The Hydra landed gently on the ground. The area was mostly barren on one side, while on the other sat a parking structure connected to a monorail.
This was the same structure in Fallout 4's Nuka-World DLC where the player begins the Gauntlet.
I had landed on the back side, facing away from Nuka-World's entrance.
This place was the rally point for Lady and the cadets.
But for now, Lady was still en route in the Vertibird, and the cadets had yet to make it to the transit station, where they were also tasked with taking the monorail located there to this place.
I had already confirmed the monorail was on that side of the track. All that was left was for them to work together to get it running.
I wouldn't have given them this task if I didn't think they could do it.
Of course, they still had their individual assignments to complete on their own before meeting each other at the transit center.
It was just me and Elizabeth right now.
Now, you might be wondering... Where does this guy get the balls to bring a child to this place alone?
Well, that's the thing. I DID say I have been a busy little beaver. Besides the various things I had worked on for the organization, I spent the most time working on plasmid research.
I already had the data for the Electro-Bolt and Incinerate plasmids through what had been completed and made compatible with humans by the squids.
As for my own breakthroughs... The Telekinesis plasmid had not been suitable for humans before I fine-tuned it.
And, of course, all three plasmids are now flowing through my veins...
That doesn't mean those were the only successes I've had, though. I also ran my own genetic material through the sequencer and was able to find the genetic markers for the mutation serums I had taken, which I crafted through the system.
The only problem with them had been the materials needed to create them. But I figured out a way to create plasmid versions of those serums.
And since plasmids are easier to make, with the materials being readily available within the facility, I now had an easier way to create those serums.
The sea slugs that can be used to make ADAM reside in the coral outside Atlantis, so when I need more, I can just throw on a diving suit and get them.
Then, it's just a matter of using the processed ADAM to splice the genetic material placed into the sequencer. The Genetics Workbench will then display the simulated result on a monitor.
It's very intuitive, but the number of combinations that need to be tested before achieving success can make it very time-consuming.
I set the Hydra to defense mode and then walked casually with Eli beside me, hand in hand.
"Wow, it looks like so much fun in there!" she exclaimed as we approached the entrance to Nuka-World.
It did not appear to have any settlers there at the moment, but there was some evidence of human activity.
"This place was created by the maker of Nuka-Cola, John-Caleb Bradberton. There are several different themed parks here, like Kiddie Kingdom, which has an actual fairy-tale castle and fun houses.
Then there's Dry Rock Gulch, which is a Western cowboy-themed park that has a theater and a mine cart ride.
There's plenty of things to see, but why don't we start at Kiddie Kingdom? A princess should get to experience a castle, right?" I explained and asked, causing her eyes to light up.
"Ooh, ooh! I wanna see the fairy-tale castle first!" she said excitedly, practically bouncing on her toes.
"All right, then let's go this way." I began walking the familiar route around the park, avoiding the main area for now.
The place was mostly a dump, with not much value to me at the moment.
Holding this place would require more forces than I currently possess or am willing to commit.
But that doesn't mean some of the resources here can't be brought back...
As we walked, I heard a buzzing sound begin to approach us. Looking up, I noticed a swarm of flying ants heading toward us.
When Elizabeth noticed the swarm of bugs getting closer, she tensed up and clung to me. I patted her head to comfort her, and when the swarm got close, I reached out, and a telekinetic force enveloped the entire swarm.
"There's nothing to worry about, Liz. I'm the strongest," I said before making a closed-fist motion. The captured swarm was drawn into a singular point and crushed into a ball of insect parts.
"Whoa! So cool, Dad! How'd you do that?! Can I do that too?" she asked in wonder.
"Someday. But you will need to master the power you have before getting another."
At that, she tucked her face into my leg and avoided the topic. She didn't like her power right now.
"It's fine for now. But someday, you'll need to be brave and make that power truly yours, or you'll always live in fear of it."
She just nodded, so we continued on.
We walked the path that led to Kiddie Kingdom and then arrived at the park's entrance.
I began to reminisce about the lore I now had readily available in my memories.
When the bombs fell, there were people working in this theme park who managed to shelter themselves and civilians in the park's maintenance tunnels.
They had survived the initial shockwave and blast and struggled to keep things together for the next week or two.
Then storms composed of radioactive fallout reached them, and many died... while the rest became ghouls.
Now, at that point, they hadn't become feral yet. Instead, they fortified Kiddie Kingdom and scared outsiders away using a variety of methods to protect their home.
Later on, they would start to deteriorate and begin to go feral, which decreased their numbers and allowed raiders to breach their defenses.
The raiders were pushed back by the ferals that had been quarantined within the park, while the remains of the ghoul group were pushed back into the castle. Then the rest, other than Oswald Oppenheimer, the Outrageous, went feral.
His lover took her own life after one of her friends turned, so she could go out on her own terms. Poor guy was left all alone.
But all of that happens later. Right now, they should be a relatively peaceful group of prewar ghouls who haven't started going feral yet.
Which is why I dared to come here.
The entrance to the park was currently closed by a makeshift gate. I inspected the area around the gate and finally spotted a camera hidden from view, watching the outside.
I smirked, approached the gate, and then banged on it three times.
*Bang bang bang*
"Hello? I've got a child here who wants to ride the teacups. Can we come in?"
There was only silence in response, but I could hear the faint shuffling of feet on the other side.
It made sense. They had been attacked by outsiders before. Raiders, scavengers, etc. They would be foolish not to be cautious.
But I was dead set on getting inside.
"Fine. I'll take your silence as consent." I raised a hand and used Telekinesis to pull at the gate. The chains holding it closed creaked and strained under the pressure until the gate exploded open.
And all of a sudden, one adult and one child had gained admission to the park.
I heard the hurried scuffling of a few people running away from the entrance.
When Eli and I stepped into the park, a loudspeaker turned on.
In the game, Oswald would attempt to scare you into leaving by activating the park's defenses.
But this time, his greeting was different.
[Normally, I would say welcome to the show, but this isn't a normal visit, is it, stranger? Why have you come here? There isn't any loot for you here, and it is definitely no place to bring a child. Not anymore at least.]
I noticed several presences in the area. I caught glimpses of ghoul clowns coated in paint watching from here and there. The usual tactics they employed to scare away unwanted guests... but I had just telekinetically opened their gates. I wasn't their usual guest.
I looked up at a nearby camera that had a microphone attached to it. Likely how they spied on people and directed them to put them through the wringer within the park.
"My name is Frankie, and this little princess is Elizabeth. I have two reasons for coming here, Mr. Oppenheimer." I used his real last name, letting him know I knew exactly who I was dealing with. "The first is to give my daughter the chance to experience a theme park. How many other kids in the world right now ever get the chance, after all? The other reason is just a bit of adult business between you and me."
[You... want your daughter to enjoy a theme park? Ha! Kid, this is our home, not a playground. The park is closed. And we don't need your business.] Oswald said with a laugh.
"Oh? Is Oswald the Outrageous too washed up these days to perform for a single child? That's very sad." I goaded him.
[Hmph! I-] Oswald started, but a voice in the background cut in. [...een a while since... Just this once?...]
[But Rachel... outsiders are...]
It was hard to make out everything being said since it sounded like two people speaking to each other instead of toward the microphone.
[Fine, stranger. You can come to the castle, and we can discuss things. Performers! Guide our guests here.]
The radiation mist nozzles throughout the park deactivated shortly afterward, and ghouls dressed up as clowns began revealing themselves.
One of them, a woman with a raspy voice, approached us. "Please follow me. I will take you there while avoiding the traps and defenses."
I nodded and said, "Thank you. Lead the way."
Elizabeth looked over the clowns and the amusement park with interest.
I would talk them into letting her ride all the rides shortly.
And also make them an offer they couldn't refuse.