POV Rio
After the security guard told us that we couldn't leave, I was able to convince them to tell me a little bit about why, and all they knew was that it was a quarantine, just in case.
I decided to head to the clinic to see what is going on. By the time we arrive, we catch the end of an argument between Dr. Forscythe, Dr. Patricia, and Bobby De Luca.
"You there, how would you like to help Vault 81 and save my boy?" Dr. Patricia says with desperation in her voice.
"I'm more than willing to help, just let me know where to go and what you need me to do," I respond immediately.
I was pretty sure I knew what was happening. I was told that Austin was infected with some unknown disease, and now I need to head into the secret Vault and clear out the Mole Rats and retrieve anything that could help Austin.
IT. WAS. AWFUL.
The entire secret vault was filled with Mole Rats. There were over a hundred of them, and they kept coming from random angles. Preston and Dogmeat weren't brought with us as I couldn't be sure they were immune to the disease. So it was me, a shotgun, lots of bullets, and Codsworth. I did manage to get help from a deactivated Protectron and some turrets. Or at least when they weren't trying to kill me.
The worst was when we got to the end and had to deal with a R.O.U.S. It was the leader, and it was both really smart and fast. Far faster than its size would suggest. During the fight, one of the Mole Rats got hold of my left wing and ripped it really badly. I learned quickly that Wings are VERY sensitive to damage, and it hurt really badly. I got really mad and punted the Mole Rat across the room towards the R.O.U.S. and shot several grenades at it. Was it overkill? Possibly. Do I regret it? No. I would actually love to shoot more, but I was out of 40mm grenade ammo.
So with a crippled wing and broken leg, not to mention lots of bites and other unpleasant injuries, I was able to take a break. I used a few stimpaks and checked to see if I was okay, and learned a neat detail. I was immune to the Mole Rat disease. I had not been infected at any point in time, and that made me a little happier. But even with Stimpaks, I noticed something annoying. My wing feathers were messy, and they caused them to be constantly twitching, and I kept having the urge to fix them. It was like having a really itchy spot or a really bad craving.
'I don't need it. I don't need it. I don't need it.'
I kept repeating to myself, trying to control myself. But it was getting harder and harder to do so.
"Codsworth, please go to the next room over," I say with a strained smile.
As soon as he leaves, I turn into a rabid animal as I use my mouth to start adjusting my feathers. It made no sense. My hands would work or even my magic, but I just had an unbearable urge to use my teeth and mouth like it was the natural thing to do. As for how I reached my wings on my back, all I could say is that I am surprisingly flexible. Or it was magic. Either way, it took a few minutes, but once I was done, I felt very relaxed.
Next was to head to the laboratory. Inside, we found the Contagion's Vulnerability Robotic Infirmary Engineer (CVRIE) or Curie as she prefers. She explained her research and then asked if I was authorized to release her, and instead of lying, I checked my notes and looked for an authorization code.
"Nope, I got nothing, or at least not on me. If I had some time to head home to find the massive file I have of info, then I could likely find an authorization code from Vault-Tec there, but as it stands, I don't have one," I reply honestly.
"My audio sensors must be malfunctioning as I distinctly heard you say yes," Curie says.
I just chuckle and let her do what she wants. She gives me the one remaining dose of the cure while I am busy scrubbing the databanks for every last bit of information I can get. While I was there, I also grabbed the Medicine Bobble Head. It read, A healer's touch, both kind and wise. Will help your friends to quickly rise. It increased the healing power of Stimpaks by 10% and increased the Medicine skill by 15 points.
"Oh, look, I found an authorization code. A bit late, but hey," I comment.
Once I finished, we returned to the upper levels of the Vault and rushed to the clinic to deliver the cure. Dr. Forscythe was a little hesitant to use an untested and last dose we had, but used it anyway. It worked very well, and I had to admit that I was impressed by the results.
'I need to start replicating this stuff.'
I was profusely thanked and even given a room to live in the Vault. Dr. Forscythe gave me a Syringer Rifle. The rifle was not very useful, but it was the thought that counted. Dr. Patricia paid me some caps and told me that I was welcome in their home anytime, and her family would always be ready to help me should I ever need it. Beyond that, I became Idolized by Vault 81, which granted a perk that made it so I take 15% less damage while in Vaults, and Vault Dwellers would be 25% easier to pass Charisma checks. I didn't even know that could happen, but I was happy. Then Curie asked if she could accompany us, and I agreed.
After that, I checked out the room I was given and moved a few things around. Then Tina De Luca, the sister of Bobby De Luca, approached me with a request. She was worried for Bobby as he was locked in his room and heavily using Jet. I agreed to help and sat down and tried to help Bobby. It wasn't like in the original game where you could just ask him to get help and he would; I had to talk with him for a couple of hours, slowly talking him down and into a mindset where he was open to treatment. Luckily for Bobby, all he had to do was take some Addictol, and he was clean. After that, I convinced Bobby and Tina to leave the Vault to come live in Sanctuary.
They needed time to gather their stuff and say their goodbyes. We agreed to meet at the Vault entrance in 4 days. In the meantime, we went a bit north to the Cambridge Polymer Labs. We needed something to do for the next few days, and I thought the CPL was a good choice as the research that was left there would be very useful, not to mention the rare materials that could be scavenged. And all that we had to deal with were some Feral Ghouls.
The trip to the labs was quick and free of trouble. We even managed to find Cricket's caravan. I sold a crap ton of Mole Rat meat and other random loot that I had no use for and bought a really special gun. The Spray N' Pray. A 45 caliber Submachine gun that shoots explosive bullets. It was a very nice gun, just as good as the Overseer's Guardian I got from the Combes. It shoots two bullets instead of one for the price of one bullet. I wasn't going to use the guns at the time, but they were there in case I wanted to use them.
The labs themselves were easy enough to clear. There were only around a dozen or so Ferals, and they were not that strong. The most dangerous ghoul we found was the glowing one trapped in the radiation containment room. It would have been a problem, but luring it into a frag mine blew its ankles out, forcing it into a crawler. If this was a game of Nazi Zombies, then maybe we would have left it alive, but since it wasn't, a few rounds from a distance was enough to put it down.
Once the threats were dealt with, I spent the time finishing the research and then delivering the finished product. We were paid, and I returned to the labs to do some research. Most of the tests were on polymer weave, as I wanted to see if I could unlock it without joining the Railroad. I was going to help them regardless, but at least this way, I would have more protection earlier. After a few days of experiments, I was close but knew we could keep the De Luca's waiting, so I stored all the equipment the labs had in my inventory and left.
Once we arrived at the Vault, we started the journey back to Sanctuary. It was relatively easy. We didn't have any attacks and arrived safely back at Sanctuary. Preston helped Bobby and Tina get settled in while I took the research equipment and downloaded data back to Vault 111.