NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 7
Remembering that the vaults were one of the few locations in Fallout 4 with a clean water supply, I set off to collect as much purified water as possible. First, I went to the kitchen/dining area to put as many empty Nuka Cola bottles as possible in my inventory. Then I found one of the water fountains and began the mind-numbing task of filling the dozens of bottles I now had.
The task was repetitive, but drinkable clean water was worth it. The next hour was spent with me rinsing the bottles and filling them with clean water. Using some duct tape I found, I would tape off the opening and store the bottle in my inventory.
While doing this, I started planning my survival in post-nuclear war Boston. The Pip-Boy informed me that the current date was 2281, or six years before the start of the game. This obviously meant many things were different, but it also allowed me to direct certain events to shape the wasteland's future.
Shelter was my top priority, followed by food and water. Having lived a life of comparable luxury up until this point, there is no doubt that I would make a horrible survivalist. Being realistic, I realized I was not going to hunt for my food, and I was not going to bend nature to my needs. I just don't have that kind of survival knowledge. This narrowed my shelter options to settlements with consistent water and food access.
The top choices are Diamond City and Vault 81. Vault 81 offered the protection of a vault alongside state-of-the-art facilities and near-modern capabilities in botany and medical capabilities. Since it was a vault, it would also have a water purification system.
However, the status of being a functioning vault also painted a massive target on its back, making it prone to be targeted by raiders. There's also the secret hidden bio lab to consider. I don't have a thing for being bitten by a mole rate with an incurable disease and dying a slow and painful death.
Diamond City offered more freedom and had more connections to the wasteland, which made it more attractive for gathering information and keeping a finger on the pulse of the rest of the world. It also had more trade, making it ideal for hoarding supplies and eventually creating my very own settlement.
The living conditions might be harsher, but private residences were available. Even in the post-apocalypse, wealth still could purchase comfort. The more I thought about it, the more my mind started to lean towards making my initial base in Diamond City.
Right as I set reaching Diamond City my first goal, I finished bottling up my last empty Nuka Cola. My inventory showed that I now had 62 bottles of clean water, and my weight capacity was updated to 98/240, still plenty of wiggle room. To best use this unoccupied space, I went through the vault again with a fine-tooth comb and crammed as much useful junk as possible. This new search turned up a few stimpaks in the overseer's private room, dining plates, old clothes, and stacks of paper. Yes, paper. I watched water world; paper is rare on the post-apocalyptic Earth.
While picking apart the vault, I took some time to test something about the Pip-Boy. In the game, time slowed down when the character pulled up the Pip-Boy. I quickly tossed a plate into the air to test if this also applied to me and pulled the Pip-Boy to my face. Holding it for a few seconds, I noticed no sound of breaking ceramic. The second I got the Pip-Boy out of my face, I saw the plate fall and break apart on the floor.
I gotta admit, this was awesome. Only after repeating this stunt an embarrassing amount of times did I stop. I couldn't find any other excuses to not leave the vault, so I started making my way out. Once I got to the room with the vault door, I unplugged the interface cable and connected it to the door control panel. A moment later, the Pip-Boy screen notified me that the vault door remote access was ready. Taking a deep breath and reassuring myself that everything would be OK, I flipped up the protective cover and pushed the large red button.
Sirens sounded all around me as orange and white lights flashed. A female voice took over the P.A. system.
"Vault door cycling sequence initiated. Please stand back."
A massive robotic arm lowered the giant motor in line with the vault entrance. It then jerked forward and slid itself into the cog-shaped door. The engine engaged, and I could see the locks being rotated out. The warm orange signs that said locks engaged turned off, and the green signs that said clear turned on. Screeching and grinding noises assaulted my ears as the vault door broke loose decades of rust and gunk.
A blazing white light temporarily blinded me while the platform I was standing on moved and connected to the bridge on the other side. Walking past the flood lamp on top allowed my sight to be returned, and I saw the plus-size elevator lower itself onto my level. The fence blocking my path opened, and I took my first step out of Vault 111.