Chapter 21: Vault City Blues
From the journal of Carlos Vargas, Shield of Hope, 16 November 2243, Vault City:
"Sulik, Gordo, Perrocarne y yo finally goed to Vault City. Gordo know someone there who might know where holy 13 is. There I find the HECK I hope.
"I park Mantequilla outside gate and go in. Vault City protected by big turrets and a lotta people with guns. It like Navarro without the steel pantalones.
"It not look like nice place. Everyone with gun is mean. Everyone without gun is sad.
"Being here even make Gordo sad, but he help us find his amigo's place.
"When I try talk to Ed, he just say mean thing. Why everyone think I estupido just because English not my good?
"I ask for helps in Greeting Office. They wear blue work uniforms like my! And they a lot more nicer.
"Before go north into City, I look around. Maybe I can do something for these pobres. I see niño llorando. I ask him what happen.
"I look for Señor Nixon around courtyard. I get thirsty doing this, so I take drink from well.
"Bueno, maybe I am estupido sometimes. Good thing clinic right in front of me. I go in to see if doctor can help me feel gooder.
"Doctor hook me up to robot. It not cure my radiación, but it heal the hurting holes that the ghoul guns make in Hecko. It pretty fun, too!
"Doctor put me in robot again. ¡Uau! Robot do things even girl in Den not do for me. I feel better than ever feeled!
"This time I not like way robot touch me.
"I leave clinic and eat Rad Away medicina to take care of radiación. It work, but now I addict to Rad Away and Mentats! Hoy no es mi día. I wander around courtyard, looking for place to rest, then I found Señor Nixon.
"This make me feel a bit gooder, so I go to bar to relax and drink Nuka Inka Cola. Bar owner is viejo name Cassidy.
"After drink, I try get into Vault City, but gate was cerrado at night. So I go back to Mantequilla and sleep the night. Mañana, I try again.
"I not know what else to do but go to Customs office. Customs gonna get me deported for good, I think, but...
"And just like that, I have new yob in Vault City! That easy.
"I thought this vault could maybe be holy 13, so I excite to find HECK. But first I gotta clean the place, because that my yob. I ask girl for what do.
"So I gotta go down to Piso 3, but first I clean Pisos 1 y 2. While power washing the computadora on Piso 1, I try use my Science skill on it to learn where HECK is, but it no work.
"On Piso 2, I find vent that make a lotta noise.
"Gordo help me fix it. Someone stuck a battery in there, battery I can use for Mantequilla. Who would put it in the vent? Probably the niño with the Señor Nixon doll.
"There lotta storage area in Piso 2. Some of it locked and I no can open, but the other area have lotsa agua cheeps. Nothing but agua cheeps. The Elder told me a story about how El Vaultero spend a lotta time looking for agua cheep, but I think she just kidding. Why anyone have trouble finding, there so many cheeps here!
"On Piso 3, I find Martín. He singing old song that Elder used to sing. Make me miss her a lot.
"After listen for a while, I go up to him.
"Another computadora? I no like this idea, I no good with talkie box. But I guess I gotta try. I find the box.
"Computadora not tell me anything about HECK, and the snakes inside it hurt me muchisimo when they bite me.
"But now my PipChico has more información. It has something called 'Vault City Travel Log' which I no comprendo because it in English. Map now has more places to see: Broken Hills, Nueva Reno, República Nueva de California, y Vault 15. Vault 15?! Is that close to holy 13? I find out someday.
"I done cleaning vault, so I go out into City. It dark. I feel want to take Mentats and Rad Away, but I look for bar instead. Along way, I meet hombre name Thomas Moore. He talk about freedom.
"I find bar and try order drink.
"One of the guards heard me and make me go.
"So I go sleep night in Mantequilla again. Mañana, I try to get back into City but guards not let me in even though I have yob cleaning vault. I go to Customs Office for help, and they give me Day Pass.
"City fill with peoples who wear blue janitor uniforms like my! And City has big hardens. I hope I can get yob as hardener here.
"I ask around where to find First Citizen, but other peoples not want talk to me much. Maybe they hear what happen at Hecko (it pretty close by) and think I here to take their yob. I found one person who try help me.
"I look around Vault City more for First Citizen. I talk to peoples who not wear janitor uniforms.
"It sound loco, but it look like the janitors are the jefes in this city, and they have the most dinero. Everybody else is pobre. Maybe even slaves. Maybe City get slaves from la migra. I should listened to Señor Moore.
"I talk to one of the pobres. She was a mecánica. I wanted ask her if she could put a new horn on Mantequilla, then things got pretty weird.
"She not mean me, she mean Gordo. She was Gordo's hija, looks like. They not say anything to each other. Whatever happen between Gordo and Gordita, I not ask Gordo about it.
"I find big building that look muy importante. First Citizen gotta be here.
"I ask one guy if he is First Citizen, but we have language burier.
"I look around more and find First Citizen. She is a mujer, like the Elder.
"She have Mentats dulces in back pocket of her pantalones! My adicción for Mentats is still fuerte. I can no resist. I sneak up to her and try to take the Mentats, but she turn around and see me.
"Bueno, I got deported from another place. I not wanna be here no more anyway. I learn good lesson: janitors not make good jefes. I not belong with other blue suits. I belong where yellow 13 takes me. And, with Sulik in front seat, Gordo in back seat, and Perrocarne in my estomago, I get there in Mantequilla!"