It's the End of the World

Chapter 35

I sat in a flimsy plastic chair on the balcony that overlooked the little street running through Sanctuary Hills. I leaned it back on two legs, rocking myself slowly back and forth.

"Uh oh, boss. I know that look. What's on your mind?"

Deacon approached from behind and took a seat in the chair next to me.

"I can't help but think about the things Nora said. She was able to find out that she was a synth. What if I am too? Since we blew up the Institute, there's no one to release the human me from the Vault."

Deacon put his hand on my arm.

"If it'll make you feel better, we can go look."

I nodded slowly. I hadn't gone back into the Vault since the day I woke up in the cryo chamber. Or, at least, the day I thought I woke up from a cryogenic sleep.

"Thank you. I don't think I could face the truth alone."

"Of all the things in the Commonwealth, the truth has got to be the scariest monster out there."

I smiled slightly.

"I don't know, Dee. That glowing deathclaw was pretty terrifying."

"I almost forgot about that."

I slowly ran a finger over the spot where the deathclaw had ripped me open. It healed, but not without leaving a huge scar.

"I don't think I ever could."

He took my hand and squeezed it.

"We made it through that. We can make it through whatever we find in the Vault too."

I smiled at him appreciatively.

"With you by my side, I can make it through anything."

"Ready when you are, boss."

...

Deacon and I stood silently as the elevator to the Vault slowly shuddered to a stop. We walked through the deathly silent halls until we reached the room of cryo chambers. I paused, looking up at Deacon with a sudden feeling of apprehension.

"If I am a synth, that means I stole someone else's life. That it shouldn't have been me who made it through-"

"But it was you. And you showed the Commonwealth what someone like you can do for it."

I blinked, resting my hand on the panel that controls the door. I had to know the truth, but what if I didn't like what I found? If I went through this door, there is no going back. I took a shaky breath and flipped the switch. The door shuddered open, revealing the two lines of pods. I walked down the hall slowly. I reached the last pod on the left and stopped myself from looking inside. Deacon took my hand and squeezed it.

"You don't have to look."

"I want to know."

Deacon nodded slowly.

"How about this, boss? You go back to the main hall, and I'll look inside and tell you what I found. Deal?"

I let go of his hand.

"Okay."

I walked back through the room, glancing at Deacon over my shoulder. I leaned against the wall just outside of the room and waited for him to come back. When I saw him approaching, I stood up straight.

"What did you find?"

"Good news, boss. You're the real you."

I smiled in relief.

"I'm so glad-"

I was cut off by a gunshot. Sparks flew from the new hole made in the door access panel.

"What did you do?!"

I stared at the broken door with wide eyes.

"There's nothing left for you here, boss. Your life is out there, not in that cryo chamber."

Deacon gestured up, talking about Sanctuary and the people in it. I took a deep breath to calm myself down. He had a point, I needed to look to the future instead of focusing on the past.

"You're right. We should head back to Sanctuary."