NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 5
Like the second cryogenic array, the kitchen/dining room was much larger than I remembered. Empty Nuka Cola bottles are scattered throughout the area alongside broken and unbroken plates on the large dining table.
Rummaging through the fridges, cabinets, and drawers showed no results, and I moved on to the group living area. Skeletons in decrepit research uniforms could be found both on the ground and in the beds, most likely because of a violent insurrection. In an attempt to ignore the death surrounding me, I started to look through the trunks near the beds.
While I dug through the belongings of those long past, I considered the little lore known about Vault 111. Like many of Vault-Tec's creations, Vault 111 was also built to study its inhabitants exposed to extraordinary circumstances. This vault was meant to explore the viability and effects of long-term cryogenic storage of humans. After tricking the inhabitants into entering the pods, they would be frozen and studied on.
After 180 days, the vault would receive an all-clear signal, and the overseer would open the vault. But the all-clear signal never came. The overseer decided to wait for further instructions, but the workers mutinied when it became clear their supplies would run out soon. Since no more terminal entries were made about the matter, what happened to the vault workers after the revolt is unclear.
The trunks turned up nothing of relevancy, and I exited this area to head through the power room. Opening the entrance into the power room showed the impressive Tesla towers that had something to do with powering the vault. Instead of two towers, there are now four towers. This was most likely to provide more power for a more extensive vault. Blue lightning strikes flashed from the balls atop the small towers and landed on the ground.
Across the room, a radroach noticed me and started skittering towards me. Extending my baton, I prepared for another fight. But before I could give the roach the beat down of its life, a bolt of electricity exited from one of the towers and struck the insect, instantly roasting it.
"Note to self, stay away from the giant towers."
Following the walkway around the towers, I found another skeleton near the door that should lead into the overseer's office. Heading through the door and hallway, I saw the familiar sight of the overseer's desk. On top of the desk were a shiny 10mm pistol, some ammo, a couple of stimpaks, and a terminal.
I collapsed my baton, shoved it into my pocket, and picked up the pistol. Pushing the magazine release button allowed the magazine to eject. Inspecting the mag confirmed it was loaded, and the little witness holes in the back showed five rounds left.
I opened the box of 10mm ammo and confirmed 23 rounds left. Quickly topping up the magazine, I inserted it back into the pistol and pulled the slide back to chamber a new round. After checking the slide fully returned forward and that the gun was good to go, I started looking around the office to see if there was any more loot.
The armory was next, and for the first time in this world, I experienced joy. Like the rest of the vault, the armory was much more considerable than it should have been. Inside were five 10mm pistols, two combat shotguns, two combat rifles, a single assault rifle, one scoped bolt action rifle, tons of ammo, and the Cryolator secured in it's own special container. I immediately ran over and started checking through the small arsenal.
The assault rifle was this massive hunk of steel with a giant shroud around the barrel, presumably filled with water to provide water cooling. The combat rifles and shotguns looked similar, the difference being one was chambered for 12 gauge, and the other was chambered in .45 ACP. The combat rifle also had a longer barrel and stock, while the shotgun was in a 'sawed-off' configuration. The bolt action rifle was a simple setup with a removable magazine and a fixed power scope.
I wanted to take the assault rifle, but I noticed the substantial weight the second I picked it up. The water-cooled shroud gave the weapon extra weight it probably didn't need, which made it hard to justify carrying, considering that I would most likely have to travel long distances.
The Cryolator was a non-factor since it was locked away and used proprietary ammo. It was a great weapon early game, but it required you to get close to utilize it. And not having ammo compatibility was a huge drawback in a world where a constant supply of ammunition is a must.
Now that the assault rifle was out of contention, I went through the rest of my options. After a few minutes of consideration, I went with the combat rifle. It was lighter and held a healthy amount of rounds in the magazine. The range capabilities should also be somewhere in the middle.
After loading a few mags and cramming as many of them into my jumpsuit and pockets as possible, I entered the overseer's terminal and unlocked the door leading to the emergency escape route. Heading into the hallway connecting the overseer's office to the reception area, I saw a few more radroaches meandering around.
I raised the combat rifle, shouldered the stock, and aimed at the largest radroach. Taking a slow breath, I pulled the trigger and sent a round burrowing into it. As the recoil hit my shoulder, the round simultaneously hit the radroach in the back.
The rest of the radroaches immediately realized they were being attacked and turned toward me. The closest one opened its wings and launched itself in my direction. I took a side step as the bug flew past and hit the wall behind me. Falling to the ground, it rolled on its back. Taking advantage of its inability to move, I placed a round right into its belly.
Turning around, I saw three more radroaches scramble toward me. A missed shot on the leading radroach caused the ricochet to hit the opposite wall of me. Another shot luckily hit the radroach in the head, stopping it dead in its track.
The rest of the pack was getting closer, and the nearest one was only six or seven feet away. I took a moment longer than needed to ensure I was on target, then pulled the trigger. This time the round landed right on its back, ending its life.
The last roach saw all its brethren die and fluttered its wings to fly into a final attack. I wasn't prepared for the sudden rush, and the radroach got within spitting distance of me. Using the stock of my rifle, I struck it hard, beating it away from me. I then shoved the barrel into the radroach and shot at point-blank range into its body.
The fight lasted only a minute or so, but it felt like only a few seconds. Taking a moment to collect myself, I continued and found myself in the room with the massive vault door.
I stared at the massive vault door and the gigantic engine meant to plug in and open it. Seeing this in real life was a different experience than in-game, and I gawked at the engineering marvel.
After admiring the machinery for a bit longer, I started looking around for what I needed to leave this place. Finding the control panel and a familiar skeleton in a white lab, I walked over to grab the "key" to the vault.
Seeing a familiar green-brownish hunk of metal, I lifted it and shook out the bones still found inside. Putting the infamous Pip-Boy on my forearm, I turned the power nob on the device. A gentle whirring noise indicated the system booting up, and soon after, I was greeted by lines of code and the familiar Vault Boy giving me a thumbs up.