Atomica #2 (Part 1)

ISSUE 2: SPRINGVALE SCHOOL – OF HARD KNOCKS! (Part 1)

The stairs ended in... Another switch. Thick cables ran into the walls of the short corridor.

Well. That was anticlimactic.

Pressing the switch caused the noise of servomotors from back up the stairs. Shrugging, she went up to see what had been triggered.

A recessed panel at the base of the stairs had slid downward, revealing an absolutely normal looking shack door.

What? The Sanctuary is maybe... a guest bedroom?

It was even less interesting than that. Within was nothing more than a tiny... and broken.. bathroom. A beat-up old locker was the most notable feature, once you drew your eye away from the leaking water spraying from the busted sink.



One more fix for Walter, once I get the right tools for this old rig.



Noticing not one but two cameras, she frowned.

When I get ahold of the pervert who set these up...

She flipped the radio off in annoyance, then gasped as the floor sunk below her.

An.. elevator?

At first, there was pitch blackness. A sense of space somewhere ahead of her. Her PipBoy light revealed only the gleam of nearby metal. Gingerly taking a step forward, she nearly recoiled as automatic lights flipped on with a dull clunk.

Before her stood revealed a pre-war command center.

No wonder the bomb only made a crater. And now I understand why anyone would build a town here. Its the perfect camouflage.

Getting her bearings, Atomica carefully explored the facility. It had its secrets.. She found one hidden room by accident, while trying to straighten a painting. Another secret elevator lead to an even more secure underground bunker. Sadly, some unnamed person died in bed behind the thick, square door. Yet a third revealed an entire second level to the complex, complete with holding cells. It proved to be completely deserted, and seemed secure.



This will do nicely. Thanks, Dad...

Her attention was drawn by a soft alarm. Returning upstairs, she noted one of the situation monitor displays had turned red.

“What's this mean?”

INTERFACE ACTIVE.

SEISMIC ACTIVITY DETECTED.

ACTIVITY IS ARTIFICIAL IN NATURE.

Her GPS locator updated.

Earthquake machine? Mole People? Underground Chinese Invasion?

She ran for the elevator.

This looks like a job for Atomica!