Fallout 4: Rebirth At Vault 81

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But that was the thing about the Wasteland. No matter how much you built, no matter how strong you thought you were, there was always something—someone—waiting to tear it all down.

Sico took a deep breath, trying to push away the exhaustion settling deep in his bones. He'd been running on fumes for hours now, but there was no time to stop. Not until they were sure the wall was secure—and not until they figured out who the hell was trying to tear it down from the inside.

He turned back to Sturges, who was already barking orders at the workers, directing them to check every weld, every bolt, every plate. Some of them looked hesitant, still shaken by the idea that someone might've sabotaged their work, but Sturges wasn't giving them a choice.

"Get moving, people!" he called out. "I want every damn section double-checked. If something feels off, you tell me—no assumptions, no 'it's probably fine.' We ain't taking any chances!"

Sico nodded to himself. Sturges had things under control. But this wasn't just about checking the wall. They needed to fix whatever damage had been done before it became a real disaster.

Rolling up his sleeves, Sico grabbed a wrench and moved to help a pair of workers inspecting one of the older sections. The metal was cold under his hands as he ran his fingers along the welds, checking for anything that felt off. The lantern's flickering light wasn't much, but it was enough to see that some of the connections weren't as strong as they should be.

"Here," Sico muttered, pointing to a joint where the metal looked warped. "This doesn't match the rest. Looks like someone tried to re-weld it in a rush."

The worker beside him, a guy named Benny, frowned. "Damn. You think this was part of the sabotage?"

Sico clenched his jaw. "Wouldn't be surprised." He glanced at Sturges, who was already deep in conversation with another worker. "Sturges! Got another one here!"

Sturges walked over, wiping sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm. One look at the weld and he cursed under his breath.

"Yeah, that ain't ours," he muttered. "Looks like whoever did this was in a hurry."

Sico exhaled sharply. "Means they're either sloppy or they knew they didn't have much time."

Sturges grunted, rubbing his chin. "Either way, we can't leave this like this. I'll get it fixed. You keep looking."

Sico nodded and moved on to the next section.

For the next couple of hours, he and the team worked nonstop, combing through the wall, checking for more signs of sabotage. They found three more problem areas—reinforcements that had been deliberately weakened, bolts that had been loosened just enough to make them fail under pressure, and a few spots where the welding looked rushed and uneven, clearly not done by any of their crew.

Every discovery made Sico's stomach tighten. This wasn't just an accident. This was deliberate.

Meanwhile, Preston and Sarah were busy tracking down the saboteur.

—

Across Diamond City, Preston and Sarah moved through the marketplace, questioning workers, traders, and guards.

"You notice anyone hanging around the worksite that shouldn't have been there?" Preston asked a merchant who was packing up his stall for the night.

The merchant, an older guy with graying hair and a tired expression, shook his head. "Not really. We've been so busy lately, I ain't been payin' much attention."

Sarah sighed, crossing her arms. "What about the guards? Anyone acting strange?"

The merchant scratched his head. "Now that you mention it… one of the night guards, Morris, he was actin' a little weird a few nights ago. Kept wanderin' off, lookin' over his shoulder."

Preston exchanged a glance with Sarah. "Where's he now?"

"Dunno. Haven't seen him since yesterday."

Sarah muttered a curse under her breath. That wasn't a good sign.

They continued their search, talking to more people, piecing together bits of information. More than one person mentioned seeing someone near the worksite late at night. Some said they thought it was just another worker pulling extra hours. Others weren't so sure.

By the time they circled back toward the worksite, Preston had a bad feeling settling in his gut.

"Something ain't right," he muttered. "If this was just some random troublemaker, why go through all this effort? Why target the wall?"

Sarah frowned. "Maybe they want to make the city look weak. Get people scared."

"Or worse," Preston said darkly, "maybe they're planning something bigger."

Sarah's expression hardened. "Then we better find this bastard before they get the chance."

—

Back at the worksite, Sico wiped sweat from his forehead, stepping back to inspect another section of the wall. They'd fixed most of the problem areas, but the tension in his chest hadn't eased.

He turned to Sturges. "We got most of it?"

Sturges nodded. "Yeah. We reinforced everything we found. If they try anything again, they'll have to work a lot harder."

Sico exhaled, but he didn't feel relieved. If someone had been willing to sabotage the wall once, they'd probably try again.

Just then, Preston and Sarah returned, their expressions grim.

"We might have a lead," Preston said. "A night guard named Morris—people say he was acting suspicious."

Sico frowned. "Where is he now?"

"That's the problem," Sarah said. "No one's seen him since yesterday."

Sico's stomach twisted. That wasn't a coincidence.

"Then we need to find him," he said firmly.

Sturges crossed his arms. "If he's run off, it ain't gonna be easy."

Preston nodded. "But if he's still in the city, we'll find him."

Sico looked toward the darkened streets of Diamond City. The wall was stronger now, but the danger wasn't over. Someone had tried to bring it down. And until they found out who—and why—no one in the city was truly safe.

"We're not letting this go," Sico said. "We find him. And we make damn sure this doesn't happen again."

Sturges, Preston, and Sarah nodded.

The hunt was on.

Sico rolled his shoulders, feeling the tightness in his muscles from hours of labor, but he pushed the exhaustion aside. The wall was reinforced, but that didn't mean the problem was solved.

He turned to Preston and Sarah, who were still standing by, their faces shadowed with determination.

"You two take the soldiers and track down Morris," Sico said, his tone firm. "Find out where he's holed up and bring him in. We need answers, and we need them now."

Preston nodded. "We'll move fast. If he's still in the city, we'll smoke him out."

Sarah adjusted the grip on her rifle. "And if he runs, we'll make sure he doesn't get far."

Sico gave them a sharp nod, trusting them to handle it. "Be careful. If he's behind this, he won't go quietly."

Preston and Sarah turned and set off, rallying a few soldiers to begin the search. Sico watched them go, then exhaled, running a hand through his hair.

That left him here, keeping an eye on things while Sturges and the workers continued repairing the wall. He wasn't about to let his guard down—if there was one saboteur, there could be more.

—

With the tension still thick in the air, Sico moved through the worksite, checking on the progress. Sturges was overseeing a group reinforcing one of the weakened sections they had discovered earlier. Sparks flew from welding torches as workers sealed the gaps, their faces set in grim determination.

"You think we got all of it?" Sico asked as he stepped beside Sturges, watching the work.

Sturges wiped sweat from his brow and let out a heavy sigh. "We've checked every inch we could, patched up everything that looked suspect. But it don't sit right with me. Feels like we're playin' catch-up instead of stayin' ahead."

Sico frowned, scanning the wall. "That's 'cause we are. We don't know if Morris was working alone, or if he's just the one dumb enough to get caught."

Sturges grunted. "You think there's more to this?"

Sico nodded. "Has to be. You don't go through this much trouble just to cause a little chaos. There's a reason someone wants this wall to fail, and I don't plan on waiting around to find out why."

As he spoke, Sico's eyes caught movement in the shadows near a pile of unused scrap metal. A figure, standing just beyond the reach of the lantern light, watching.

Sico's instincts kicked in immediately. He didn't react outwardly, didn't let the person know they'd been spotted. Instead, he leaned closer to Sturges and muttered under his breath.

"Someone's watching us."

Sturges barely moved, only shifting his stance slightly. "Where?"

"By the scrap heap. Don't look directly—just act normal."

Sturges gave a small nod. "You wanna flush 'em out?"

Sico pretended to inspect a section of the wall, lowering his voice. "Yeah. Keep working like nothing's wrong. I'm gonna swing around, cut off their escape."

Sturges didn't argue. He simply turned back to the workers and kept barking orders, keeping the site running like normal.

Sico, meanwhile, moved casually, acting as if he were just checking another section of the wall. He made his way around the worksite in a wide arc, using the dim lighting to his advantage.

When he got close, he saw the figure more clearly—a man, standing half-hidden behind a pile of metal, shifting uneasily as he kept his eyes on the workers. He looked nervous.

Sico didn't recognize him immediately, but the fact that he was skulking around instead of helping with the repairs was already suspicious enough.

Slowly, quietly, Sico drew his pistol from his holster and stepped forward. "Hey."

The man jerked, spinning around like a caught rat. His eyes widened when he saw Sico, and for a split second, he hesitated—then bolted.

"Shit," Sico muttered, taking off after him.

The man was fast, darting through the worksite, weaving between crates and piles of scrap. Workers shouted in surprise, stumbling back as Sico pursued.

"Stop him!" Sico barked, but the workers were too caught off guard to react in time.

The man reached the edge of the site, slipping into the alley between two buildings.

Sico cursed and pushed himself harder, his boots pounding against the ground as he closed the distance. The alley was narrow, cluttered with debris, but Sico didn't slow down. He vaulted over a rusted-out generator, cutting the distance between them.

The man glanced back—just in time to see Sico lunging at him.

Sico tackled him hard, sending both of them crashing to the ground. The man struggled, thrashing wildly, but Sico was stronger. He slammed the man's arm down when he reached for a knife, pinning him against the dirt.

"Who the hell are you?" Sico growled.

The man gasped, still struggling. "I—I didn't do nothin'!"

"Bullshit." Sico twisted his arm, making him yelp. "You were watching us. Why? Who sent you?"

The man clenched his jaw, his breathing ragged. "I don't—"

Before he could finish, a loud whistle rang through the alley.

Sico's head snapped up just in time to see another figure—this one bigger, bulkier—charging straight at him.

He barely had time to roll before the attacker swung a metal pipe where his head had been a second ago.

Sico hit the ground hard but kept his grip on the first guy. He kicked out, catching the second man in the knee and making him stumble.

The first man tried to use the distraction to break free, but Sico wasn't letting that happen. With a sharp twist, he flipped him onto his stomach and locked his arm behind his back, forcing him down.

The second man recovered fast, raising the pipe again—but before he could bring it down, a gunshot cracked through the alley.

The attacker froze, eyes going wide as a bullet hit the wall inches from his head.

Sico glanced up to see Sturges standing at the alley's entrance, gun drawn, eyes dark.

"Drop it," Sturges ordered, voice like steel.

The man hesitated—then, wisely, dropped the pipe.

Sico exhaled, tightening his grip on the first guy. "Good timing."

Sturges stepped closer, keeping his gun trained. "Figured you could use a hand."

Sico hauled the first man to his feet. "Guess we got ourselves another lead."

—

By the time Preston and Sarah returned, they weren't empty-handed either.

Morris had been found trying to sneak out of Diamond City through one of the old drainage tunnels. He hadn't gone quietly, but between Sarah's sharp eyes and Preston's command, they had brought him in alive.

Now, standing in the middle of the worksite with both prisoners, Sico folded his arms.

"You got two choices," he said, his voice cold. "You talk, or we make you talk."

Morris glared at him but said nothing. The other man, still shaken from nearly getting his skull cracked, looked between them, his resolve faltering.

Sico leaned in. "You think you're tough? This ain't the Wasteland. We don't need to leave you out for the radstorms. But if you don't start talking, you'll wish that's what we did."

The man swallowed hard, his eyes darting between Sico, Preston, and Sarah. He could see the hard edges in their expressions, the no-nonsense resolve that meant they weren't bluffing. His gaze flickered toward Morris, who was still glaring at Sico with a mixture of resentment and defiance.

Sico stepped closer, gripping the man's collar and yanking him forward just enough to make him stumble. "Start talking," he growled.

The man let out a shaky breath. "It—it was all Morris' idea," he blurted. "I swear, I was just following orders!"

Sico narrowed his eyes. "Yeah? Orders to do what? Sabotage the wall? Get people killed?"

The man shook his head frantically. "No! It wasn't about killin' anyone! Morris... he wanted to make you Minutemen look weak. He figured if Diamond City saw you couldn't even keep your own walls secure, people would turn against you. Maybe even push you out."

Sico's jaw clenched. "And why the hell would he want that?"

The man hesitated, his gaze shifting toward Morris again, as if hoping for some kind of backup. But Morris just sneered at him, his lips curling in disgust.

"You spineless little shit," Morris spat.

The man flinched but continued. "Morris was part of Diamond City Security before. He was climbin' the ranks, thought he had a real shot at becoming vice-captain. But then you Minutemen came in, took down Mayor McDonough, and took over. Security got restructured, and he got pushed out."

Preston let out a scoff. "So that's what this is? Some petty revenge because he didn't get a promotion?"

Morris' glare hardened, his lips pressing into a thin line. "You don't get it, do you?" he snapped. "I bled for that city. Protected it for years. And when the dust settled, I got tossed aside like garbage while you lot waltzed in and played hero."

Sarah crossed her arms. "Yeah, 'cause we were the only ones with the guts to deal with McDonough. While you and the rest of Security let a goddamn synth run the place into the ground."

Morris' face twisted with anger. "We didn't *let* anything happen! We had rules, structure! You Minutemen came in with your guns and your speeches, tearing down everything we built!"

Sico shook his head. "Spare me the righteous indignation. McDonough was selling people out to the Institute. How many times did he stand by while people disappeared? How many lives were lost because your 'structure' kept you from doing what was right?"

Morris clenched his fists, but he didn't say anything.

Sico turned his attention back to the first man. "And you? What was in it for you?"

The man hesitated, then sighed in defeat. "Morris promised me a place when he took back control. Said if we could push the Minutemen out, he'd get me a spot in Security. A real rank, real pay."

Sico exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "You risked everything for *that*?"

The man lowered his gaze, shame creeping into his expression.

Sturges, still standing nearby, let out a dry chuckle. "Well, ain't that somethin'. A whole mess of trouble just 'cause one guy didn't get his damn promotion."

Preston turned to Sico. "What do we do with 'em?"

Sico looked at Morris first. "He's a traitor to this city. He wanted to sabotage its defenses, put innocent lives at risk just to stroke his own damn ego." His voice was sharp as a knife's edge. "He doesn't get to walk away from this."

Morris' expression didn't change, but there was something in his eyes—a flicker of uncertainty, maybe even regret.

Sico then looked at the other man. "You got two choices. You cooperate, tell us *everything*, and maybe—*maybe*—you don't end up in the same hole Morris is headed for. Or, you keep your mouth shut, and I let Sarah decide what to do with you."

Sarah smiled coldly. "I *do* have some ideas."

The man swallowed hard and nodded rapidly. "I'll talk. I'll tell you everything."

Sico smirked. "Smart choice."

He turned back to Preston and Sarah. "Lock 'em up. We're gonna make sure this is the last time someone tries pulling this kind of shit on our watch."

________________________________________________

• Name: Sico

• Stats :

S: 8,44

P: 7,44

E: 8,44

C: 8,44

I: 9,44

A: 7,45

L: 7

• Skills: advance Mechanic, Science, and Shooting skills, intermediate Medical, Hand to Hand Combat, Lockpicking, Hacking, Persuasion, and Drawing Skills

• Inventory: 53.280 caps, 10mm Pistol, 1500 10mm rounds, 22 mole rats meat, 17 mole rats teeth, 1 fragmentation grenade, 6 stimpak, 1 rad x, 6 fusion core, computer blueprint, modern TV blueprint, camera recorder blueprint, 1 set of combat armor, Automatic Assault Rifle, 1.500 5.56mm rounds, power armor T51 blueprint, Electric Motorcycle blueprint, T-45 power armor, Minigun, 1.000 5mm rounds, Cryolator, 200 cryo cell, Machine Gun Turret Mk1 blueprint, electric car blueprint, Kellogg gun, Righteous Authority, Ashmaker, Furious Power Fist, Full set combat armor blueprint, M240 7.62mm machine guns blueprint, Automatic Assault Rifle blueprint, and Humvee blueprint.

• Active Quest:-