Rescuing Daddy Dearest

Dear Readers:

This story is indeed, based on Fallout 3 - to the point where if you haven't played the game, parts of the story may be incomprehensible. Still, you are welcome to jump to the end and just enjoy the sex part.

-Elenia

*********************** **************************

I blinked, coming to. I was back in Vault 112, and the lid of the Tranquility Dome was opening. Across the room, I could see another Dome lid opening as well. It was the one with my father in it!

This thing couldn't open soon enough, I thought. My dad... I hadn't seen him since that catastrophic morning when I woke up in my bed in Vault 101, with Daddy gone, and the Overseer gunning for me. I still remembered the terror of having to fight my way out.

On the other side, I saw my dad sitting up and blinking. The Tranquility Dome, someone else's version of a Vault, worked in this way - you hooked yourself up to these machines and instead of having to live in a boring old vault after the bombs fell you got to live in a pleasing fiction of your choice. I suppose it might have been nice, but my dad had raised me to be fiercely independent and while life in Vault 101 was certainly no paradise, I vastly preferred having my own choices and living in the real world.

Of course that didn't even count the small matter of my dad, who had actually gotten stuck in it! Thank goodness I had disobeyed his orders and come looking for him, otherwise he might have been here forever. After all, the Tranquility Domes provided intravenous injections for nourishment so he might have been there a long, long time.

Finally the Dome opened up fully and I jumped out. I raced over to Daddy, who looked genuinely shocked to see me.

"Honey? What on earth are you doing here? I'm so happy to see you!"

"Daddy!" I squealed, and jumped into his arms. I mean literally jumped, as in my arms were around his neck and my legs ended up around his waist. Daddy was strong though, and easily caught me - I was a tiny girl and weighed maybe 100 pounds soaking wet.

I hugged him tight to me and laid my head on his shoulder. Without hesitation his big arms tightened around me, and for a few moments, all was well. It didn't matter that the bombs had dropped, or that Daddy had lied to me about him being born in the Vault, or even about me being born in the Vault. I had my Daddy, and all was well.

I did notice, however, that Daddy was thin and I could feel his ribs. He hadn't been eating much, and that intravenous line didn't really do much for you, after all.

After a minute, he let me down gently and I stood, my arms still around him, smiling up into his face.

"Sweetheart, I'm so glad to see you," he smiled down at me. "I'm sure you have lots of questions why I left you there in the Vault without even an explanation..."

I covered his mouth with my hand. "Not entirely, Daddy. You see, I went to Project Purity." His eyes widened. "I found your holotapes. That's how I found you."

"You went to my old research lab? You have been busy, my dear." He looked around at the stark, empty vault, with nothing left in it but two or three of the robiot guardians, protecting us, I guess. "I want to know everything you've been doing. Is there a place we can talk?"

"Actually, yes, Daddy. I have a home, now. I live in Megaton."

He looked at me curiously, a slight smile on his face. "Now I'm even more intrigued. And I see a shotgun slung over your shoulder, too. Do you mean to tell me you walked here?"

"I did, Daddy."

"But the Wastes are dangerous."

"Yes, they are, and I've been learning to deal with them, but not alone. Come here, boy!" And I whistled. My constant companion, my beloved dog, came bounding up to me from where he had no doubt been searching for something to eat.

I'd found him in a stockyard, fending off a pack of Raiders. Instead of attacking me like most feral dogs did, he whined and begged to be petted. I fed him some scraps and ever since then he had been my faithful companion.

"Daddy, meet Dog. Dog, meet Daddy."

"Dog?" Daddy smiled, and petted my dog. Dog seemed to know he was friendly and wagged his tail and barked his customary single bark.

"Yes - I just started calling him that, and he seems to like it." I took his hand. "Come on, Daddy. Dog and I can take you home. We know the way."

He smiled at me, fond and amused, and followed me out.

We made our way back out of the vault. Vault 112 was underneath a garage, and as we entered it, I pressed the button to slide the huge Vault door shut. I knew nothing was coming out, but I still didn't like that huge yawning door at my back.

We went up the steps, still hand in hand, and came to the garage part of the building. "Wait here, Daddy," I said, and I cautiously peeked out the door. It was getting dark. I turned to Dad. "I think we should camp out here until morning, Dad. I have a bedroll, and we can hotbunk it - one of us is going to have to be on watch, anyway, though Dog will wake us up in the morning."

He was shaking his head in some amazement. "My little girl is all grown up, isn't she? When I left you in the Vault, I never expected this."

I smiled. "Thanks, Dad, but I had to grow up pretty quickly. Well, let's see if we can't make a little camp here."

Behind the counter seemed like the best bet for the bedroll, so I opened it up there. I put down my backpack and dug around in it and pulled out a lantern.

"Can I help, honey? I'm sorry that I don't have much on me."

"I saw those robots cleaning up. Whatever you had that's not on your person, they usually get rid of in 24 hours."

I fished out my precious lighter. "Here you go, Daddy. Just be careful and don't waste the fuel, they're hard to get these days."

He smiled. "Will do, darling."

"Then...I have a little camp stove that runs off propane. And some rad-free food that I can cook up."

It wasn't impossible to find radiation-free food nowadays; some people still made it, but you had to go the extra mile and find the right merchants.

"I can hook up the stove if you like," Daddy said.

"I'd like that, Daddy."

While he did that, I fished out the extra blankets I had. I figured Dog would keep watch at least part of the night, and I figured we'd have to share the bed at some point. Thankfully I had acquired some of the ultra-light but extra-warm ones.

Daddy had the propane stove all hooked up and lit. "Where's the food, sweetheart?"

"Right here, Daddy. I have some hot dogs and insta-soup, nothing spectacular, but it would fill us up and back at home I'll cook a proper meal for us."

"You know how to cook?" he asked, genuinely surprised.

I shrugged, embarrassed. "Not great, but I can get by."

"Still, I'm amazed. I never taught you that."

He was busy lightly frying the hot dogs and I suddenly flew over to him and hugged him, tightly, from behind. "Oh, Daddy. I know why you went, and I'm not mad at you, but I missed you so badly."

He wrapped his arms around mine. "I missed you, too, sweetheart. And I'm sorry I had to go. I'm glad you came after me, though." We stayed like that for a moment and then I let him go back to it.

I took out one of the mines from my belt. "Daddy, I'll be right back. Dog and I are going to go outside and just make sure that we'll know if anyone tries to sneak up on us."

He did a double-take. "Mines, too! Well, just be careful sweetheart - I will worry about you. Do you want me to come with you?"

"Do you know anything about mines, Daddy?"

"Your dad wasn't born yesterday, you know. I have a little knowledge. But if you'd prefer, I can stay here and cook us dinner."

I smiled and kissed his cheek. "No, my dad wasn't born yesterday. He's the smartest guy I know." I hesitated, and then put my hand on his shoulder. "Daddy?"

"Yes, darling," he said, putting his hand over mine fondly.

"When we get a chance, can we talk about Project Purity?"

Project Purity was Daddy's pet dream. The one he had left me for, the one that Mom had dreamed of, was called Project Purity. It was no more and no less than the idea of pure water for everyone. I had read lots of Daddy's notes and thought it was very feasible.

"I was worried there for a second, with that serious look on your face. Of course, darling - anything you want. I'd love to tell you about it...if you're interested." For the first time in my life my Daddy looked a little unsure.

I smiled. "Of course. I love you, Daddy."

"And I you. Now go on so you can come back inside and Daddy can quit worrying!"

Dog and I carefully slipped outside of the building. I took the shotgun just in case. No one was around, so it was the work of a few minutes to set up a few landmines around the area. If it didn't kill whoever was approaching outright, it would certainly alert Daddy and I, and even if for some reason we did not wake up, it was guaranteed to wake Dog.

I came back in. "All set, Daddy. Just don't go running out there in the morning without one of us disarming them first."

"Great. Dinner's all ready, so why don't you come over and sit with me and let's eat? Then you can tell me how you found me. I'm dying of curiosity."

We sat together behind the counter and I heaped the food into two bowls. "Daddy, I don't normally drink too much, but you look like you could use some." I took a bottle of whiskey out of my bag and handed it over. It had already been opened. It was a screw top bottle, nothing special.

He glanced at it, amused, before opening it and taking a swig. "You carry this around with you?"

I nodded. "I grabbed some from the Vault before I left. Sometimes I need it."

"My little girl, drinking!"

"Oh, Daddy." I rolled my eyes. "It's useful sometimes."

Daddy looked somber then. "I know, sweetie. It's a rough world out there, isn't it?" he said, caressing my face tenderly.

"It's all right, Daddy," I said. "I get by."

"I know you can, child, but it's Daddy's job to worry, OK?"

Just then Dog pressed his cold nose into my arm. I jumped. "Oof!" I laughed.

"What is it?"

"It's Dog. He's telling me it's time to eat, and he wants his dinner."

I pulled out a can of dog food that I had unearthed from one of the sites I'd scavenged, and dumped it into a bowl for him. On top of it I sliced up one of the sausages. "There you go, boy," I said, and hugged him. He barked, once, and fell to, as did we.

After dinner, I scraped out the pot and the bowls with a little sand and some of the irradiated water, and then put them away. I put the fire out so we were lit only by the dim lantern. I don't know if it was an after-effect of the radiation, but it never really got too cold anymore.

I came over and sat by my Daddy in the blankets. He tucked me in and then put his arm around me. "So tell me. What happened after I left you in the Vault?"

I took a deep breath. "Well. It's a long story, Daddy. Are you ready?" He nodded.

"The morning after you left, I woke up to Amata shaking me. You remember Amata?" Daddy. knew Amata was a girl my age and my only friend in the Vault.

"It took me a while to figure out what she was saying at first; she was so hysterical, but eventually I got that you had left in the middle of the night and no one knew where you were. And that the Overseer was going ballistic and interrogating everyone he could get his hands on." I sighed."And that he wanted to know where the hell I was and what I was doing.

"Amata thought I should leave the Vault. I agreed but I decided immediately I was coming after you, Daddy. I didn't care what anyone said. Amata offered me a gun she had stolen from the Armory, and... I took it. I mean after all you and I had enough hours with the BB gun, down there in the tunnels, so I figured I could fire a real gun. I took what I could from our room and grabbed Mother's picture, and hightailed it out of there.

"The alarms were going off. Apparently there was a Radroach infestation. Ahead of me I saw Deputy Johnston kill a couple, but he was overwhelmed by the rest. Robby was fighting them, and I joined him, as they were between me and the door." Robby was our resident robot in the Vault. Radroaches were enormous mutated roaches.

"I killed them, and got past them. All of the other guards seemed to be busy, and so I managed to sneak past into the second level of the Vaults."

I hesitated. "Daddy, you won't be mad at me, will you? I had to do some things I'm not proud of. And that's not even counting the things that I know are going to make you mad."

He had been listening with rapt attention and darkened eyes. He hugged me again. "Darling, I of all people know what the Wastes are like, and what they can do to a person. As long as you stay your own sweet self, you do what you have to."

I smiled and hugged him back, then continued. "Daddy, I ended up having to fight my way out, at least to the top floor. I didn't want to, but the guards were not listening to me, and between me and the radroaches, they were totally panicked."

I swallowed. "Surprisingly, it was easier than I thought. They were shooting at me, after all. It wasn't like I was sneaking up behind them.] Only Deputy Ashley let me go without stopping me. He told me he would look the other way. I don't know what happened to him.

"On the top floor, I stopped by your office. It'd been ransacked. They'd tore it apart. I went through your computer and downloaded everything you had in hope of tracing you... not much, but I know why you didn't leave more - you didn't want the Overseer to go through it and find it. I took down the Bible verse that covers your safe, the one Mother loved so much, and I opened the wall safe behind it. Here..."

I reached into my blouse and pulled out the cord I always wore around my neck. On the end of it was my Mother's wedding ring, the only thing Dad had of hers. It wasn't much, just a plain steel ring, on which Dad had engraved their names, but I knew Dad treasured it. I removed it and handed it over.

Dad took it hesitantly and almost reverently, "I thought I'd left this behind forever but I... hoped you'd find it, and keep it."

I smiled softly. "I did, Daddy, I kept it for you."

"Thank you darling. Go on."

"So, where was I? The safe. Right. There was some money, so I took it all. That was all that was in there, so I removed the verse from its frame and took that, too. I continued up the hall and headed for your labs. Both rooms had already been searched thoroughly, but it was what I found in the second room that shocked me."

I caught my breath and suddenly hugged him. "Daddy, they murdered Jonas!"

"What?" He looked down at me in shock.

"They did!" I bit my lip. "He was dead, on the floor. I ... didn't really know what to do, to be honest. I knelt by him, but he'd been dead for at least half an hour or so, his body was still warm. I searched through his pockets and I'm glad I did ... Daddy, I found the holotape you left for me. The note about having to leave. About me being safe in the Vault."

"I'm so sorry, honey. I never dreamed any of this would happen."

I shook my head. "Don't be sorry, Daddy, it's not your fault. It was the Overseer. He went berserk. He couldn't stand to have anyone buck his authority. I kissed Jonas on the forehead and told him I was sorry and continued down the hall towards the Overseer's office. I heard shouting. As I came around the corner, I had a good view into the office and I stopped to peer in. Daddy, the Overseer was there, with Robbins, and Robbins was holding a gun to Amata! The Overseer was questioning Amata - about me, about you. Where you had gone. Where I was."

Amata was the Overseer's daughter.

"But Amata is..."

"Yes, Daddy, he was threatening her. I couldn't just stand by. I opened the door, and when Robbins started to turn, I shot him, once. It hit him in the arm, and he dropped the gun and screamed like a girl, and ran for the clinic." I shrugged.

"The Overseer turned to me," I continued, "and I turned the gun on him. Now before you worry, Daddy, i didn't kill him. I just threatened him a bit. Amata ran crying out of the room. I demanded the Overseer's password to his computer, and his keys to his private office. He didn't want to give them to me, but I had the gun, plus I told him all I wanted to do was leave and find you. He grudgingly agreed to that, and I locked him in the back room and walked out.

"I stopped by Amata, who was crying in her room. I tried to convince her to come with me, but she wouldn't. She shooed me out, instead.'

I took a gulp of the whiskey, and realized my dad was gently rubbing my back. I had gotten lost in the retelling and it was very late now.

I was enjoying Daddy's ministrations and didn't want to stop.

"Just a little more, at least to getting out of the Vault, daddy. I'll tell you the rest later. Anyway. I let myself into the Overseer's office. First I went to his terminal. I unlocked the Vault exit, and then I picked through his files. Daddy, he had news of the surrounding Wasteland. He said no one ever went out there! But he had maps and information and it wasn't irradiated like he always said."

I was getting into my stride with my story but also feeling very tired.

"The most interesting thing was a nearby town called Megaton. A town, right outside the vault, only maybe an hour's walk from our Vault. I downloaded the schematics, and then I went down the stairs and arrived at the Vault door. I opened up the outer door, walked down the hallway, and next thing I knew, I was in the Wastelands. They locked the door behind me, and, with no choice, I hiked to Megaton. It was eerily quiet. Nothing attacked me. And I made it there. They welcomed me, and I started paying to stay at the Common Room until they ended up giving me a house."

"That is some story, darling. I am so sorry to hear you had to go through all of that." Daddy looked genuinely penitent, and anyway I hadn't been angry with him for a long time. He was all I had in this world.

"Daddy, don't be sad. It was time to go anyway."

I yawned.

"That was just the story of how you got out of the Vault, love! I haven't even heard the story of how you came to find me. But you look tired. Why don't you wait, and tell me that when we are back in Megaton?"

"Sure, Daddy. I can take the watch first, if you like? Although no one's getting in easily."

He shook his head. "You've done so much, darling. Why don't you sleep, and I'll guard? I'll wake you when it's your time." He held his arms out to me, and I went to him and lay down with my head in his lap, the way we used to back, back in the Vault, when I couldn't sleep.

"You've been growing this out, I see," he said, stroking my hair.

I nodded. "I just haven't had time to have anyone cut it, and besides, I started liking it long."

"It suits you. Now, sleep, darling."

And I did, safe with my Daddy.

***

Daddy awoke me after some hours had gone by. I awoke quickly, lifting my head up. I checked my Pip-Boy - the time was 2am.

"I'm sorry, honey, I just can't stay awake any longer. I need to get a little sleep."

"Sure, Daddy, You could have woken me earlier. Anyway, I'll watch for a few hours, and then Dog will watch for the rest."

He smiled, kissed the top of my head, and laid down himself. He was asleep quickly. It was obvious Daddy was exhausted. I smoothed the hair back from his face and stroked his cheek.

I watched until around 5am and then gently nudged Dog, who lifted his head off his paws to look at me. As was his wont, he was sleeping behind the counter, at my feet, blocking anyone from getting to me. "Dog, it's your turn to watch for a while. Be a good boy, all right?" He barked, his one single bark, and laid his head down again - but with watchful, open eyes.