Journal Entry 3

The Braumin Steak was pretty decent, although as hungry as I was, I might have even been able to eat Radroach. Once my head was clear, I decided I needed to take a look at this bomb. Simms was right to be concerned, this bomb is very active, and aside from Cromwell and his group, it seems other parties are interested as well. Disarming the bomb will take some time, as well as some resources I don't have right now, so unfortunately for Simms and his people, it's going to have to wait. Hopefully Megaton will still be here when I can disarm it.

From there I went to Moriarty's. I need to stay focused on finding Dad. I'll help people as and when I can, but I can't let it distract me from what I'm supposed to be doing. Right as I walked in, a short blonde woman caught my attention and waved me over. I was hoping maybe she saw some recognizable feature, maybe had a message from Dad. She did have a message, though it wasn't for me. Apparently her family lives in a settlement not far from here called Arefu. She hasn't heard from them in some time, and asked if I could deliver a message to her father, David West. She assured me he would pay me for my troubles. I agreed to help her of course, I understand how important family is, but I did warn her it might be a bit of a delay before I can get to them. She didn't seem to like it, but seemed thin on options. She's too afraid of the raiders to go herself, and her father alienated some of the caravans, so she's not sure they'll help her.

I concluded my business with her, and started looking around again, trying to size up who might best be able to help me when I caught the eye of a slimy looking fellow in a worn out suit, sitting in the far side of the room. He summoned me over with a quick nod of his head. Am I going to be this popular everywhere I go? He introduced mimself as Mr. Burke, and was pleased as punch when I told him I wasn't a local. Apparently Burke represents other "interests" who don't care for the town, and would like to see it gone. He looked dangerous, so I thought it best to hear him out. He gave me a detonator, and offered me 600 caps for the deed. 600! That's a lot more than Simms was paying me to disarm the thing. I asked if I could clear out the town first, maybe come up with some line about how when I was trying to fix the thing, I accidentally triggered some timer. That was a no-go. Apparently if I want the cash, the town, and the people have to go. Told me how to find him if I do the deed. There's a lot of people in Megaton, 600 caps or not. I'm thinking of telling Simms, but I'm gonna hold off for now.

I found an "employee" of the bar, a woman named Nova who services patrons, for the right price. Offered me a room, and some company for 120 caps. She wasn't interested in any barter any more than I was interested in the company. I do need to start thinking about where I'm going to rest my head tonight though. I asked her about Dad, and surprisingly, she gave me some info free of charge. She had seen someone that fit the description talking to Moriarty, but couldn't give me much more detail than that. She told me to talk to Gob, the fellow who worked the bar. I noticed him before. I guess he's what they call a "ghoul". Apt description. He looked more than half dead, skin rotting off and such. I overheard her earlier mentioning to him about the radio. Apparently not only does the wasteland have a plethora of settlements, but they've got 2 radio stations as well. One of the stations is called "Enclave Radio", and most people think its a loop from before the war. She gave me the frequency and I was able to tune the Pip-Boy into it. I'll give it a listen when I'm out of town. The other station is called "Galaxy News Radio" and is run by some fellow named "Three Dog". Apparently someone out there still has faith in humanty, and he's using the station to spread that idealism. Turns out the signal's been pretty weak lately. I guess the good fight and always an easy win.

Bellied up to the bar from there, waiting on Gob. Made small talk with a local scavenger/trader named Brian Crealy. He told me he heard the towns water purifier was on the fritz. Fella named Walter was responsible for it, but sounds like he was having trouble. Maybe I can lend a hand there too. Maybe Megaton will have bigger concerns than water soon.

When Gob got over to me, he almost literally jumped out of his skin when I reached out to shake his hand. Apparently bigotry is still alive and well out here, and the "ghouls" are the main scape goat. He seemed normal enough, despite appearances, and even seemed friendly. A kind word went a long way, and despite the fact he was to afraid of Moriarty to tell me much, he did let me into the back office to talk to the man himself.

Moriarty recognized me immediately, maybe the clothes, maybe the resemblance to dad, but whatever it was, he definitely confirmed that Dad came through here recently. He told me that Dad and I weren't born and raised in the vault. That Dad had taken me there after I was born, tryingto keep me safe. He said Dad had a friend in the "Brotherhood of Steel" that he was travelling with after mom died. I'm gonna have to make a note to find out who they are sooner than later. Moriarty didn't seem trustworthy, but he did seem a bit full of himself. I accused him of lying, and to set him off his guard, I fed him the typical vault dweller mantra "We were born in the vault, we would die in the vault". He mimiced it back at me mockingly, and said he heard the same thing from another vault escapee a few years back. He definitely knew enough about the vault to back that up, so I turned it around, told him that I did know about him, that Dad talked about him all the time. This seemed to hit him on a sentimental level, and he opened right up. Told me Dad had come through, that he made a quick stop in Megaton to get something he needed, and was headed to Galaxy News Radio. Looks like I'm going to be meeting a celeberity soon. I got directions from Nova on the way out. Right before I left the town proper, I passed by Simms. I kept the info about Burke to myself. I told myself I would disarm the bomb before talking to Simms about the threat. I hope thats the truth.

Journal Entry 2

Megaton.


I wonder if every settlement left in this wasteland has such an accurate name.

I ran into a trader outside of the gates. He seemed friendly enough. I wonder if everything they taught us in the vault was a lie? Probably. His name was Crow, and apparently he makes his living by selling clothing and armor from settlement to settlement. He uses a pack animal called a Brauhmin, and has a guard with him. I didn't catch her name, but I did watch her chase down and kill some kind of wild beast. I think she called it a molerat. She had a glint in her eye when she came back and saw me talking to Crow. It wasn't a friendly one.

As soon as I entered the gates I was approached by an older man, with a gun strapped to his back and an old fashioned cowboy hat on his head. He introduced himself as Lucas Simms, Sherriff and sometimes mayor of Megaton. Sherriff? He seemed friendly enough. I wonder how many people said that about the Overseer though?

If nothing else, Simms was a useful source of information. I asked about a place to sleep, he pointed me out to Moriartys saloon.We chatted a bit about the area outside of the town, mostly wasteland, but there are a few pockets of civilization still. Crow had mentioned Canterburry Commons to me, and now Simms was telling me about a place called Rivet City. He was even able to give me coordinates for the Pip-Boy. I learned about the town as well. It's called Megaton after the bomb that the town was built around. I guess after the war, the survivors from Springvale found out about the vault. They tried to get in, and when they couldn't, decided to build themselves a town. Its amazing what they were able to create. It certainly lacks the technological comforts of the Vault, but it definitely has its charm. The other amazing thing about this place is that some of them actually worship the bomb. I'll get into that in a minute.

Simms has some concerns about the bomb itself. Most of the town think that if it was going to explode, it would have by now, but he's worried with the "Church of the Atom" poking around it all the time, it won't be forever before someone sets the thing off. I offered to take a look at it. I'm not as good as dad was with these things, but I do know a thing or two. He offered me 100 caps. Crow referenced the same thing when he was admiring my pistol earlier too. I guess the currency of the wasteland is now bottlecaps? With no printing presses to manufacture paper money, I guess they have to use something. Its interesting how they managed to form a centralized currency that no-one has the control to produce. Of course the barter system is still alive and well. It's how I managed to make enough "caps" for the meal I'm waiting for while I write this. I tried to haggle with Simms, after all, disarming a nuclear bomb seems worth more than 100 caps (or does it? I don't know much about the value yet), so I tried to up him to 600. He told me the town doesn't have that much, and that I could pretty much take it or leave it. I told him I'd take it.

Offering to help him out seemed to relax his guard a bit. I asked him again about dad, and he did remember someone coming through recently. I guess Dad went straight to the saloon, and promptly left. I'll definitely have to go there right after I eat. It's been a wild day so far, and I can't think straight as it is, I don't need to be wandering around town disoriented from hunger.

This nice girl named Jenny Stahl runs a food stand in the center of town, right next to the bomb. We chatted for a minute, but she seemed only concerned with taking my order. I explained that I didn't have the caps to pay for anything, but she did notice my sack, and asked what I might be able to trade. I offered her a security baton from the vault security guards. Quality weapons and armour seem to be in high demand out here. She gave me a few caps, as well as a "Braumin" steak. Not sure if its healthy, but I can smell it grilling, and it certainly smells delicious.

While I was waiting for my steak, I had a chance to chat with "Confessor" Cromwell. He's some sort of chaplain for the "Church of Atom". I guess they worship a deity named "Atom" and think that this bomb is his divine gift. They think that each atom contains a thousand universes, and when we split one, it doubles that number, so the splitting of many atoms is some sort of divine event. I can see why Simms is worried about these guys. He did give me a pamphlet to read, so maybe I'll give it a read while I eat.

Speaking of food, my steak is ready.

Journal Entry 1.

My name is Matthew. I am a former inhabitant of Vault 101. "You live in the vault, you die in the vault", this is what they told us. What HE told us. That was almost true, it would have been true if he had his way.

My father. He left me. He always said him and Mother wanted me to be safe. That it was safer inside the vault, then on the outside. Is this what he had in mind?

It's all too much for me. I'm having difficulty getting my thoughts together properly. I'll start from the beginning.

Vault 101 is where I was born. It is an underground, self contained dwelling, controlled and run by the overseer. My mother died giving birth to me, and so it was up to my father to raise me. He was a caring man, a brilliant scientist, but he always carried the pain of my mothers death.

Today he left me. Abandoned me? I don't know his reasoning. I do know that the overseer was not pleased. Jonas. I can't beleive he killed him. I'm getting ahead of myself again.

Amata, maybe my only friend in the Vault. She woke me up, saved my life probably. She told me her father had had Jonas killed. That my father had escaped. She told me about a secret tunnel inside her fathers office and told me I needed to escape. I grabbed what I could. My bat and glove, some stimpaks, and the pistol that Amada gave me and ran.

It seemed when dad escaped, he left an opening for a Radroach infestation. The guards were distracted, so I thought I might be able to sneak out. I thought wrong. Officer Kendall was the first. So much blood on my hands. He was dealing with some radroaches, so I tried to run past him, but he noticed me and swung on my with his baton. I just reacted. I started hitting him, pummeling him with my fists until he stopped moving.

I can't beleive I killed him. I was training to be the Vault Chaplain. Nonviolence was supposed to be the foundation of my life there, and I killed officer Kendall.

I didn't have the time or the freedom to apologize to Kendall's family, nor could I perform any sorts of rites for him. I'm not sure if it would have been appropriate anyways.

I ran from his body, from the horror of what I'd done, continuing down the halls until I almost literally ran into Butch. I don't think he noticed the blood on my hands, on my clothes and face. He had other problems. Radroaches had surrounded his mother and were attacking her. Butchie is afraid of Radroaches. I know what they say about bullies, but I never thought that Butchie was afraid of anything. I wanted to scream in his face. Tell him he deserved this. Tell him he spent that last 19 years making me miserable, why should I help him now.

I wanted to do these things, but I knew I couldn't. I grabbed my bat and rushed in. She was pretty shaken up when I left, but not as much as Butchie. He was grateful. I think maybe Butchie was a good guy all these years, he just had to grow up with his mother being drunk all the time. He was so grateful he gave me his Tunnel Snakes jacket. I remember only a few years ago, I would have given anything to get a Tunnel Snakes jacket. Now it's just another weight around my neck. I guess it will serve me as a reminder that I can try to wash some of the blood from my hands.

I had to keep moving, so I started down the halls again. I thought i heard a guard coming, so I ducked into the kitchen. It was dark, and there were Roaches. I beat them down with the bat, but I got there too late. Grandma Taylor was in there. She was always so sweet. I suppose everyone has their time though.

Gomez was who I had heard coming, but he had his hands full with Roaches. I had learned my lesson with Kendall, so I waited until he had his back fully to me and sped past.

In the main hall, I saw Tom and Mary Holden. Apparently they saw the writing on the wall like Dad did, and wanted to escape as well. They shot them. Unarmed, and guilty of nothing more than wanting to be free, they shot them. O'brien and Richards. I knew I wasn't sneaking past them. It wasn't going to be a fistfight either. I unholstered the pistol Amata gave me, and shot them. I shot them both. It was... it was a different feeling than when I killed Kendall. It made me sick, but there was a rush of... power. I'd never fired a real gun before. Just the BB gun that Dad and Jonas gave me.

Its scary how much I liked that feeling.

Just as I made it upstairs, Cheif Hannon came around the corner and lunged at me with his baton. I still had the gun in my hand. I didn't even realize what I was doing until he was on the ground bleeding.

Sorry Hannon, you brought it on yourself.

I heard Amatas voice down the hall, so I crept along the hallway to get a better look. She was tied to a chair, being tortured by her own father and one of his goons. I guess its no surprise that he would do that, even to his daughter, but it was still a shock to me. I wanted to go to her, to free her, but I would have had to kill them both. Would she want that? It wasn't for me to decide.

Right next to the overseers office, in my fathers lab, I found Jonas. He was in bad shape. I wish I could have given him a proper burial, as I'm sure they won't do much more than cart him down to the incinerator. Him and all the rest. The oversser will burn them all to hide what he did. I couldn't do anything for him, but I did take his lab coat and glasses. While I was doing that I found a note in his pocket. It was from dad, and addressed to me. I haven't read it yet. I can't bring myself to right now.

I had to hack the computer in the Overseers office. Dad taught me a few tricks, unintentionally, and they really came in handy. He had some notes on there, bios on some of the Vault inhabitants. I really would have liked to read them, but there was no time. I hit the command to open the tunnel and left.

Amata followed me in. I tried to get her to come, but she wouldn't. "We were born in the vault, and we'll die in the vault". I guess even the overseers daughter isn't spared the indoctrination. Park and Wolfe came down, so I had to leave. They wouldn't follow me out in the tunnels. I almost wanted to shoot them. Almost.


I don't...

I...

I'm not sure if I have the words to describe what happened next.


I stepped outside for the first time in 19 years. The first time in my life. The sun. I've never seen anything so bright. So beautiful. It stunned me for a moment, the weight of the moment. I'd heard about this world, seen the Vault-Tec videos, read the books, but nothing had prepared me for this.

If I could have, I would have spent an hour, a day, a week, just soaking it in, but I wasn't sure if the overseer would force his guards out after me, so I had to keep moving.

The vault entrance oversaw what seemed to have been a town at one point. There was a road, burnt out, abandoned buildings, roads fallen into disrepair, not a soul in sight. I knew I needed to find something, someone. Some clue. Dad left this way, so unless he's dead in the wasteland, he must have found a way.

I started of with the road. Even with civilization destroyed, I'm sure man would hold on to those familiar standards, and populate along the beaten path. There was a mailbox along the way. I remember reading about them. Society would use them to send messages and packages to each other. It was a long shot, but I thought maybe the might still be in use somehow. Maybe give me some clue as to where I could find other people. Survivors. What I did find was someone's private stash. Some grenades, as well as some sort of drugs. I took them. Was that wrong of me? We were always taught that survival on the wasteland meant scavenging, and putting yourself first.

As I explored the town, my Pip-Boy emmited a sound I'd never heard before, and when I looked down at it, it seems that it knew where I was. It looks like this thing has some sort of sattelite uplink, it can track coordinates, and has map data from before the war. I think I can figure out a way to program my own coordinates in, if I find anything that it doesn't already know about. It should come in handy in making sure I don't get too lost out here.

I had just sat down to get my bearings, figuring that if the Overseer was coming, he'd have done it by now, when I noticed something scrawled out on a fence in paint. I was about to dismiss it as grafiiti, when I noticed the arrow. "Megaton" I don't know what that is, but that's where I'm heading right now. We were taught in the vault not to trust anyone we meet. That those who survived the war will be at best, ravaging maurauders who would just as soon kill us for our clothes as talk to us, and at worst, slavering mutants who want to eat us. Hopefully I'll be able to find some form of civilization. Maybe I'll even find Dad!