Chapter 21: Lord of the Flies

"That was the song "Power", sung by Kanya West. I did some research on my brother Kanya, and it seems he thought he was the next Jesus Christ, or something. I don't know about that, but I do have the latest news concerning our own real life Messiah. That's right, that crazy kid from Vault 101, the Lone Wanderer himself. Now you all remember I told you how those Enclave bastards overran Project Purity, right? Reports from my sources in the Brotherhood tell me that the Lone Wanderer kicked them in the balls before high tail'n it out of there, and several Enclave soldiers were killed or wounded by our hero during the assault. Nice going kid! In related news the Lone Wanderer's former home, Vault 101, is now open for business. The Vaultees have begun trading with nearby settlements, and their number one commodity is, wait for it...fresh, clean water! So grab a canteen, or bucket or whatever you got, and head down to the 101 trading post just outside of Megaton. Just don't try to get into the Vault uninvited...they will shoot you. Until next time, this is Three Dog, awwwwww! And you're listening to Galaxy News Radio. Bringing you the truth...no matter how bad it hurts. Now, some music. This one goes out to our bringer of justice from 101. Here's Johnny Cash singing "God's gonna cut you down"."

Marcus turned the music on his PIPBOY down, and a smile appeared on his face. It seemed that Amata was doing well as Overseer of the Vault. For a moment he wondered if he would be able to see her at this trading post, but he quickly dismissed the idea. Something like that could undermine her leadership, and undo all the work she has done. No, better to just avoid the situation all together.

"Are you alright?" Paladin Cross asked.

Marcus was jarred out of his thought. "Yeah...I'm fine."

The trio of companions were approaching the entrance to the Lamplight Caverns. The trek across the Wasteland took them two days, and they had encountered every kind of wild, mutated animal along the way. Giant ants, giant radscorpions, mole rats, Yao guai (which Marcus learned were mutated black bears), and one Deathclaw. During these encounters, Marcus learned why Cross was the Star Paladin of the Brotherhood. He thought he had seen it all - until Cross knocked a Yao guai out cold with a super sledge. The fact that she could even lift the weapon was unbelievable, but seeing her wield it was amazing. During there travels, Marcus learned that Cross was severely injured many years ago, and had to have both arms and half her torso replaced with cybernetic enhancements. These alterations not only gave her unbelievable upper body strength, but she no longer required sleep or food. Cross preferred to use hand-to-hand combat in a fight, but when the situation warranted, she would use her laser pistol.

Just up ahead, they could see what looked like an abandoned park ranger shack, and a burned out school bus. According to Marcus' PIPBOY, they were at the entrance to the Lamplight Caverns. "Okay, now remember there's a settlement of children down there that don't trust grown ups, so we don't want to antagonize them."

"I still find it hard to believe that a settlement made up of only children could exist out here." Cross said.

Charon nodded. "Are you sure those three kids you rescued weren't pulling your leg, kid?"

Marcus thought about it for a moment. "It's possible, but we should be ready regardless. Everyone ready?"

His two companions nodded, and they entered the caverns. Marcus took the lead, and used his PIPBOY light to help navigate through the narrow tunnel. They had walked about a hundred yards into the cavern when he abruptly stopped.

Cross tightened the grip on her super sledge. "What is it?"

Marcus knelled down and shined his PIPBOY light on the ground. There, inches from his feet, was a metal trip wire. He followed it along the wall, and it ended at a bundle of hand grenades just above there heads. Marcus let out a nervous whistle. Another step and they'd all be dead.

"Do you remember how to disarm that?" Charon asked.

Marcus nodded. "I think so."

After disarming the trap, and pocketing the grenades, they continued making their way further into tunnel, being cautious for more booby traps. It wasn't long before they found another, and this time it was Cross who noticed it first. "Hold on!" Cross picked up a rock and tossed it on the ground in front of them. A moment later a shotgun hidden in the cave wall went off, and the acoustics in the tunnel amplified the blast so loud their ears were ringing. Once they had recovered, they examined the trap.

"Hard to imagine children doing this." Charon said.

Cross knelled down and examined the compression plate. "Still, it is a very effective defense strategy. An attacking force would have to funnel in this cavern single file, and with these traps slowing them down, a few armed people could hold them off for days."

'Or a few well armed kids', Marcus thought. "Come on, let's keep moving."

They continued to press forward, and encountered more traps which they quickly disarmed. Eventually they could see a light up ahead, and the trio readied their weapons. When they stepped out of the tunnel, they were greeted by a blinding searchlight, the sound of ten rifles being cocked, and several dogs barking and growling. As they struggled to see who, or what was ahead of them, a child's voice echoed through the cavern.

"DON'T TAKE ANOTHER STEP, OR I'LL BLOW YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!"

Marcus struggled to shield his eyes. "I'm looking for Mayor MacCready!"

There was a brief moment of silence before he received an answer. "Who want's to know?"

Marcus put his plasma rifle down and put both hands up. "My name is Marcus Lincoln. I rescued three of your people from Paradise Falls a couple of months ago. I was wondering if we could talk."

Marcus could hear whispers and muttering going on ahead of him. Then he heard a girls voice shout. "Marcus!" He heard the sound of running, then someone getting pushed. "Hey, what the fuck Penny..."

"It is you!" the girl shouted. "MacCready, let them in!"

Marcus could hear the mayor sigh. "Fine, but just remember, we're watching you, mungo!"

The searchlight was turned off, and the trio could finally see who they were dealing with. In front of them was a large barricade, made up of plywood, sheet metal, barbed wire and wooden spikes. The barricade was at least eight feet high, and manning it were ten children of all ages, armed with rifles, pistols, grenades - even a mounted 240 machine gun. In addition, there were three very beautiful, but very vicious looking dogs. Cross and Charon could not believe it.

"By the Creator," Cross said, "it's true. A settlement of children."

Charon chuckled. "Even after two-hundred years, I'm still able to get surprised."

The trio put away their weapons, and the large gate began to rise. Once they stepped inside, they were greeted by even more children, sixteen in all. Marcus guessed that they ranged from ages six to fourteen. One of the children, who looked to be about thirteen, and wearing an old US Army helmet, stepped forward. "I'm Mayor MacCready, and I'm in charge around here, got it? Let's get one thing straight: I appreciate you rescuing Penny, Sammy and Squirrel, but I still don't trust you. You get out of line, and I'll put a bullet in your fucking head!"

Marcus listened to the small child, and while part of him wanted to laugh, he also knew this kid was serious. Cross on the other hand, was not amused. "You need to watch your mouth when speaking to your elders, boy!"

MacCready stepped right up to the Star Paladin. "OH YEAH? You gonna fucking make me, grandma!"

Cross was about to grab the child by the neck when Marcus stepped between them. "Cross, that's enough! We are guest here, remember that."

Cross sighed and backed down. A smug look appeared on MacCready's face. "Yeah, that's right mungo..."

Marcus shot the mayor a stern look. "And you should be a more grateful host."

Before MacCready could reply, a young girl, who looked to be about eleven and Hispanic, stepped up to the mayor. "He's right, RJ, you're acting like a jerk!"

MacCready seemed to turn a shade of red, and a few of the other children started to giggle. "Lucy, I told you not to call me that! It's mayor MacCready!"

Lucy just snorted. "Whatever." She turned to Marcus and extended her hand. "Hi, I'm Lucy. I'm the town's medic, and pretty much the mom of these guys. Thank you for saving the others."

Marcus smiled and shook her hand. "Pleasure to meet you, Lucy. These are my friends, Charon, and Star Paladin Cross of the Brotherhood."

Lucy began to introduce the rest of the children to them, and when they were finished, the boy known as Zip, rushed over to Marcus. "Hey there you got any Nuka Cola I really like Nuka Cola my name is Zip by the way everyone calls me Zip because..."

Marcus raised his hand. He was starting to get a headache. "Whoa, whoa there, Zip. Take a breath." He reached inside his new back pack (which he bought from the Brotherhood to replace the one he lost at Project Purity), pulled out a bottle of Nuka Cola, and handed it to the very excited child. "Here you go."

Zip snatched it from his hand and took off running. Marcus could see the look of envy on the other's faces, and he quickly reached inside of the pack again. He began to pull out handfuls of junk food: bubble gum, fancy lad snack cakes, crunchy mutfruit, potato crisp, and every kids favorite: sugar bombs cereal. The children went crazy for the snacks, and began to devour them on the spot. At first MacCready and Stacey (the main guard of Lamplight's front gate) were leery of taking anything from Marcus. But even they couldn't fight the temptation.

Marcus stood back and smiled as he watched the kids acting like...well, kids. Cross on the other hand, was staring daggers at the Wanderer. "You raided our mess hall, didn't you?"

Marcus flashed her a coy smile. "No, Star Paladin, I acquired materials necessary for the success of our mission." He leaned closer to her and whispered. "What better way to gain their trust. Besides, look at them."

Cross watched as the children laughed and played, and a smile appeared on the Star Paladin's face. "I guess it's alright."

As he chewed on his bubble gum, MacCready addressed Marcus. "Alright, mungo, I now you didn't come all this way to hand out fucking candy. So why are you here?"

"Well, did Penny and the others tell you how I grew up in a Vault?"

"Yeah." the children said in unison.

"Well, there's another one just north of here that we have to get into."

"You mean Vault 87?" asked Sammy.

Marcus' eyes lite up. "You know about it? Is there a way in through these caves?"

Penny's brother Joseph stepped forward. "There's a back door to the Vault inside the Great Chamber, but no one's been able to get it open. I've been trying for...a long time."

Marcus noticed the boy's hesitation on the last part, but he quickly dismissed it. "Could you show us this door? It's really important that we get in there."

Joseph thought about it for a moment. "Well, okay, but the panel's broken and I don't know if you'll be able to get it working."

"Wwell," said a meek voice in the back, "there is a wnother way."

Marcus looked at the small, nine year old child known as Biwwy, no doubt because of his lisp. Before he could ask what he meant, a fourteen year old girl known as Knick Knack, began accosting him. "No, Biwwy, they can't go that way!"

The other children began to yell at the poor boy, and he began to slink further away. Marcus quickly came to the boy's defense. "Hold on, hold on! Is there another way into the Vault?"

At first no one spoke, until MacCready finally answered. "Yeah...it's through Murder Pass, by the back gate, but you don't want to go that way...there's monsters back there."

"What monsters?" Cross asked.

"You know, the big green ones that look like men, only they're all wrong."

Marcus, Charon and Cross stared at each other, and though no words were said, they were all thinking the same thing: Super Mutants. Marcus turned to Joseph. "I think we'll try the door first."

Joseph shrugged. "Okay, follow me."

MacCready addressed the rest of the children. "Alright everyone, shows over, get back to your post. Princess, get your ass to the back gate."

The twelve year old girl known as Princess, stomped over to MacCready. "Hey! Don't you talk to me that way!"

MacCready sneered. "I'll say whatever the fuck I want. Now get back there!"

Princess stomped her. "Ohhh, you are such a jerk!" She stormed off into one of the tunnels.

Joseph giggled. "I wish those two would just kiss and get it over with." He and Penny led the trio into another tunnel, and they emerged into the Great Chamber. The three adults stood in awe at what they saw. The Little Lamplighter's had build several wooden platforms, connected by a system of wooden bridges. Marcus could see several small rooms - living quarters for the Lamplighters. There were lights strung along the railings, and old toys of all kinds littered the area. Marcus stood with his mouth hung open. "It's just like Neverland."

Charon nodded in agreement, but Cross did not seem to catch the reference. Joseph led them to the other side of the Great Chamber, and Marcus could see a metal stair case leading up to a small superstructure. Once they had climbed the steps, Marcus' heart began to race as he saw the familiar sight of a Vault interior door. He ran over to the control panel, and immediately saw what Joseph was talking about. The controls had no power and were damaged.

"Like I said, I've been trying to fix it for a long time now." He pointed to a pile of old computers and electronic parts in the corner. "I've scavenged these from all over; maybe you could have better luck then me."

Marcus activated his PIPBOY. "I think I might have enough information on Vault-Tech equipment to get this fixed. Once it's repaired, my PIPBOY should allow me to hack the door."

"How long will that take?" Charon asked.

Marcus sighed. "A while. Why don't you two go and get something to eat and relax. They say this was quite the tourist attraction before the war."

"We have a restaurant called Spelunkers," Penny said, "I'll take you there."

Charon and Cross were introduced to Spelunkers owner and 'chef': a thirteen year old boy who the children called Eclair. The boy explained that he taught himself to cook from old world cook books he had scavenged over the years. As it turned out, the main staple of the Lamplighters was this strange, green glowing fungus that grew in the caverns. Eclair tried his best to come up with more inventive ways to cook the fungus, and while it wasn't the worst thing Cross or Charon had eaten, they were glad they didn't have to live off of it. As they both sat, Charon could over hear some of the girls at a corner table taking about, what else, boys. Normally he wouldn't bother with something so trivial, but it was some of the words the children used that caught his attention, The girls were using phrases like: "wicked cool" and "you got chirped". This was slang that he hadn't heard since the bombs fell two-hundred years ago. The ghoul wondered if the fact that they had been isolated for so long that the terms got passed down through the generations. He decided to ponder this later as he got up to leave.

As the ghoul wondered through the Great Chamber, he spotted the boy known as Biwwy sitting in a corner all by himself. When he approached him, the boy began to shy away,

"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you."

The boy stuttered. "W...wyou won't...weat me?"

Charon smiled. If he had a cap for every time he heard that...

"No, not all ghouls eat little kids. So why are you up here all by yourself?"

Biwwy looked down at the ground. "No buddy wwill wplay with me."

Charon sat down in front of him. "I know the feeling, kid. It's because you're different, like me."

The boy's eyes went wide with terror. "You wmean I'm a wghoul?"

Charon had to contain his laugh. "No, no. I mean you're different because of the way you talk. I know how you feel, and for a long time people didn't want to talk to me because I looked like this."

The boy made eye contact for the first time. "Wbut...wyou managed to wmake friends?"

Charon nodded. "Yes...because I proved that I was just as good as anyone else. And when you're older, you'll do the same."

For a moment Charon could see a glimmer of hope in the child's eyes, but then he looked down at the ground again. "No...wthat w-will never whappen."

Now Charon was confused. "What do you mean?"

Biwwy shrugged. "It wjust won't"

Charon just stared at the child. Very confusing indeed...

Star Paladin Cross made her way back to the settlement's main gate and strolled along the barricades, admiring how they had been set up. By Wasteland standards, they were very formidable. Almost too formidable, considering it was children who had erected them. She noticed one of the guards, the girl known as Stacey, standing at the top of the ramparts with a hunting rifle, and she decided to talk to the young lady. As she approached, Cross was impressed at how attentive the girl was - like a true sentry.

"Hello there."

The young girl turned her head and gave a slight nod. "Star Paladin Cross."

Cross climbed up on the catwalk and stood next to her. "Is all secure?"

Stacey nodded. "Yes. I had to reset the traps, though. You guys are pretty good, no ones ever been able to disarm all of them."

"And they were impressive traps. Have you had many people try and attack you?"

Stacey tightened the grip on her rifle and stared at the ground. "Yes. The last one was a group of slavers from Paradise Falls. My best friend, Caps, we called her caps because she had the largest collection of ball caps you'd ever seen." Stacey laughed at the memory before continuing. "She was on the machine gun over there, and we were mowing them down pretty easy, but..." The girl's eyes began to tear up. "...one of them got off a lucky shot and it hit her in the throat. She died in my arms, right over there."

Cross glanced over at the spot she'd pointed to, then placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. "She died defending your home. There is no greater honor then that."

Stacey quickly wiped away the tears. "Yeah, I guess so. So, how do you hold that big hammer?"

Cross removed her hand; it was clear the girl wanted to change the subject. "Well, my arms and torso have been...upgraded."

It took the young teenager a moment to understand, and for the first time, her eyes went wide with excitement. "You mean...like Arnold Schwarzenegger in the Terminator? Cool!"

Cross gave the girl a puzzled look. 'How do they know about that old movie down here?', she thought. "Well, I admit it has given me an advantage in combat, but..." The Star Paladin looked down at her hand. "...I would not wish this on anyone. Anyway, tell me something Stacey, they say when someone reaches the age of sixteen, they have to go to a place called Big Town, yes?"

Stacey nodded. "Yes."

"I have never heard of this settlement. Where is it exactly?"

For a moment, Cross thought she saw a look of fear in the young girl's eyes. "Um...east. That's right, it's about a three days walk east of here."

Cross nodded. "Very well. It was nice talking to you, Stacey, and may I say you have the potential to be a fine soldier someday. Perhaps when you're older, instead of going to Big Town, you could join the Brotherhood of Steel."

The excitement returned to the young girl's face, and Cross was certain she would bust with joy. But then the smile faded, and Stacey's frown returned. "T-thank you, Star Paladin, but...I...don't think so."

Cross was shocked. "Why not?"

Stacey's eyes began to shift around, as though she was looking for a way out. "I just...I just can't, okay. I have to keep watch here. It was nice talking to you, Cross." The young girl turned and resumed her sentry duties. Cross stood there for a few more moments before jumping down from the catwalk. Something was odd about this place...

It was 1:00am when the Vault door's panel finally lite up as power was restored to it. Marcus and his two helpers, Joseph and Squirrel, (who knew almost as much about computers as Marcus), let out a cheer and high-fived each other. As happy as he was, Marcus knew their work was not over. The panel had been fixed, but now he had to hack his way in. A long yawn escaped him, and soon both Joseph and Squirrel followed with one of their own. The two kids were exhausted, and Marcus was feeling it too.

"Did it work?" Charon asked as he and Cross entered the super structure. Marcus noticed that Charon was carrying a plate of some kind of food, and his stomach immediately began to growl. "Yes. Now we have to hack our way in."

Charon handed the plate to him. "Here, you've been at it for hours, you have to eat."

Marcus sighed and succumbed to his hunger. "Yes, mom!" He began to chew on the strange food - and it tasted terrible. "What...is this?"

"Fungus." Charon answered.

Marcus responded by spitting the fungus out, and it landed dead center on Charon's chest. The two boys giggled as the ghoul wiped it away.

"You'll eat mole rat, but you won't eat this?"

Marcus thought about it for a moment...and then his stomach growled again. "You're right, you're right." He bit off another piece and forced it down. "As soon as I finish this," he yawned, "I'll use my PIPBOY to start hacking."

Cross stepped forward. "Knight Lincoln, I must advise against that. You and Charon are both exhausted, we used up a lot of our ammo just getting here, and we don't know what's on the other side of that door. We need both of you to be at full capacity before we proceed."

Marcus looked over at Joseph and Squirrel, and both of them were falling asleep in the corner. He didn't want to stop, because the longer it took him to retrieve the GECK, the more time the Enclave would have to set up defenses around Project Purity. Still, he couldn't argue with Cross' logic. "Okay. We'll spend the night here. I'll start the hacking first thing in the morning.

Relieved, the two boys said goodnight, and proceeded to their sleeping quarters. Lucy (much to the dismay of Mayor MacCready) allowed the three mungos to sleep in her clinic, which was also the town's school house. When they were finally alone, Cross was the first to speak. "There is something odd about this place."

"What do you mean?" asked Marcus.

"Even though this is a very easy position to defend, I still cannot believe that children are able to set up such elaborate defenses. And when I asked some of the children about this Big Town, the answers were never the same. Some told me that people were forced to leave when they turned sixteen, others said eighteen, or even nineteen. And when I asked were Big Town was, some said East, while others said North."

Marcus pondered this for a moment. Something as important as when you're suppose to leave and where you're suppose to go should be ingrained in these kids. "I know what you mean. Those two boys...I'm no novas when it comes to computers and electronics, but those two gave me a run for my money. And while we were working, we began talking about their favorite movie 'Star Wars'. I asked them if they'd seen it, but they claim to have no videos, just that the story has been pasted down over the centuries."

"What's so strange about that?" Charon asked.

"Because they knew every detail of all six movies as if they'd just seen them. And when I mean every detail, I mean every detail"

Cross was confused. "How do know this?"

"Because in the Vault I grew up in, we had a library of 10,000 movies and TV shows, and I've seen every Star Wars movie at least fifty-six times! After two-hundred years, the story should have inconsistencies."

Charon seemed to be deep in thought. "These children...they use slang that I haven't heard since the bombs fell two-hundred years ago. For a moment I felt like I was back..." the ghoul stopped, and seemed to be fighting back tears. Marcus wanted to ask him what was wrong, but knowing Charon, he decided now was not the time. "What could they be hiding from us."

Cross shook her head. "I don't know, but it's not worth worry about now. You two get some sleep, I will stand watch."

It was 6:30 when Cross kicked both Marcus and Charon awake. "Wake up, quickly!"

Marcus rubbed his eyes as he sat up. "W-what is it?"

"I have to show you something, right now!"

Marcus could hear the desperation in her voice and quickly stood up. "Show us what?"

Cross led them into the class room, and sitting on the teacher's desk was an old world computer that, to Marcus' surprise, was still functioning. Cross reached for the computer's mouse and began to manipulate it. "While you were sleeping I decided to look around. I found a box of holotapes stuffed in the back of that closet over there. They are time stamped 200 years ago;the days after the bombs fell. From what I saw, a group of children were here on a class trip, along with their principle, a teacher, and a few parents. One by one the adults left to get help, but never returned. The teacher, Mrs. Carrie DeLaney, was the last adult alive when she decided to leave the caverns and find help."

"Don't tell me," Marcus began, "she never came back."

"Exactly. Here, this is the last video taken after the children were left alone."

Cross clicked the icon and the video started. Both Marcus and Charon's jaws hit the floor as they watched. They could see a group of children standing at the Vault door, begging and crying to be let in. Then, one of the children, a boy, stepped in front of the camera. "Every day we bang and bang, but they won't let us in. We can hear them in there! One time, a guy on the other side told us we were dead already. Fuck those grown-ups. Fuck them all. We don't need them ever again..."

The video stopped, and all three of them stared at the blank screen in disbelief. Marcus was the first one to say what they were all thinking. "That's not possible!"

Charon shook his head. "Just when I think I've seen it all..."

"What the fuck are you guys doing in here?"

The trio looked up and saw MacCready, Penny, Lucy, Joseph, Squirrel, Sammy, Bumble, Biwwy, and the twins, Knick Knack, and Knock Knock.

Marcus removed the holotape from the computer and held it up. Gasped were heard from the children, and MacCready's eyes bugged out of his head. "Where the hell did you get that?"

Marcus slowly walked towards them. "First you tell me how it is that all of you are on a video that was time stamped two-hundred years ago?"

All of the children looked at each other, then down at the ground. Finally, it was MacCready that answered. "It's pretty fucking simple, mungo. We don't age."

The words hung in the room for what seemed like an eternity. Cross finally broke the silence. "But how?"

This time Lucy stepped up. "Well, after a few years down here we noticed that we weren't getting any older. At first we couldn't figure it out."

"At first we thought it might be the radiation." said Knick Knack.

"But all radiation seemed to do was kill people and turn them into ghouls." said his sister, Knock Knock.

"Then after about fifty years, Joseph finally figured it out." said Penny.

Joseph began to blush. "Well, I noticed that we were the only ones in the Wasteland that this was happening too. So I asked myself, what do we have here, that you can't find any where else?"

It took Marcus only a moment to come up with the answer. "The fungus."

Joseph smiled. "You got it! The best I can figure it, and I don't understand how, the radiation changed the fungus, made it so that whoever makes a steady diet of it, will never age."

"It makes sense," Marcus began, "but how could you be sure it's the fungus?"

"We did a fucking experiment." said MacCready. "Our first mayor, Jack...we called him Sticky, he volunteered to stop eating the fungus and just ate the canned food we had scavenged. After a few weeks, he started aging."

Bumble started to giggle. "I remember when he started to grow a beard."

The other children laughed. MacCready continued. "Yeah, well, that's how we knew it was the fungus."

"What happened to Jack?" Marcus asked.

A sad look appeared on the children's faces - even MacCready's. "Well, since he started aging again, he figured it was best to leave. We...never saw him after that."

"So," Charon began, "you were there. All of you. When the bombs fell."

Lucy shook her head. "No, just us. We're the last of the original Lamplighter's. The others are orphans we've found over the years. The youngest of us is actually Princess, we only found her seventy years ago."

That statement nearly knocked Marcus over. 'Only seventy years', he thought. "So that story about Big Town?"

"We made that up to fool mungos." said Penny. "Obviously, we couldn't fool you."

Cross was still so amazed by the story her mouth hung open. "It's a real fountain of youth!"

"Yeah, and that's why you can never tell anyone about this, mungo." said MacCready. "If grown ups found out, they would come here and take this place from us."

Marcus could see the desperation on their faces. "Why would you willingly want to stay children forever?"

MacCready shrugged. "Why not? You saw the video. All of the adults died, and those fuckers in the Vault wouldn't even help us. If that's what being and adult is, you could have it."

The other Lamplighter's agreed, and Marcus grinned. He had to admit, at times, being a kids seems very appealing. "Just like Peter Pan."

MacCready scoffed and waved his hand dismissively. "Please...Peter Pan was a pussy!"

Marcus and the children busted out laughing. When he had wiped the tears from his eyes, he addressed them. "Alright, if that's what you want, then we promise we will never tell anyone about this place. Okay?"

The children nodded in agreement.

The Vault's encriptions were tough, but even they were not designed to keep out someone with a PIPBOY 3000. After two and a half hours, the locking mechanism released, and the trio readied their weapons. Most of the Lamplighters had gathered outside the door to see them off. Marcus addressed them. "Okay, once we're inside, lock this door and remove those wires I told you about, okay Joseph?"

Joseph nodded.

"Good. When we're ready to come out, we'll give the secret knock. Everyone knows it, right?"

"Yes!" they said in unison.

"Good." He looked at his two companions. "Are you ready?"

Charon cocked is shotgun, and Cross gripped her super sledge. "Lead the way." she said.

"Hey mungo!" It was MacCready. The boy marched over to Marcus, and to everyone's surprise, he held out his hand. "Try not to get your head blown off in there, okay."

Marcus smiled and shook his hand. "I'll try. Thank you, MacCready."

Marcus double checked his plasma rifle, took a deep breath, and entered the Vault.