The Survivor’s Guide to the Wasteland

Not Long After Being Surrounded

After security surrounded us, Cait, Tanya, Curie, and I were marched into a holding cell. Cait was itching for a fight, but I got her to calm down and give up her weapon. I was forced out of my power armor, and everything we had was given over to be searched. Thankfully, Tanya sneaked the vial of the broad-spectrum cure into my hands, and I stored it in my inventory without anyone noticing. 

Apparently, after we departed, the Scrapbots left in the generator room massively screwed something up. It would seem that Isabelle's repair protocol was less reliable than she thought. Given how her robots were 'helping' wastelanders in the game, I probably should have seen it coming.

After being interrogated for a while by Scott Edwards, the head of security, Gwen showed up. This would be our third meeting, though the tone was admittedly a little different this time.

"Was it on purpose, Basil?"

"I swear, Gwen, we didn't mean to do it."

Scott scoffed at that.

"Yeah, right. Some stranger runs up to our vault, claiming they can fix our generators, and then just so happens to find a secret part of the vault not even the Overseer knows about. Then, after you go into the hidden vault, your robots just so happen to screw up the generators right before you take an elevator right next to the vault entrance, the only place you can escape. And you want us to believe you're not here to sabotage the vault? Do you think we're idiots?"

"We've already been over this, Scott. If we were trying to make a break for it, do you think some underprepared and ill-equipped guards would have stopped us? I was in a full suit of power armor for crying out loud. Not to mention the modified Sentrybots we had just outside the Vault."

Scott seethed as I pointed out how easily I and the girls could have whooped his team's ass.

"You think you could have taken us on? We received the best training Vault-Tec could provide to take down thugs like you. I would have liked to see you try."

I rubbed my aching neck in an attempt to release some stress and keep my hands from choking the man out. Before I could get back to verbally jousting the man, Tanya stood up and poked him in his chest.

"We don't think, Scott, we know. Even now, in this room, we could kick your ass and kill our way out of here. You think you're so tough; how about you come over here, and I knock your teeth out."

Scott glared at Tanya, looking like he might just take the offer and test our mettle. Before he could, however, Gwen simply raised a hand.

"Enough!"

Everyone in the room stops as the Overseer demands our silence. This was a powerful and commanding side of the Overseer that I hadn't seen until now. Scott takes one look at Tanya and one look at Gwen before he backs away and stands next to the wall. Tanya, likewise, sits back down.

Gwen sighed as she leaned back and rubbed her eyes, unlike when we first told her about the hidden vault. Seeing my chance, I moved and talked directly to the Overseer.

"Gwen, please look at me."

The Overseer opened her eyes and made eye contact with me. Happy that she was still willing to talk, I continued.

"I know this looks bad, but I promise you, we are not here to hurt anyone in the vault. We wanted to help, and I still think I can. No, I know I can. But I can't tell you how if Scott is in the room."

"You can't be serious! Leaving you alone with our Overseer!? You must think we've gone crazy!"

Gwen and I both ignore Scott, our eyes locked on each other. I could see the gears in her head turning, calculating the risks and whether or not she could still trust me.

"Scott. Please leave."

"You've lost it. Absolutely not. I'm not leavi-"

"SCOTT! I will not ask again. Leave."

Now, the head of security looked positively like his head would explode. A bulging vein could be seen on his forehead as his skin turned red from frustration. But hierarchy trumped whatever anger he was feeling, and he turned and left the room. He probably would have slammed it if the door was a traditional one and not a Vault-Tec pneumatic one.

Once Scott was gone, Gwen crossed her arms and stared me down.

"It's just us now. Explain."

Looking at Tanya, who seemingly knew what I was planning, she gave me a supportive nod. Grabbing her hand, I took a deep breath before I spilled the beans on my powers and who I was.

-------Gwen POV-------

"And that's the whole story."

Basil finished telling his story and looked at Gwen expectantly. Even though she knew he wanted her to say something, she couldn't help but feel a little gobsmacked. The story about how Basil got here, his powers, his 'memories', and the true purpose of her vault was just... too much.

At first, she was sure Basil was just bullshitting her. But when he started showing how he could make items disappear and reappear from thin air, she had no other option but to believe that he was at least telling the partial truth.

Not to mention the implications of the knowledge he claimed to have. She has thought if the powers weren't bullshit, then this definitely was, but when he mentioned her childhood bronchitis, she was once again forced to accept the impossible. If Basil's knowledge was as all-encompassing as he says, the possibilities were simultaneously endless and potentially horrifying.

What's even funnier was that the redhead that came with him was clearly not in the know like the blonde was. Gwen could see that she has a thing for Basil, so it must suck to learn about the truth this way. The redhead had asked too about whether or not he knew about her, which he confirmed but wouldn't go any further in detail, just saying that now wasn't the time. While Gwen agreed that they should focus on the vault right now, the redhead did not like getting pushed aside like that.

"I know it's a lot to take in. If you still don't believe me, I can pro-"

Gwen stopped Basil mid-sentence by raising her hand.

"Stop. Just... stop. Let me think."

Gwen parsed the information she had. Her eyes were closed, and she used one hand to massage her forehead while the other one's fingers drummed on the metal desk. She was doing this way more today than she usually would.

It wasn't supposed to be this complicated. When Basil first showed up, she thought he was just a handsome young man with a bunch of fusion cores who might fix one of the vault's biggest problems. It didn't cost them anything to let him try, so she flirted a little and set him loose. Her internal danger alarm hadn't gone off, so she thought everything was fine.

Everything spiraled out of control from there—the hidden door, the Mole Rats, and the generators breaking down again. She had thought she was playing him like a fiddle with the light flirting and ditzy hugging act, but apparently, that train went both ways. It was just problem after problem. But despite all the setbacks, headaches, and insane stories, Gwen still wanted to give Basil a chance.

He claims that he can fix it all and that one of his powers is the ability to create buildings as long as he has certain materials in his 'inventory'. One of those buildings being a super-efficient generator that can supply the entire vault for centuries without any maintenance.

She knew that was crazy. Maybe Scott was right? Every fiber of her being told her to get rid of this potential problem right now. All her training and experience as an Overseer said to her that Basil and his companions threatened vault safety and needed to be eliminated as soon as possible. But something deeper told her that those feelings were wrong.

"You know, if the stories about Overseer Olivette were true, I think she would have thrown you into jail for the rest of your life."

Gwen watched Basil squirm at those words. She didn't intend to make the young man feel stressed out, but she figured it was payback for all the stress he had put her through.

"But I'm not Olivette. I'll let you try your plan."

Basil let out a sigh of relief.

"But a few ground rules first. One, you do it alone. Two, no power armor. Three, if you're not back within an hour... Well, let's just say I won't give you a third chance. Are we understood?"

Gwen smirked as Basil gulped and nodded. This was her vault; it was time to play by her rules.

-------Basil POV-------

"And remember our date!"

I waved back as Gwen yelled at me from within the entrance of Vault 81.

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll be there, promise!"

I replied as my group was transported via the sky bridge to the other side of the vault entrance. Once we were across the trench, the cog-shaped vault door began to close, and we all turned away to exit the cave.

Once outside, I couldn't help but let my shoulders stoop and exhale one of the most prolonged breaths I've ever held.

Cait stayed behind me, clearly brooding, while Curie immediately floated away to start scanning nearby flowers, seemingly completely unfazed by what had transpired yesterday.

"You know, I can't tell if that went good or bad."

Tanya was the first to say something, perfectly capturing what was on my mind. Straightening out, I started walking toward the Tankbots, still guarding the dirt path to the cave entrance.

"Given the circumstances, probably as well as it could have gone."

After I got the head of security to leave, I was able to strike up a deal with Gwen. I would build her generators to power the Vault forever, and she would let us go on friendly terms. I was praying that she would take the deal since the alternative was us fighting our way out, and I really didn't want that.

Thankfully, Gwen took the deal and let me put a generator in the hidden Vault after placing a workbench in the area, converting the place into a settlement. I then ran around scrapping everything I could and building turrets all around the observation wing, ensuring that any mole rats I missed would be decimated by the automated defenses.

After that, I built a few generators and hooked everything up to their old generators. I was scared it might not work at first, but I couldn't be happier when the lights turned back on in the vault properly. And just in time, too, I had maybe a few more minutes left before my one-hour deadline was up.

After that, it was late, so Gwen gave each of us a room, which was very nice of her, but she also had guards posted to make sure we didn't try anything funny. Totally fair.

Of course, Gwen, being the great Overseer she was, squeezed me for everything I got. I couldn't build the highest-capacity reactors because I didn't have the proper materials, so she made me promise that I would return to upgrade them by the end of next week. Having Vault-Tec super reactors powering Vault 81 would finally let the vault not only not have to worry about power ever again but also have enough headroom to expand into other things.

Of course, I wasn't getting nothing out of the deal. Gwen knew how to use both the carrot and the stick.

In return for the super reactors, I would be given access to their hydroponics research and any surplus vegetables they grew. This was huge since a clean food supply was one of my biggest worries, and this trade deal would go a long way to alleviate it. The vegetables the vault was growing were also better, with fewer rads and a cleaner taste.

She also promised to not tell anyone about my secret, not even her most trusted department heads. Gwen understood how beneficial I could be to them. Still, she also understood how some people might react if they knew their power was dependent on some whackjob magic.

And it was embarrassing to admit, but I might have been more eager to go through with the deal because she had thrown in a date with her the next time we met if I agreed.

When Tanya had let slip, perhaps intentionally, my relationship status, Gwen had been the one to first show interest. Tanya immediately agreed on the spot. Isabelle was in after a quick call between the engineer and the Overseer through an Outrider nearby.

Of course, I apologized to the Overseer for manipulating her as well. Still, Gwen surprised me again by revealing that she was manipulating me, too. The light flirting, showing off her leg, and letting me feel her chest when she hugged me had all been a part of her strategy to get me to do things for her. Maybe I'm still being played, but Tanya convinced me everything was going alright.

As I thought about our Vault 81 fiasco, Cait finally decided it was time for her to confront me.

"So, if it wasn't for everything going to shite, when were ye gaun'ae tell me about everythin'?"

"Cait..."

Before I could continue, the feisty redhead cut me off.

"Oh, no. Don't you 'Cait' me! It's the truth or nothin' at all."

I held up my hands in a surrendering motion.

"Ok, only the truth."

Cait crossed her arms as she looked at me, tapping her foot in a clearly annoyed and impatient manner.

"It was going to be soon, ok. I wanted you to stay with us, but I didn't want to scare you away by dropping that I'm some kind of interdimensional super being right after we rescued you. It seemed like too much to drop on someone."

Maybe I should have told her right away, but I still don't think that was the right thing to do.

"And it probably was a bit too much. If I were a slave, and someone rescued me and then told me how they saw me in a dream where we got along, I definitely would think that's sketchy."

"Yeah, well, I'm not you. You saved my life, Basil. A wasn't going to just leave ye because ye were a bit weird."

Yeah, she got me there. I keep thinking people would think like me instead of just giving them the benefit of the doubt.

"I... I see that now, and I'm sorry. I just didn't want to do the wrong thing and scare you away. I'll do better from now on."

My sincerity seemed to have finally thawed Cait a bit as she loosened up and no longer kept her arms crossed defensively.

"Good. Now, tell me what you know about me. And you better not leave anything out."

"Cait... Come on."

As the little shit-stirrer she was, Tanya backed Cait instead of me.

"Nuh-uh, you said you would do better and be honest. That means you have to tell her everything. If you don't, I will."

I swear, sometimes this 30-year-old acts like she's 13...