Part 17

Entry 69:

I came across some Brahmin. I felt like there was something wrong with the whole situation...

Nope, nothing wrong here. Come on, Dog!

Entry 70:

Hi there, Mrs. Stapleton! No, I will not bang you. You're kinda creepy now. And I'm not high, as you can see.

Not much else to do in the Hub. I hung around a bit, sold some extra crap, but I know where I have to go. On to the cathedral.

Entry 71:

Fell and scraped my knee.

Entry 72:

Miles was happy to see me. I gave him the books and my armor, and he's working on it right now. Me and Dog are just gonna kick back for a bit.

Katja is taking any opportunity she cane to get away from Dog, so she's nowhere to be seen. I don't understand why she hates dogs.

Entry 73:

Hi Diary! Once my armor was finished up, Katja, Dog, and I took a quick hike to the cathedral. The place looks abandoned.

I decided to go floor by floor, and met these interesting folks. They gave me a cool hat to wear.

AIMBOT FAG

Alright. I really don't feel like tangling with this guy, and the ten buddies of his down the hall. Let's see how sneaky I can be... PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN IN POWER ARMOR

Oh ick.

Oh ICK.

I don't even want to KNOW what made 'The Master' look like that. That's just nine kinds of ugly, right there.

The Brotherhood must have done something right, because, using my superior intellect, I was able to show him the error of his ways. And that error is, 'Don't Try To Take Over The World, Jackass'.

Anyhoo, there's like, thirty seconds left before the Citadel blows up. Katja is screaming at me to stop updating the diary, and keep running. Pfft. I like to add that element of danger to my journal writing.

Gotta go, things are exploding.

Entry 74:

That shit was bananas.

Entry 75:

Look, rats. If fucking laser beams cant penetrate this Power Armor thing, your itty-bitty teeth are not going to do much either.

See? Now you're melting. I tried to warn you. But do rats listen? Noooo. Rats in the wasteland are too good to listen to advice. Fido always listened to me. He was a good rat. Now, you are dead rats. Say Hi to the other 97 rats I've killed over the course of this adventure.

Entry 76:

ATTN: RATS

RE: TRYING TO BITE ME

SERIOUSLY, FUCKING QUIT IT.

-Smith

Entry 77:

Well, I've had a kill-tastic day so far.

First, we arrived at the gatehouse area of the base. I killed one mutant from afar, and found a radio on his body.

I've always wanted to play with one of those, so I started fiddling with it. Imagine my surprise when someone was actually on the other end.

Nice base. Dumb mutants. Good combination.

Then we went in and killed the other four inside the gates. Melting mutants is fun.

On one of the mutants, I found a tape cassette with a 'kode' on it. Wonder of wonders, it's the very same code I need to get in the base! Amazing how that works out.

"Intruder Alert! Badass With Awesome Gun coming through!

I sawed one in half, melted another one, and then turned one into ash. I like to diversify as much as possible.

Then I found a computer. Well, one of several computers, but this computer was different. Mostly because one of the guards had been playing Blackjack on it. I fiddled with it for a moment, and managed to get some of these force fields down. I also found a quick and dirty read-me on how to physically take them down for a brief period of time using only some duct tape and chewing gum. Or brute force. Seeing as I lack gum...

I wandered around a bit more, and found some more computers!

Mr. Handy? I read about those in the library back in the Vault. I've always wanted one of those.

Instead, I messed with the weird looking robots that were patrolling outside. I was rewarded with one of them slamming right into a red forcefield. Heheh.

Killed a bunch of mutants, and told Katja to wait on the second floor. I don't really like her, but I certainly don't want her getting killed.

Bumped into another mutant that wanted to take me to his 'Lieutenant'. I politely declined, and he started shooting at me.

I cant decide which is my favorite. Turning them into ash, or melting them.

Then I met his girlfriend. Whoops.

Well, that certainly puts a new, depressing spin on it.

I'm taking a moment to update you, Diary, before going down to the last floor. That's probably where the action is going to go down, and I dont know if I'm going to survive. Hell, it's amazing I've survived so far. I could have died so many times.

I'm just lucky, I guess. Really lucky. It certainly wasn't any amount of skill that led me through this whole adventure so far.

I just hope it lasts a bit longer.

Entry 78:

I did it.

I destroyed the vats.

I've killed The Master.

Dog and I went down to the last floor, where we met up with more mutants. Mutants, and a Mr. Handy! I got rid of the mutants easily enough (I love these guns), and went over to the Mr. Handy.

Like I said before, I've always wanted to see a Mr. Handy. This one was old, and a bit busted up, but I was able to get it working again after a bit of tinkering.

It said it had to clean up the Vat Controls. Perfect. I thought I would just follow it along for a bit...

Whoops. Must have messed with the motivators a bit too much. Rest in peace, Mr. Handy.

Hello, fanatical technician! No, I wont kill you. Here, watch my dog for a minute, will you?

Then I met the Lieutenant. He certainly was menacing. And not in the mood to exchange pleasantries.

So I shot him in the face. He certainly added a dramatic flair to his death, I must say. Lots of squirting.

I looted around a bit, grabbed a key and some dynamite (I called it my 'backup plan), and headed back to the Vat controls.

Dog certainly had fun without me, menacing the fanatics. I pushed one aside, and started to work on the damn Vats.

It was difficult, but I was able to force my way into the system. A helpful .pdf that was on the Lieutenant's body showed me what all the directives and codes were, so I set the Vats to self-destruct in three minutes. I also put the alarm on, so that everyone with a brain could get out. I'm just nice like that.

I grabbed Katja, and we ran for our lives.

The Cathedral explosion was a lot more spectacular, I must admit. And I doubt the chemicals seeping into the ground is very healthy for the environment. Oh, what am I talking about. Who fucking cares? I just saved the world.

Oh. Wow. I saved the world.

Fuck it, I'm going home.


Entry 79:

They never talk much about what happens after someone saves the world. Everyone just assumes that the hero walks off into the sunset, to live out the rest of his life in peace. Everyone assumes that a happy ending for them, is a happy ending for the hero.

The world will remember what I did for generations to come. Everyone will assume that, after I saved all their lives, I went on to an assuredly happy and peaceful life of my own. I walked out with the dog at my heels and the girl in my arms. Only in this case, the girl doesn't exactly like me, and the dog was chasing a rat that decided to try and fuck with me.

Everyone will remember what I did, but not what became of me. Because the world will never see this diary. They might not remember Smith Jaxon, but they will remember The Man That Destroyed The Vats. Those that met me, will scramble for memories of what I was like. They probably wont remember very well, and certain things will be embellished. Skewed. They will make me a knight in shining Power Armor.

I'm Smith. I'm a normal guy, that somehow achieved the extraordinary. Nobody will remember that part. They'll probably think that it was easy.

When I got back to the Vault, the Overseer was there at the door to greet me. To congratulate me.

To cast me out.




I would kill the Vault. I would inspire everyone to leave. I would destroy the community. I would ruin what might be the last safe place on earth. I, Smith Jaxon, was their hero. And could be their downfall.

There will be no great homecoming. There will be no Smith-Town. There will be no dreams of little Ians running around in vault suits. There will be no future for me in this place. Nothing, nothing I hoped for will ever come to be. All because of the Overseer. His paranoid fears. His overwhelming zeal towards keeping the Vault as it is. A sheltered, safe place.

It was bullshit, all of it.

So I shot him in the face.

Entry 80:

I could have stayed, if I wanted to. I had killed the Overseer, I could have made myself their leader. But then I realized... I didn't want to. These people weren't worth it.

Dog, Katja, and I are heading north-west. I don't know why Katja is sticking around, she could have left at any time. She's been a lot less annoying lately, too. Quieter. And more friendly towards Dog.

Still, I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know WHAT to do. All I know is, that I'm alive. Somehow, alive.

It seems that I've gotten myself in a fix, Diary.

--------

The diary does not end here. It goes on to document the remaining life of Smith Jaxon. Still a young man at that point, and still up for the challenges of life in the wasteland. His travels north were not without danger, but contain none of the same adventure as his quest to save Vault 13.

As I myself have traveled, I have learned of the fates of the places Smith traveled.

The Ghouls of Necropolis went on to thrive, turning their hands to the arts and sciences. Their water pump works to this day, without repairs or modifications since Smith passed through.

Shady Sands became the New California Republic, under the leadership of President Tandi. She would never forget the Vault Dweller, or what he did for their little community.

Junktown went on to prosper with Gizmo out of the picture, and Mayor-Sheriff-Trader Killian Darkwaters went on to be just Mayor.

The Brotherhood Of Steel watched passively as the new communities touched by Smith's passage prospered. They wiped up the last of the violent mutants, and then gracefully bowed out from regional affairs, deciding instead to concentrate their energies on improving their own organization, and their technology.

The Hub disappeared from history, for reasons that no one can figure on.

The Raiders that had threatened the peace of the land were thoroughly destroyed by Smith, and were no real threat to anyone.

And Smith? He went on to found Arroyo, a peaceful tribal village that, unfortunately, is now suffering from a drought. It has become my duty to heal the village, to go out and quest for the GECK. I can only hope that I will follow well in my grandfather's footsteps. Like him, I am nothing special. Just an all-around nice girl that everyone seems to like, and has the luck of the devil.

I am glad to have found these diary files in the PipBoy, and have learned well from them. If only he had written down where Vault 13 is. Oh well. We cant have everything.

Sulik, don't eat that.

-Nia Of Arroyo