Dwight La Cross's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Dwight La Cross adjusted his glasses and scraped another soil sample into a glass vial. The dirt crumbled between his paws, dry and lifeless. Seventeen years as a geologist had taught him what dead earth looked like, and Broken Hills was full of it. But somewhere in Vault 116, buried beneath rubble and radiation, sat a G.E.C.K.—a device that could rebuild soil at the molecular level. He capped the vial and tucked it into one of his pack's lead-lined pockets. If he could find that tech and crack it open, he'd teach every settlement from here to New Reno how to grow real food again. No companies. No fees. Just knowledge that belonged to everyone. The Red Hills Traders had given him a base to work from—a restored prewar military office with tiger-striped camouflage paint still clinging to its walls. Dwight set up his equipment inside, arranging sample containers on a metal desk. The building would do. Solid walls, room for storage, and close enough to the vault entrance that he could move quickly when needed. He unpacked his Raddy RF-450 shortwave radio and plugged it in. The amber lights flickered to life. If the G.E.C.K. was still active, it might broadcast maintenance signals. Worth checking. Outside, he'd spotted something useful—a research station with stone walls and wooden benches. Someone had built it years ago to test crops. Most of the equipment was gone, but the structure remained sound. Dwight walked over and examined the soil sample containers scattered across the benches. He picked one up and turned it over in his paw. Once he had the G.E.K., this place would be perfect for demonstrations. He could show settlers exactly how the molecular reconstitution worked, prove the tech wasn't just prewar fantasy. He headed back to his base and sat down at the radio. The dial clicked as he turned it, scanning frequencies. Static filled the room. Dwight leaned back in his chair and let out a breath. The vault wouldn't be easy—cave-ins, flooding, radiation spikes. But the G.E.C.K. was down there, and he had the skills to find it. He'd spent seventeen years studying dead ground. Now he'd learn how to bring it back to life.