Jacob Carter's Arc

Chapter 4 of 6

Jacob left the 37th Aero Squadron Bunker and walked toward the settlement's eastern quarter. His boots kicked up dust with each step. A metal structure caught his attention—the Broken Hills Water Tower stood against the pale sky, its frame showing rust and pre-war construction. He stopped beneath it and looked up. Someone had bolted pipes and valves to the supports, probably to distribute water to nearby buildings. But the main tank sat empty, bone-dry. Jacob pulled out his notebook and wrote down the tower's height, the pipe diameter, and the valve positions. If Vault 116's G.E.C.K. actually worked, this tower could become the center of a water distribution system. The settlement would need infrastructure like this to turn purified water into something people could use. He ran his claws along one of the support beams, testing its strength. The metal held firm. Good enough for now. He moved on, scanning the landscape for reference points. A stone tower rose against the horizon—weathered blocks stacked high with bleached bones at its peak. Jacob walked toward it, counting his steps. Four hundred and twelve paces from the water tower. He circled the structure twice, examining the stonework. Someone had built this before the bombs, maybe after. The bones looked sun-dried, picked clean. He checked his map coordinates against the tower's position. If vault entrances followed pre-war survey patterns, landmarks like this would mark sector boundaries. He photographed the tower from three angles and wrote down its exact distance from his search zone. Past the tower, a cluster of agave plants grew from cracked earth. Jacob knelt beside the nearest one and examined the broad grey-green leaves. The flower stalk reached higher than his head. He pulled out a knife and cut into the base. Clear liquid dripped onto the ground. His scouts would need water sources like this when they searched remote grid sections. He marked the agave cluster on his map and counted seventeen plants total. Enough to supply a two-person team for three days if they knew how to extract it properly. A concrete structure jutted from the sand ahead—thick steel blast doors set into cracked walls. Jacob recognized the Brotherhood of Steel insignia welded to the entrance. The bunker had been stripped clean, doors hanging open. He stepped inside and let his eyes adjust to the shadows. Empty weapon racks lined one wall. Broken terminals sat on metal desks. He pulled open a filing cabinet and found nothing but rust stains. But the bunker's foundation went deep, built to the same specifications as vault construction. Jacob measured the wall thickness and door frame dimensions. Vault 116 would have similar reinforcement patterns. He added the measurements to his notes and walked back into the light. Three landmarks documented. Three more pieces of data pointing him toward the G.E.C.K.