[Last Hope For Mankind] 4 – Hard Work Paying Off

One month. One entire month had passed since that fateful day when I met Old Man Ben and his 23-year-old daughter, Allie. In this time, I have begun getting a bit of recognition. I was the youngest child in the Institute who was working and helping out in the Clinic and Facilities, not to mention the grades that put me at the top of the class and ahead of most of my peers.

I helped in Facilities by fixing up any of the old Terminals we had lying around and also fixing any Terminal we had that were having technical issues. Other than the terminals I fixed or repaired, I helped Alie and Old Man Ben with making daily repairs to the electrical grid that kept the Institute running, whether it be replacing wires and fuses, to having clear out filters, tightening bolts, or replacing entire fuseboxes.

Of course, my skill set didn't cover everything, so a large majority of the things I was fixing and replacing, I had to be shown how to do first, which was a plus since I could show Allie and Ben that my knowledge wasn't suspicious and that I didn't know everything.

By that, I mean when I first started they were suspicious of how someone my age could already know how to fix and repair terminals, know a bit about the human body and its functions, as well as have the skill to make basic repairs to a wide variety of options. I only managed to convince them that I learned how to do all these things through studying in the Archives, but they only really believed me after I showed that I cleaned up the Archives and fixed a few of the old terminals in there.

The Archives was a small section of the Institute that no one really went into anymore and those that did, only did so to find technical data or documents of very specific things. Not too long ago some BioScience guys entered the Archives while I was cleaning it, and I managed to help them find some old pre-war technical documents going over the biology of various animals. Though for some reason they were focused more on avians than anything else.

They didn't tell me what it was for, but apparently, Synth Retention was interested in starting some kind of project with them.

Other than that, I was helping Dr. Murphy and his son Benedict in the Clinic by acting as an Assistant.

Sure, both jobs were tough, but it was getting me not only physical experience but also literal EXP, as after a month of doing my daily tasks, I finally leveled up and now had a small collection of 'Trash-Tier Loot Box.'

For my level, I got 15 skill points to use as I please.

I had 15 points in my three tag skills, Biology, Computers, and Repair.

Ten of the fifteen skill points were placed straight into Computers, while the remaining five went into Engineering.

Why did I put some into Engineering, you may ask?

Simple. I wanted to eventually recreate some of the technology I remembered from Earth using Fallout's tech to do so, such as the modern computer, 3d printers, and some other things that could be useful. Plus the skill should help with me making my own workshop somewhere in the abandoned parts of the Institute.

However, I'm going to wait. Some of those areas are still featuring functioning defense systems and robots that could easily kill me.

I guess a few explanations are in order.

The Institute was founded just after the war when the scientists of the pre-war C.I.T. of Boston, the Commonwealth Institute of Technology, sought refuge underground. When the Institute unlocked the secrets of Teleportation technology, they collapsed all of the tunnels that led to the surface save one, the same access tunnel that the Player in Fallout 4 would use if they side with the Minutemen.

The only ones who left the concourse and ventured into the old access tunnels and bonded sections of the facility were those in Facility.

The Institute was constantly seeking to expand the concourse using various mining equipment and synths but refused to expand into the abandoned sections of the institute that were heavily defended by Protectrons, Assaultrons, and sentry turrets that would vaporize anyone that entered their targeting range.

Why would I want to set up a workshop in the abandoned areas of the Institute if they were so dangerous, you may ask, and the answer was simple. Secrecy.

I didn't want 'Father' or the other Directors to get their hands on whatever technology I cook up in the future and found this to be my best option. Eventually, I should be able to deactivate or destroy whatever defenses I need to in the future once I am older and have some more levels under my belt.

Moving on, after I selected and confirmed my skill point allocation, I was met with another screen.

[Congratulations on reaching level 2!]

[Please select a perk]

[Lead Belly I - Biology 5 - Description: Your stomach and other assisting organs allow for greater digestion of tougher or toxic foods to provide more nutrition]

[Tough Skin I - Biology 10 - Description: Your skin toughens and thickens providing greater protection against harm]

[Life Giver I - Biology 15 - Description: Your blood is blessed, grants 10 years to your lifespan, and provides a minor boost to healing]

[Rad Resistance I - Biology 15 - Description: Your cells become more resistant to harmful radiation, producing a moderate resistance to harmful radiation]

[Solar Powered I - Biology 15 - Description: Your cells take on the ability to photosynthesize, granting your body the ability to absorb certain sources of artificial and natural sunlight for a small amount of nutrients]

[Human Anatomy I - Biology 15 - Description: You know the ins and outs of the human body down to its cellular makeup and the function and use of every organ]

[Computer Brain I - Computers 5 - Description: Your mind is hard-wired towards computers, allowing you to more easily remember programs and their language]

[Digital Hands I - Computers 15 - Description: Your hands move faster than normal when touching a keyboard, allowing you to type and program computers faster]

[Computer Whiz - Computers 25 - Description: You are a natural when it comes to computers. You learn programming and coding much faster]

[Bug Fixer I - Computers 25 - Description: As you work on computers, bugs will be noticeably easier to spot and fix]

[Keen Eye I - Repair 10 - Description: With one glance you can see if an item, object, or entity that are in need of repair]

[Jurry Rigger I - Repair 15 - Description: You instinctually know how to use various objects and parts to repair other items]

I was given quite a few options, and to be frank, it was overwhelming.

For example, seeing as the system worked a lot like Fallout's, I wouldn't know whether this one followed the Fallout New Vegas perk system or Fallout 3's perk system, with one featuring perk selection for every level up, while the other had a perk selection after every two levels.

This choice, while seemingly insignificant, could decide my fate and whether or not my life will be successful or not.

So, as you could probably guess, I was a nervous wreck when trying to decide what to choose, so nervous in fact, that I ended up spending all day thinking about which to choose.

Eventually, however, I did choose.

Of the twelve options, only one could be chosen, and the one I chose, was none other than [Jurry Rigger I].

Why would I choose this perk? Simple. It would be the most useful short and long-term.

I did not doubt that with my work in Facilities, the perk would come in handy, not to mention whatever I need to do to in the future to create my own private workshop. Even if I escape to the surface the perk could be a lifesaver as the skill would be a rarity out in the wasteland of America.