse me, but that is a two hundred year old bottle from the first Overseer and I would greatly appreciate it if you put that back." The Overseer barked. Bonnie just scoffed at him.

"Poser." She muttered as she set the wine down.

"I see you made some friends out there, Michael." The Overseer said as he sat down in his chair.

"You could say that." Michael replied. The Overseer repositioned himself and got comfortable.

"Now, about the G.E.C.K.." The Overseer started.

"Why'd you sent Danny out after me?" Michael cut him off. The Overseer paused.

"I'm sorry?" The Overseer said.

"You sent Danny out after me, with Toddsworth none the less, to find the PIP-Boy, that I regularly fix by the way, in the hopes that I was dead." Michael elaborated.

"That is a very dangerous claim, Michael. I believe there is some misconception on the matter." The Overseer said.

"He told me." Michael said. The Overseer paused to think.

"Michael, you can't fully expect us to have any knowledge of your condition out there. Someone as smart as you must realize that a normal person could not survive out there, let alone a fifteen year old." The Overseer explained.

"But I'm not normal. You made sure of that a long time ago." Michael said. Both Jenkins and Bonnie could tell that the room was getting tense. Michael put his hands on the desk. "Who is E-115?" He asked. This question shocked the Overseer to his very core. The Overseer nervously looked around the room and then back to The Prodigy.

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I suggest we get back to the matter at hand." The Overseer replied.

"Cut the bullshit, Blevins! I know that you opened the vault long before I did." Michael exclaimed.

"And how would you possibly know?" The Overseer was getting increasingly annoyed at such suggestions. Michael smacked a holotape on the desk.

"Picked this up back in Vault-Tec building in Lincoln City. This has encrypted data of a conversation you had with someone claiming to be the United States Government." Michael said. Bonnie and Jenkins silently watched as the argument grew more tense, but it had peaked Jenkins interest. The Overseer stared at the holotape and then back to Michael.

"They had the verification code. I had to let them in. There wasn't much I could do." The Overseer claimed.

"Yet you kicked them out, so it's obvious you could've done something before. What the Hell did they do, Blevins? Who were they? What did they do to me?!" Michael was almost screaming at this point.

"I saved your life, Becker. If it wasn't for me, you would've been taken by those freaks and experimented upon even further!" The Overseer exclaimed.

"YOU"RE THE REASON I"M LIKE THIS!" Michael shot up out of his chair. "You're the reason I have this fucker stuck in my head! You made me like this!" He yelled.

"AND LOOK AT YOU NOW! You're alive! You went outside and lived, unlike everyone else in this damn vault!" The Overseer shot up to face Michael.

"You call that living?!" Michael barked.

"If those men took you, they would call it a successful test and field work. They wanted to make the perfect soldier to fight their wars, but we stopped them. Us! A couple of low level vault dwellers with no combat experience or weapons to fight with. A lot of us died trying to make sure you weren't taken!" The Overseer yelled. Michael didn't respond, but was still infuriated at the Overseer. The Overseer promptly fixed himself and settled back down in his chair. Michael sat back down as well, though not breaking sight with the Overseer. The Overseer sighed. "So, the G.E.C.K.. How can it help us?" He asked. Michael paused for a minute to let his anger subside, even for just a moment.

"I believe, with the right tools and equipment and with the G.E.C.K.'s capabilities, I can reverse engineer a cure that can fix everyone in the vault." Michael explained.

"And how do you suppose you do that? We barely have enough supplies to sustain our remaining residents, let alone work on something as big as this." The Overseer said.

"With what I've learned about the vaccine, I can tell you anyone with it isn't diseased or infected. This isn't making a person sick. Instead, it's changing parts of their DNA and neural network to make them more stronger, faster and smarter, but it also makes a person much more agitated and prone to explosive episodes that could lead to dangerous outcomes. Now, normally, it's not infectious, which means it can't transfer from person to person, it was never constructed that way. Instead, it's taken the form of a pathogen to spread. From what I see, air from the outside can combat this pathogen. Normally, the pathogen would engulf clean air, but the air outside has become irradiated and flushed out the pathogen when the door opened, that's why floor 1 has so little of the pathogen in it's air; it's not taking air from inside the vault, but rather air from the outside now." Michael explained.

"And how do you propose we clear the other floors?" The Overseer asked.

"First, we need to get rid of the source: the heavy vats holding that stuff. That's what the G.E.C.K. is for. I believe I can get the G.E.C.K. to sterilize the remaining vats. Second, we need to pump out all the air from the other floors, that way we can pump outside air in. It has to be perfect, a person can only last four minutes at most without oxygen. The second those vats are cleared, all the air must be pumped out manually and outside air must be pumped in within a four minute time frame." Michael suggested.

"That's insane." The Overseer replied.

"You got a better idea?" Michael shot back.

"We have hundreds of people down there. If this fails, they could die." The Overseer reasoned.

"And do you want those hundreds of people to come up here and kill your tens of people?" Michael argued. The Overseer stopped and pondered for a moment. He stroked his bearded chin and thought about their next move. He stood up and paced around the room for bit, thinking.

"Fine. Do what you need to do." The Overseer gave.

"Is there anyone who is willing to aid us in this?" Michael asked.

"I can think of a couple guards who'd be willing to make sure the ventilation happens. We have our lead scientist who can help you get the G.E.C.K. ready." The Overseer said.

"Lead scientist? Who's the lead scientist now?" Michael asked. The Overseer turned to The Prodigy.

"That title still belongs to your father, Adam." He said. Michael paused for a moment.

"My father? He's alive?" Michael asked in surprise.

"Indeed. He's been detrimental in the survival of this vault. He should be in the medical wing with the other doctors." The Overseer answered. Michael was in awe in discovering his father made it out; his heart rushed with emotions, but he tried to compose himself the best he could.

"Right. Off to save the vault then." Michael said as he stood up. He grabbed the G.E.C.K. and left the room with his companions in tow. The Overseer sat down at his desk and thought about what was going to happen. He looked over to his cabinets and saw that the wine that Bonnie grabbed earlier was gone, most likely stolen by Bonnie when he wasn't looking. The Overseer rubbed his face in exhaustion.

"Outsiders." He muttered to himself. The group left the Overseers office and down the stairs toward the atrium. Nat and her squad had to return to her duties, but made sure that no one got in her brothers way. Michael and his group entered the atrium to find that the man in the hazmat suit had been moved, but the groaning patients still laid on the metallic floor. The group walked over the patients toward the medical wing.

"Can't believe we're about to meet your old man, Mikey." Bonnie said, accidentally stumbling over a patient.

"Neither can I." Michael muttered to himself. The group made it to the medical wing and saw three patients sleeping on the three beds inside. They also saw a slurry of medical equipment scattered around and a man in a rolled up vault suit with a medical apron on slouched over a desk punching keys into a terminal, facing away from the door, and occasionally biting his fingernails both out of anxiety and stress.

"That him?" Jenkins asked. Michael didn't answer. Instead, he stared at the back of his fathers head, weary and afraid.

"You alright, Mikey?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm alright." Michael responded.

"Then go talk to him." Bonnie said.

"I will, I will." Michael shot back. The Prodigy sighed and mustered himself. He slowly approached the blast door to his left and hesitantly pushed the button to open the door. When he did eventually push the button, the door skidded open, making it's normal, metallic sound.

"I'm all booked up here. Just lay them on a spare medical bed until I get to them." The man at the terminal said, assuming it was another patient coming in. Michael held his breath and paused, nervous.

"Dad?" Michael finally mustered out. Adam stopped typing immediately when he heard that. He turned himself around in his chair and his breathing stopped. His face was full of range of emotions: relief, happiness, sadness, sorrow. The same could be said for Michael.

"Michael?" Adam called out in disbelief.

"Hi Dad." Michael softly spoke. Adam's lip began to quiver and his tired eyes filled with tears.

"Michael." Adam stood from his chair and swiftly walked toward Michael. He fell to his knees in front of him and hugged his only son tightly. Michael hugged him back. Adam began to cry in that moment, for his only boy has returned.

"I thought you were gone, boy." Adam whimpered as his tears rolled down his face and onto Michael shoulder. Michael couldn't hold back his crying and the two held each other, fearing the chance that something might take them away from each other again. They didn't know how long they held onto each other, they just knew they didn't want to let go. Adam eased off and held Michaels face, looking at him with his own eyes, but his eyes soon filled with sorrow when he saw Michaels face, his dirty, bruised, scratched up face.

"Dad." Michael stuttered. He could see his fathers dread overtake him. Adam let go of his sons face and looked at him up and down, seeing his once clean and innocent son wield weapons and armor. He saw the holes in Michaels damaged vault suit, the bandana that held his hair in place, the tribal markings that covered his right arm and the dirt and dust that now laced his body. He wanted to cry, but not out of happiness. He wanted to cry out of sorrow and hatred for himself for what had happened to his son.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." Adam cried. He hung his head as tears rolled down his nose and dripped onto the cold, metal floor. Michael was filled with all manners of emotions at the sight of his father, the man he looked up to and what inspired him to take a role in science and engineering, break down in front of him.

"Dad. Dad, please." Michael cried. He took a hold of his father and held him tight once again. "I'm here. I'm safe." He said in hopes of easing his fathers dread. He didn't know what else to do in that moment. After a few seconds, Adam finally collected himself. His breathing slowed down and he took one last long look at his son. It was him. He was really here.

"So you are." He softly spoke as a smile grew on him. He stood up from the ground, took a towel from a nearby table and wiped his face. He then wiped his sons face, both to wipe his tears and, hopefully, the muck he had collected out in the Wasteland. "When you left, we all wondered where were you. Nat and I thought you were on the lower levels. Then, I saw the security footage..." Adam trembled at the memory. "I saw you open the vault door. I watched you leave. I thought you weren't coming back." His eyes sunk again.

"We'll, I did come back." Michael said. "And I came back with something of great importance." He held up the metallic briefcase and presented it to his father.

"My god. It can't be." Adam said, his eyes now full of shock. He ran his fingers on the surface of the briefcase, feeling the rugged metal on his fingertips. "Where did you get this?" He asked, still staring at the case.

"I got it back in California." Michael answered. His father shook out of his trance and his eyes dotted at his son.

"California? You went to the West Coast? How?" He gasped in disbelief.

"I had some help." Michael answered. He gestured to the door behind him where his companions stood in place. Jenkins waved his metallic gauntlet at Adam, a greeting gesture, while Bonnie simply just nodded at the man. Dogmeat, being the blissful dog that he is, merely wagged his tail in excitement. Adam raised his hand and slightly waved, uneasy at the sight of newcomers. He knelt back down to his son.

"You know these people?" He asked.

"Yeah. They're my friends. They helped me out there." Michael replied. The Paladin was the first to walk forward.

"Hello, sir. I am Paladin Joseph Jenkins of the Brotherhood of Steel. It is an honor to meet the father of such an admirable individual." He saluted.

"I didn't know your name was Joseph. Doesn't that make your initials JJ?" Bonnie mocked, moving next to the Paladin.

"Don't push it, Merc." Jenkins said. Bonnie stuck her hand out in front of Adam, going in for a handshake. Adam shook her hand in return.

"Bonnie, Mercenary. Your kids got guts. Seen him do some crazy shit." She simply put, letting go his hand and adjusting her hat. Dogmeat walked up to Adam and merely tilted his head at the middle aged man.

"Well.. It's good to know that my boy at least had some good company to help him." Adam said. He turned his attention back to the G.E.C.K., still astonished at what his son had accomplished.

"We can fix the vault, dad." Michael said. "We can fix everyone."

"How do you suppose we do that?" Adam asked.

"I already explained this to the Overseer. The pathogen appears to go sterile when in contact with outside air. When I left, the air from the outside activated the emergency automatic ventilation subroutine and began to pump in air from the outside, that's why the first floor is mostly clear." Michael explained.

"And if we can get the rest of the vents to pump outside air, we can sterilize the pathogen once and for all." Adam finished his sons explanation. He stroked his unkempt beard. "It could work, but we'd need to get rid of the vats down there. If we reset the system with them still full, the pathogen could spread to the whole vault."

"That's where the G.E.C.K. comes in; I can use the G.E.C.K. to sterilize, and possibly neutralize, the pathogen at its source." Michael said. Adam pondered.

"It would all need to be done in a four minute time frame." Adam said. "We'd need multiple teams, one for sterilization, one to reset the system manually and another to make sure the infected don't get in the way. All this needs to be done in four minutes."

"We can do it. I already convinced the Overseer." Michael replied. "This is our only chance to make everything right again." Adam looked at his son, seeing the determination in his eyes.

"Alright. Let's do it." Adam agreed to help. "We'll need to find people who are willing to help, plus we'll need to work with the G.E.C.K. to create a cure. I can help with the G.E.C.K. and Natalie can probably get a team of guards, Dweller Team and whatever engineer we have left to deal with the other tasks." Adam cleared a nearby table. Michael set the G.E.C.K. down on the table and opened the case. The two began to brain storm on where to even begin with this mysterious and confusing device.

"If my memory serves me right, there were two variants of the G.E.C.K. that were made: one was a more modest tool, built with a fusion generator and some other basic survival needs. Then, there was the other one that was made with the soul purpose of terraforming an entire landscape." Adam remarked.

"I wonder which one this is." Michael said. Adam grabbed a pen and notepad from the desk and noted anything major he found on the device.

"Looks like it has a fusion generator." He said as he tapped the pen on the generator.

"This looks like a Base Replicator Unit." Michael pointed to a device in the case.

"A Base Replicator Unit?" Bonnie quizzed.

"A device that can replicate food and other basic items for rebuilding." Adam answered.

"That sounds pretty advanced." Jenkins noted.

"Didn't Shady Sands use a G.E.C.K. When they started out?" Michael asked his companions.

"I think. I don't know, I wasn't alive if they did." Bonnie answered.

"Fascinating." Adam said. Both he and his son were completely enthralled in the possibilities that now arise with the Garden of Eden Creation Kit in their hands. Adam peered over to his son staring and pondering at the device. A warm smile grew on his face, proud of his only son. "If only your mother could see you." Adam muttered.

"What?" Michael heard what he said, his attention now on his father. Adam thought for a moment on what he said. "What about mom?" Michael asked, a sense of uneasiness brewing in him.

"They didn't tell you?" Adam quietly asked, the feeling of sorrow filling him again.

"Tell me what?" Michael was now eager for an answer.

"Your mother.." Adam paused. "Your mother was down in our quarters when the vats broke. She's still down there." He confessed. Michael was silent, not know on how to respond, but he did know that a deep feeling of sadness fell over him. His mother, the very woman who gave him life, was now in the most grievous of situations. It's most likely she had turned just like every other unfortunate soul down there. The full reality of the situation was now hitting Michael hard.

"We can save her. We can save them all if we do this." Michael said. Adam put a hand on his sons shoulder.

"We have to try." Adam said. Just then, something came bursting through the window of the medical office, shattering the glass. Everyone turned around in shock and surprise. Both Bonnie and Jenkins readied their weapons for a fight, Dogmeat got into a defensive stance and Michael ripped his revolver out of it's holster, aiming it at the door. Adam saw this, taking note of his sons actions. A deep pain grew in Adam at the sight of his son ready to fight. When the coast was clear, the group eased themselves and looked down at what had been thrown through the window. On the tiled floor laid a ball-peen hammer with shattered glass surrounding it.

"God damn little monsters." Adam cursed. He angrily approached the now broken window and looked out of it to see if anyone was there. When he saw no one, we walked over to a locker and pulled out both a broom and dustpan and began to sweep the glass off the floor. Michael walked over and picked the hammer up off the floor.

"Who did this?" Michael asked.

"Probably those damn Badger kids again." Adam answered.

"Badgers? The Vault Ball Badgers? Why would they do this?" Michael was now having concerned.

"It's not the original team. Most of them got caught down below. The new ones are the kids that were lucky enough to be on floor 1 when the door opened. Now, they want the Overseer to open the door and let us all leave, just like you did." Adam explained.

"I left for my own survival. Why would they want to leave?" Michael asked.

"They blame the Overseer for what happened. They saw the footage of you leaving and that inspired them to leave as well. Unfortunately, the Overseer won't allow that to happen, so they commit arson and steal supplies in retaliation until the Overseer opens the door. That's why the door is heavily guarded now." Adam said, sweeping up the last piece of glass and tossing the remains in a nearby bin.

"Stealing supplies? Don't they see that these people out here need those supplies to survive?" Michael couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"They think everyone will have a better chance out there than in here, but they don't understand. They're a bunch of children trying to make a difference, but only making things worse for everyone." Adam replied.

"Why wasn't I told about this?" Michael asked.

"It's not really something anyone here likes to talk about." Adam said. "Now, about the mission."

"No. No, we can't continue if they persist on this." Michael said. "If we try to fix the vault, they'll most likely try to fight back and sabotage this. We can't afford a probability like that."

"Michael, these people cannot be reasoned with. They're children who are in over their heads and they won't listen to us." Adam pleaded.

"Maybe not you, but maybe they'll listen to the person who inspired them in the first place." Michael said, holstering his revolver. "Where are they?" Michael and his companions were ready to confront them. Adam sighed, knowing he cannot fight his son if he is determined.

"They're using the gymnasium as their base, you'll find them there, but please, be cautious, Michael. I don't want anything to happen to you again." Adam begged.

"I promise I'll come back. Dogmeat!" Michael called out to his dog, who eagerly approached his master. "Stay here. We'll be back." Dogmeat listened to the ordered and parked himself with Adam. Michael looked at his father one more time and headed down toward the vault gymnasium with his companions in tow, leaving his father to work with the G.E.C.K. further.

"There's a gymnasium down here?" Jenkins asked.

"Yeah. We use it to play vault ball, volleyball, whatever pre war sport we can think of. Trying to keep the American Dream alive and all that." Michael replied. The group walked down the western hallway and through the junction that is Vault 25's first floor. The first couple turns were normal enough, but soon they found that some branching hallways were blocked off by lockers, tables and other random assortments of furniture. The group continued down and saw that even more of the halls had been vandalized. There was graffiti on the wall, broken objects on the floor and shattered electronics scattered about. Michael had noticed one piece of graffiti read: I WAS BORN IN THE VAULT. I WONT DIE IN THE VAULT.

"Think these kids know how to fight?" Bonnie asked.

"I doubt it, but it's best to stay vigilant." Jenkins said.

"Let's try to avoid any casualties. I'd rather not kill off the remaining population of my home." Michael ordered. The group walked further and further down twisting hallways of the vault, seeing more and more vandalism and broken equipment.

"I hear something." Bonnie called out. The group hid behind a corner and listened. They heard two people talking down the corridor Michael was in front with the stock of his shotgun, ready to hit anyone who came close. He peeked down the corridor and saw the two dwellers both wearing vault ball gear. These weren't your typical dwellers, so these were most likely part of the Badgers.

"Man, I can't stand the air down here." One of them said. "It's so stale now."

"That's because it's not our air anymore. It's air from the outside." The other explained.

"How the Hell do you know that?" The former asked.

"Because I actually paid attention to the debriefing." The latter said.

"You actually paid attention to that crap? I just spaced out and laid back." The other Badger replied.

"I had to pay attention to the debriefing if we want this to go down smoothly." The other barked.

"What? What's going down?" The other asked.

"You're an idiot." The other Badger said. The two stopped talking after that and walked down the other corridor, allowing the group to continue.

"What do you think they were talking about?" Michael asked.

"From my experience, it can't be anything good." Bonnie said. "Better get there quick and figure out what they're planning." The group sneaked around more and more corridors until they reached a door with two guards standing out front.

"That's it. That's the gym." Michael said, hiding behind a corner with his crew. "Two guards. They don't have guns, but they do have bats."

"What's the plan?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't want to kill them, but if we go down there, they'll most likely see us coming." Michael said.

"Is there any other way in?" Jenkins suggested. Michael thought for a second.

"Yeah, the locker rooms. We can get in through there." Michael said. The group snuck back down the hallways and found the entrance to the locker rooms. Luckily for them, they weren't guarded. The group snuck around the corner and made their way to the door. Michael pressed a button on the wall, but it only blinked red at him.

"What's that mean?" Bonnie asked, keeping guard with Jenkins.

"It's locked. I'll try to get it open." Michael said. Michael took a screwdriver out from his tool belt and unscrewed the panel underneath. He pulled and prodded at wires and fuses, but the door was not budging. He put everything back the way he found it and sighed. "No dice. Can't get her open."

"If it's locked, there has to be key somewhere." Jenkins said.

"There is, but I don't have it. The only people that are allowed in the locker rooms are team members, cheerleaders and coaches." Michael said as he stood up. "I never joined the team. Wasn't interested in sports."

"I think I can help with that." A faceless, female voice said next to them. The group looked around them, spotting no one. Michael recognized the voice.

"Nat?" Michael called out.

"On the wall. The intercom." Natalie said. The group noticed the intercom on the wall behind them, in between the doors to the locker rooms. Michael walked over and pushed a button on the intercom.

"Nat? Is that you?" Michael asked.

"Yeah. Dad told me where you went. Can't have you getting killed down there." She said. "I'm in the security room, I can see you on the cameras." Michael looked up and saw a small camera above the intercom staring at them. "Those idiots knocked out most of the cameras down there, but they forgot a few, so I can try and help." She said.

"The door to the locker room is stuck. Can't get it open. Do you know anyway to open it?" Michael asked.

"Not particularly, but I think I know where you guys can get a key. There's an old storage room west of you guys that the Badgers had turned into a jail cell. I can't get a good look inside, but there's a camera outside that I can use to look through the window." Nat said.

"Do it." Michael replied. There was a pause for a brief second.

"Okay. I can't seem to get a good look inside, those bastards blocked them off. However, I can see someone inside. I'll reverse the footage to see if I can figure out who's in there." Nat said. Another pause for a brief moment, this time longer than the last. The group heard voices and footsteps down the hall, getting closer to their position.

"Nat, we need that recording now." Michael said.

"Alright. I got it." Nat said. Then, a small bang could be heard on the other end. Nat had banged her fist on the desk. "Damn it!" She exclaimed. "Can't get a good look at their face, but it's a girl. It looks like she's part of the cheerleading squad. She might be able to help."

"Thanks, Nat. Keep a watch out for us." Michael said. He let go of the button and readied his shotgun. The group left their position quickly and headed down the western corridor. The group silently walked through the metal corridors and were about to make a right turn.

"Hold up." Nat said from a nearby intercom. The group stopped around the corner. "There's a guard down the hallway. He's alone, so you might be able to take him down. Just try not to kill him, please." With that, she returned to her duty of watching them. Michael peeked down the corridor and confirmed there was a guard.

"Alright. I'll sneak up behind him and knock him out. You guys cover me." Michael ordered. He quietly snuck around the corner and approached the guard. The Prodigy readied the stock of his shotgun for the knockout. The guard turned his head to the right to look down the hallway next to him, opening an opportunity. Michael slammed the butt of his gun into the guards temple, making him drop to the floor, but he wasn't out yet. Michael hit him one more time through the same means, finally knocking the guard unconscious. The guard then made this sound as if he were snoring, but Michael knew he what he was really doing was he was trying to swallow his tongue. Michael put the guard up against the wall and tilted his head up to make sure air gets into him.

"He still alive?" Nat asked from the intercom back down the corridor. Bonnie was the one to answer her.

"Yeah. He looks like he's still breathing." Bonnie said.

"Good. The cell should be down the hall to the left. Be careful though, I'm seeing more Badgers popping up on the camera feed." Nat warned. The companions approached Michael and the unconscious guard.

"He gonna be okay?" Jenkins asked.

"Yeah, he'll be fine." Michael reassured.

"Good. Your sister said that the cell is down the hall to the left, but there are more guards approaching." Jenkins informed.

"I have an idea." Bonnie said. "Put on this guys armor, you might be able to pass as one of them." They all looked down at the guard and thought about it.

"It might work, but we can't just leave him out here for the guards to find." Michael said. He looked around for anywhere to hide the guard and saw a door that lead to a supply closet. "Perfect." Michael said. Bonnie and Michael carried the guard into the supply closet while Jenkins stood guard. Michael, with the help of Bonnie, quickly put on the guards vault ball gear.

"All suited up?" Bonnie asked.

"Almost. I need two things. One: something to cover my tattoo. Two: I need you to hold onto my PIP-Boy and my weapons. If they see me with those on, they'll immediately be suspicious of me." Michael said, taking off his PIP-Boy, shotgun, revolver and Shishkebab over to Bonnie.

"We'll take care of them. Here, take my arm guard. It'll cover your tattoo." Bonnie said, removing her arm guard from her forearm and giving it to Michael. Michael put the arm guard on his right forearm and a took a surgical glove from the supply closet to cover the rest of the tribal markings. Jenkins entered the supply closet and the group huddled together.

"Alright. Here's the plan: I go in alone, so the guards don't suspect anything. You guys stay here and wait for us to return. Make sure no one sees you guys." Michael ordered.

"And if you get caught?" Bonnie asked.

"Nat will watch me and keep you guys informed. If I get caught, she'll notify you guys and then you two storm the place. That's our only other option." Michael said.

"Alright. Try not get caught." Jenkins said. The group disbanded and Michael looked around to make sure no one was outside. When the coast was clear, he turned the corner and headed toward the cell. Michael took the bandana he was wearing off his head and covered his face with it, in case anyone recognized him. He continued walking down the hallway until he reached an intercom. He pressed the button on the intercom, turning on the microphone.

"Where now, Nat?" Michael asked. It took a second for Natalie to respond.

"You're close. It's the door up ahead, to the right. The prisoner should be in some room just off of the main storage room. Be careful, I see a guard watching over her. We need him out of the room if you are to get to the prisoner." Nat informed.

"Any ideas?" Michael responded. Nat thought for a second.

"I might have one. I noticed from the security footage that they change guards around 5:00 pm." Nat said.

"What time is it now?" Michael asked.

"3:37." Nat answered.

"Crap. We can't wait nearly two hours for this guy." Michael exclaimed. "You got anything else?"

"I can see an automatic clock on the wall opposite of the guard. I can try and hack into the engineers menu, so I can change the time on it manually, but it'll take some time from where I am." Nat said.

"Try and make it quick." Michael said. He waited for Nat to hack into the clock. He could hear keys being punched into a terminal.

"Okay. Let's see." Nat said. Michael heard her type into the terminal and three beeb's in between. "Damn it! I only got one try left. You're better at this than I am." She said. Michael pressed the microphone button again.

"Try and find a dud in the code." Michael said.

"What's a dud?" She asked.

"Anything in between matching brackets." Michael explained. He waited a few seconds, hearing constant beep's from her side.

"Alright. It says 'Tries Reset'."She informed.

"Good. Now, did you click on any word that has a likeness greater than zero?" Michael asked.

"Yeah. 'BEEFIER' had a likeness of three and 'CLAWING' had a likeness of two." Nat informed. Michael began to ponder. "BEEFIER" and "CLAWING" are both seven letter words that don't rhyme, so that means they don't share the same ending vowels, but the word has to be eight letters. "BEEFIER" has the most letters that match, so that'll be the base word. The vowels "-er" are the most common in the English language, so the word must end with an "-er". Now, a lot of words do start with 'be', but 'cl' is much more common.

"Nat, is there any seven letter word on the terminal that starts with 'cl' and ends in 'er'?" Michael asked.

"Uh, yeah. I see the word 'CLEAVER'. Think that could be it?" Nat said.

"Select it." Michael said. There was a pause, then Michael heard a ding from the other end.

"That's it! I'm in." Nat excitedly exclaimed. "Let me change that clock for ya." Michael waited a few seconds, but could hear Nat typing away on the keyboard. "Alright, clock is set to 5 pm. I don't think he noticed." She informed.

"Alright. I'm heading in." Michael said. He left the intercom and approached the storage door. He clicked the button on the side, opening the door and stepped into the storage room.

"What're you doing here?" Michael caught the attention of the guard.

"It's 5 o'clock. My turn to take over." Michael said. The guard looked up at the automatic clock on the wall and saw it read 5:00 pm.

"Damn. 5 already? I must've really spaced out." The guard said. "Alright, I guess you're up." The guard left his post and walked past Michael, but noticeably stopped and turned around at The Prodigy. "Hold up a sec." The guard said as he approached Michael. Michael was now on alert, worried that his cover was about to be blown. He peered over to a nearby table and saw a wrench on it. He hovered his fingers near it in case the worst was to come.

"There a problem?" Michael asked. The guard didn't say anything for a bit. He just looked at Michael. The room grew tense as Nat watched from the camera, holding her breath.

"Nah." The guard said as he eased up. "Just wondering what that thing on your face is?" The guard had no idea what a bandana was.

"Oh. Uh.. It's a unique napkin I found in the locker room. It's pretty cool." Michael lied.

"Yeah. It does look kinda cool. Alright, I'm gonna jet. I got a Salisbury Steak in the fridge and I don't want anyone else to take it. Here's the key to the cell. See ya." The guard said, handing Michael the keycard. He walked out of the storage room and Michael sighed, relieved he didn't have to resort to more extreme measures. Michael continued on with the mission and promptly swiped the card to open the cell. The cell door slid open and Michael stepped in. In the cell, was the prisoner. It was a young girl with short, dirty blonde hair wearing the bottom portion of a vault jumpsuit held up with a belt and a stained, white tank top. She was sitting on the floor, throwing loose screws and bolts at the adjacent wall. Once Michael got a good look at her face, he immediately recognized her.

"Whatcha staring at?" The girl on the floor barked. "Making sure I don't 'misbehave' anymore?"

"Alice!" Michael almost yelled. It was Alice Garcia, one of Michaels only friends in the vault.

"What?" Alice acknowledged, annoyed.

"Alice, it's me." Michael said as he took the bandana off his face. "It's Michael." Alices looked over to The Prodigy and her eyes shot open in surprise.

"Michael!" She yelled, jumping from the floor and hugging her lost friend. Michael hugged back and, just for a second, everything seemed alright with the world. Alice broke the embrace and stepped back.

"What are you doing here? We thought you left." She said.

"I did. And now I'm back and I know how to fix this." Michael answered.

"Fix? What do you mean?" Alice asked.

"Stopping the vaccine. I can kill this pathogen that plagues our vault and bring everyone back." Michael explained.

"How? How can you kill it?" Alice was bewildered and shocked at the entire scenario and the proposal that Michael was giving.

"I brought something in. Something from the outside that can stop this. I have a plan and I need to make sure nothing goes wrong." Michael said.

"Well you better make sure the Badgers aren't a problem. They're prepping for something big." Alice said, dread on her face.

"What're they planning?" Michael asked, concerned on what she was about to say.

"The Badgers are planning on sabotaging the generator down below, effectively killing our oxygen supply. We'll be forced to leave." Alice explained. A look of fear and horror grew on Michaels face.

"Those idiots! They'll kill everyone down below." Michael said.

"I tried to stop them, but they caught me and threw me in here. I would've never stayed with the cheerleaders if I knew they would do this." Alice said, regret filling her. Michael shook the feeling of horror from himself.

"Come on. We need to get out of here." Michael said, grabbing Alices hand and pulling her out of the cell. The two bolted out of the cell and into the hallway. Michael slammed his hand on the nearby intercom. "Nat!"

"Yeah! I see you got the prisoner." Nat replied, watching from the cameras.

"Nat, the Badgers are prepping to sabotage the downstairs generator. If they succeed, everyone below floor 1 will die!" Michael said. Dread and horror washed over Michaels older sister.

"Good god." She muttered. "Get to the locker rooms and get in the gym. I'm sending a team down there to help. Make sure they don't get even a floor down." Nat ordered. She bolted out of her chair and ordered any and all nearby guards to attack the Badgers base of operations. Every guard grabbed their equipment and advanced down the hallways. Michael and Alice nearly ran down the corridor, desperately trying to get to the locker rooms.

"Can you get us inside?" Michael asked, still running.

"Yeah. There's a manual code I can punch into the keypad." Alice said in between breaths. The two took a hard turn right, but Michael stopped and banged on a supply closet door.

"It's now or never, people!" Michael yelled. The door opened and out came both Bonnie and Jenkins, both holding their weapons. Alice was surprised to see these people, especially the guy in a towering metal suit, but had to suppress the shock and focus on what was important.

"What's going on?" Bonnie asked.

"Those bastards are gonna sabotage the vault. We need to get in that gym. Now!" Michael informed. That was all the two needed to hear and they promptly followed Michael down the corridor, weapons in hand. Bonnie tossed Michael his equipment back and quickly rearmed himself. Alice had taken notice of Michaels new authoritarian attitude and the weapons he new had on him. This was not the same boy she asked to the vault prom. The group bolted down the hallways and reached the doors to the locker rooms. Awaiting them was a squad of guards wielding nightsticks and riot shields decked out in some of the best armor the vault had to offer. Alice punched in the code to the girls locker room. The second that door was open, the squad of guards rushed in. Michael and his crew were behind them. Alice grabbed Michaels arm and stopped him.

"These people are dwellers. We grew up with these people. We can't kill them." She pleaded. Michael looked to her.

"I promise no one will die." Michael said. Alice let him go and the group quickly rushed into the gymnasium. The group had taken notice of hazmat suits in lockers, confirming their beliefs. They all ran into the gymnasium, but stopped just a few feet from the door. What they saw was complete and utter chaos. The mobile squad were fighting the Badgers, who were mostly made up of teenagers and young adults. The Badgers were fighting back, but more of their numbers were falling than the vault security staff. There were screams of violence that echoed within the walls of the gymnasium and blood splattered onto the wooden floor. Michael watched as one guard pinned a teenager down on the ground and beat him over the head with his shield. The badgers were using makeshift weapons, mostly stabbing the guards in their weak spots. It was armageddon all over again. In the chaos, one guard spotted Michael and began to rush him, most likely thinking he was a Badger from the disguise Michael still had on. As he was about to hit Michael with his riot shield, Jenkins stood in the way and slammed his steel gauntlet down on the guards head, shattering his visor. The guard fell to the floor and Alice picked up their shield and nightstick.

"Let's do this!" She screamed and ran head first into the chaos.

"No!" Bonnie screamed out, but it didn't stop her. "God Damnit!" Bonnie hissed and ran into the bloodbath after her.

"Bonnie!" Jenkins called out and he too ran into the brawl. Michael stood there and watched. He was horrified and disgusted in what he saw. His people were killing each other. The people he fought for, killed for and almost died for and this is what they are doing. After everything he did, everything that was done to him, the amount of people that died from him and this is what his people would rather do. They would rather kill each other than help one another. From Michaels eyes, this place was no better than the Wasteland.

"My God.." Michael muttered.

"I see no God here." The voice in his head called out to him.

"They're killing each other." The Prodigy said.

"I am aware. A tragedy, but it was bound to happen." The voice said. "You couldn't expect people to reason with one another. All they want to do is bicker and fight. That's why the world is the way it is now. They didn't think of the future. All they wanted to do was win a war they caused. Humans will never change. Nothing ever changes." The voice divulged.

"What am I suppose to do?" Michael shuddered.

"You can walk away, Michael. You have the choice to leave all this behind and start a new life out there." The voice suggested. "This vault was never meant to survive this long. These people will die eventually, just like the generations before them. You can't stop people from hating each other. People will always have a reason to kill." Michael pondered for a moment. The whole world felt as though it was crashing down around him. Then, Michael felt something rise within him: a deep and bitter hatred.

"You want this." Michael snarled at the voice in his head.

"This is a prime opportunity, Michael. A chance to leave. You've already had an opportunity to leave when you first left. Now, the world is giving you a second chance to leave and start anew. People don't change, Michael. If they wish to kill each other, fine. That doesn't involve us. What is important is our survival. We need to live." The voice said.

"I'm a person too. I'll die eventually, just like everyone else." Michael hissed.

"We can be so much more than just a lab rat cooped up underground. We were made to survive out there, it's what we were born to do!" The voice pleaded.

"No. That's what you were born to do." Michael concluded, ending the conversation between the two. A look of determination and anger grew on Michaels face as he quickly approached the chaos. He looked over to his right and saw a Badger and a guard fighting. The two were determined to injure one another, or worse. The Badger went in to stab the guard under the armpit, a weak spot in the armor. Just as the Badger lunged at the guard, a thunderous boom roared and echoed throughout the gymnasium, silencing the violence. Everyone looked over from where they heard it and saw a Badger holding the right side of their chest in extreme pain and a security guard gripping his left shoulder in their own pain. Blood dripped down both their wounds and they both winced and cried in horrid pain. Everyone looked over to the right and saw Michael aiming his revolver at where the two were once fighting. Michael had shot both the guard and the Badger with one bullet. Michael took a breath and a part of him couldn't believe what he had done, but the other part knew it had to be done. The crowd watched as Michael climbed onto a table, standing above everyone else.

"Robbie!" A Badger cried out to the fellow teen who was shot in the chest. Nothing fatal, but it was the most pain the teen ever had felt in their life. Same can be said for the guard. The teen that cried out kneeled down to his friend and saw the blood that now covered their vault suit.

"Go ahead. Stop the bleeding." Michael ordered to the teen. The teen merely stared at The Prodigy with fear in their eyes, not knowing how to help their friend. "You can't, can you? You don't know how to save him. Maybe I should shoot him again to put him out of his misery!" Michael aimed his revolver down at the teen who was suffering. The other teen put their palm up at Michael. Fear and sadness filled their face.

"No! Please! Don't." The teen pleaded and begged to Michael not to kill their friend. Michael put his revolver down, but didn't let it go. Michael looked up and faced the crowd.

"Look at you people." Michael said with disgust in his voice. "You all honestly think you have a chance out there. What I just did happens to hundreds of people out there on the daily! If you people can't even stop a bullet from killing you, what makes you think you have a slimmer of a chance of surviving out there? Not living, surviving!" Michael then looked over at the wounded guard. "You people were born in one of the only safe havens left in this obliterated world and you all would rather kill each other before anyone else could get to us! I risked life and limb out there, all for the vault, so I could come back and help everyone because I believed and I wanted to help everyone. I wanted to fix everyone and free them from that Hell down below, but I look at this place now and I am horrified at what I see. I have seen things that would drive a normal man mad: bandits raiding innocent towns, two-headed cows, bugs the size of dogs, slavers beating the weak to work, cities darkened by black clouds and red skies, soldiers dressed as romans pillaging everything in their wake, people with their skin melting off from the radiation, monsters the size of buildings squishing people like a man were to an ant! You won't survive out there. You'll be killed by just drinking the fucking water!" Michael took quick, short breaths out of frustration, but soon, he calmed his breathing and his furrowed brow softened. "But I have also seen the good the outside has to offer. I have seen roads traveled by merchants and traders, I've seen societies and civilizations rebuilt and begin anew, I've seen families reunited after all hope had seemed lost, I've seen people go great distances for what is right, I've seen people willing to die for their brothers and sisters, I've seen the most unlikeliest of heroes win against the most impossible odds imaginable. At the center of it all, all the horrors and wonders of the world above, were people; people trying their damndest to make some kind of livable world. Even after the complete obliteration of all life on this planet, people were given a second chance to make things right. I've seen them have hope that there could a better tomorrow. It was hope that drove me to venture out into the world and face its horrors, so that I and everyone else down here could live again. And I have hope that we can look past the hate and anger so that we could fix our broken home and save the people trapped below." Michael stepped off the table and dropped two stimpak's on the floor next to the Badger and the guard. "I have a device that could save our vault and everyone we called family. And I have hope that no one here will prevent me from my mission." Michael began to walk in between the crowd. "If so, I will come back and I will show all of you what the Wasteland is really like." Michael concluded. He walked through the crowd and out the gym door into the hallway. His companions and Alice shortly followed.

"Hell of a speech you gave." Bonnie said, catching up to Michael.

"I agree. Truly some inspirational words." Jenkins commented.

"Did you have the shoot the guys though?" Bonnie asked.

"It was a necessary evil for them. A reality check." Michael reasoned.

"It looked like it worked. Got their attention real fast." Bonnie said. The group continued down the corridor in silence. Alice was still processing what she had witnessed. She didn't know what to make of Michael now. One things for certain, the outside had changed him. Whether for better or for worse, remains to be seen.