When Lilly exited Vault 101, it took little time for the fear to mount within and the reality of the situation to hit her full force. With no idea of an outside world existing hours before finding herself trapped among it, she had little idea what to do. Details and coordinates of the nearby Megaton on her Pip-boy had been the sole factor that prevented her from going into hysterics. Going into town and performing a couple tasks with a smile, she encountered the strange Mr. Burke. After refusing his horrendous offer, she was at least partially curious about his mentioning of Tenpenny Tower. The place sounded awesome and Lilly needed some of that after leaving the Vault and Amada Almodovar.

She made great progress along the way, avoiding confrontations with beasts in the Wasteland until arriving at some sort of a factory. A trio of mole rats descended on her location and she screamed, reaching for her 12mm pistol. Completely unskilled in combat –luck and running away crying had been the sole factors for her retreat from her former home– Lilly opened fire on the creatures, every single bullet going way off the mark. She tried reloading her pistol with shaky hands, physically backpedaling and knowing it wouldn't be enough. They were too fast to escape.

"Are you ready to die for your country you commie son of a bitch?"

What was once a Mole Rat had now become a gigantic slimy mess of green…something, Lilly didn't know what and couldn't decide if she wanted to know. The other two scattered, changing their target to the actual threat. She looked over, noticing a robot with a similar frame as Andy painted in dark green and armed to the teeth.

And if she didn't know better, she would've claimed the robot was positively glowing at the chance for inflicting death and destruction.

"Kill 'em all and let God sort 'em out!" The approaching mole rats failed in their gambit, turned to a crisp by a blast of scorching flames.

When the robot turned to her, Lilly threw her arms up in surrender, trembling violently, "Oh God! Oh no! Please, please don't hurt me!" She begged, hoping it wouldn't detect the stream of urine gushing down her legs.

"That's enough, Sergeant." An old man approached, accompanied by a handful of other robots. His face scrunched in disgust at the girl's appearance, but couldn't blame her. His robotic soldier qualified as one scary mother fucker.

"Yes, sir!"

"Hey there miss. Name's Tinker Joe. You alright?"

She nodded, body remained shaking considerably.

"If I sold clothes I'd offer you some new britches, but as is I'll sell ya something better in the long run." Noticing he'd gotten her attention, an elaboration came, "the robot that saved your bacon is for sale. He's Sergeant RL-3, the strongest Gutsy soldier you'll come across. For a thousand caps, he's all ours."

"Is he… really that strong?" Sure, the recent display was impressive (her terror spoke for itself), but as someone still new to the Wasteland, she wondered if this robot truly had such unique abilities.

"You kidding me lady? You saw it for yourself. This guy here is incredible. He's armed with a plasma rifle and a flamer, to say nothing of his armor. I ain't just saying this to make you buy him, but you literally won't find a Gutsy with better defenses in the entire wasteland." Her confused expression made him elaborate, "In other words, he'll roast your enemies or make 'em a pile o' goo while their own hits barely even phase him."

Lilly spent an entire two seconds thinking it over. Considering her current battle strategy consisted of running away screaming and firing at the enemy hitting everything but, the decision was fairly easy. She looked down at her caps, recognizing the obstacle between owning the robot. A combination of negotiations with Silva, earnings from Walter post-pipe fixing and selling a bunch of Vault 101 crap, she had a little over half of a thousand.

She smiled brightly, "How about this: I'll take him off your hands for a measly 500 caps. That sounds pretty awesome, don't you think?"

"Well, that's not the first word I'd come up with, but if I wake up with that thing playing revelry at me one more time, I'll go insane," he shrugged, "Oh what the hell, I'll just transfer the codes and you've got a deal friend."

As Tinker Joe moved on, the robot approached her.

"Salutations, Commander! Sergeant RL-3, Gutsy-class robotic soldier, reporting for duty!"

Then it all began.

Disclaimer
I don't own Fallout 3 or any of its additional content. Surprise!

Note(s)
Broken Steel is win. That is all.

They're Just Too Strong

By Big-Babidi

Sergeant RL-3 had been a godsend. Along with an endless supply of badass patriotic quotes, its arsenal of fire and plasma –to say nothing of its absolutely incredible durability- made travel in the Capital Wasteland much easier. Lilly hadn't bothered much with the Bible save for her mother's favorite passage, but the patriotic Gutsy Robot in her possession made her strongly rethink that position. A companion with that kind of power had to be a gift from the heavens.

And the awesome luck didn't end there.

On her way to the Minefield (Lilly considered the optimistic oddball Moira Brown absolutely adorable and badly wanted to please her), she and the sergeant stumbled upon some sort of scrap yard, busted cars and tires filled the area within a metal gate. She'd initially thought it abandoned, but the sound of gunshots proved her otherwise. Sergeant R-L 3 took point and Lilly followed close. Upon reaching the scene, her hand instinctually covered her mouth, gasping.

In her travels across the Capital Wasteland, Lilly had yet to encounter a single Raider besides that big meanie Jericho. Her knowledge of them consisted of that fact they were humans who'd lost their minds and stopped caring about anything but themselves. The sight in front of her proved that minor intel correct beyond any doubt.

She saw a large dog, preparing for battle against a trio of Raiders. One in front had a knife, waving it in front of the dog to taunt it, while the other two were armed with rifles, an assault for one and hunting on the other. Even worse, the two Raiders carrying firearms had already opened fire on the animal.

Lilly saw red.

"Get away from him you fuckers!" She cried. Ignoring the danger and her hardcore mechanical companion, Lilly rushed into action and emptied the entire clip of the 10mm pistol in her hands, missing eleven of twelve shots.

The presence of another person in the fray must have alerted the canine as he immediately sprung, sinking his jaw into the knife-wielding Raider's forearm, cleanly ripping the appendage out of its socket in a matter of seconds. As the man fell screaming, his friends' attention had shifted to Lilly.

Gigantic mistake.

A quick leap and lethal bite into one of the other Raider's neck, his hunting rifle plummeted to the floor only slightly faster than his now dead body. Attention refocused on the animal, the final Raider held the trigger with no regard to ammo reservation, 5.56 mm rounds from an assault rifle of mediocre condition blasted into the dog as it raced towards him. While Lilly nearly burst into tears, the dog continued his charge as though nothing happened, as though his body wasn't getting showered with bullets. The furry attacker pounced the Raider. His hand hadn't released his rifle, but before he could make use of this turn of events, the dog had already ripped the man's face off.

Combat situation over, Lilly slowly walked over to the dog. She bent over, looking at him at eye level and extended her arms in hug, "It's gonna be okay now sweetie! I'll take good care of you!"

Sensing her pure intentions (or perhaps it noticed her pathetic inaccuracy with a weapon and understandably considered her threat level on par with a toddler's), the dog's tail began to wag as it closed the distance. The sound of movement from behind halted its action.

"Beast… you're a God damn beast." The last Raider cried out, trying to hold his deceased comrade's hunting rifle with his single arm and aim it towards the animal, "I'll fuckin' tear you apa-" A blast of plasma to the face ended his last stand before it truly begun.

"Need help dying for your country? Well Uncle Sam sent me to deliver you piece of shit!" Sergeant RL-3 yelled, firing one more microfusion cell for good measure.

Lilly sighed in relief, grateful for the intervention after she'd frozen up. The dog's panting reminded her of the situation and she reached for a stimpack. "Alright, now that those meanies are gone, let's get you patched up ok? You like that idea? Me too!" She analyzed the dog's wounded body. Considering the animal had been shot at least twenty times, she could hardly believe her eyes at the miniscule injuries upon the dog's frame. It was like he had the same endurance as Sergeant RL-3.

Her eyebrows shot up at the realization. 'Holy shit he is as durable as the sergeant isn't he?'

As the battle ended his wounds automatically closed, leaving Lilly's mouth hanging open and stimpack remaining unused. She didn't dwell on it, instead cooing even stronger, "Oh my gosh! Look at you! You've already recovered, you're such a good boy!" she showered the dog with pets and hugs and sweet, sugary dialogue for a solid five minutes, laughing when he happily licked her face in response. She looked at his collar, "Dogmeat? Is that your name honey? Awww, that's so adorable! Who's a good wittle doggy? Dogmeat is! Oh yes he is!" She continued gushing as the sun started falling.

Despite the tragic battle beforehand, Dogmeat felt wonderful. What a kind new master!

"Searching for targets!" The green robot vigilantly remained on the lookout.

'Wait a minute, with his strength if he comes with me…' Too enamored by Dogmeat's adorability, she'd forgotten about his fighting prowess until then. With Dogmeat at her side, she'd have yet another companion with tremendous asskicking capabilities. '…I'll have a dog and higher chances not to die! Sweet!'

"Dogmeat? Ya wanna come with us? Come on boy." She beckoned for the dog to follow before heading north with the sergeant.

When Dogmeat accompanied the pair, Lilly's smile quite literally remained for hours.

"A-are you sure we're up for this sir?" The mercenary asked. A team from Talon Company had camped out in preparation for their target's arrival.

"Of course we are dumbass. Where'd your balls go?" His superior asked.

"Sorry sir. It's just… well ya know. Over seventy of us have failed to take her out."

"The leader's right," another mercenary jumped in, "I get your fear. Considering the stories of the girl…," he shuddered slightly, "No. We will win. We have to. Finish this contract and all of us can retire in Tenpenny without a care in the world," an amused expression turned bitter, "at least if you can stomach the ghouls that share the place now."

"I don't know man. Haven't you heard the stories?" one of the lesser experienced and more afraid mercenaries was unconvinced, "How she rescued the people of Big Town from the Super Mutants, brought back Galaxy News Radio despite Super Mutant Overlords and a Behemoth, how she killed over two hundred Raiders and when she waltzed right into Fort Bannister like she owned the place! That mess in Commander Jabsco's quarters? That is Commander Jabsco! She's a fuckin' monster! We can't beat that!"

"Will you shut up already?"

Sighing, the merc in charge silently agreed with his men. The expectation that the three of them could succeed where the last seventy failed was nothing short of absurd. But they were the mercenaries of Talon Company. They keep disorder in the Capital Wasteland no matter what.

"Oh God," the frightened mercenary couldn't stop shaking, "It's her. It really is her. It's Vault 101. It's Lilly!"

Chaos immediately erupted, as the leader tried calming his terrified subordinates. Death was coming with a robot and a dog as witnesses.

"Hi guys!" She waved cheerfully at the group, their own panic gave away their hiding spot in a flash.

The other mercenary of equal stature took deep breaths as well.

"Our brethren, our many, many brethren may have failed, but we'll be the ones to finish you for good!"

"Normally, I'm against violence against others when it's totally unnecessary, but for you guys I'll make an exception for two reasons. One, no matter how much I beg you guys to be smart and run away, you won't listen." She noticed a mercenary had actually peed himself a little. Though it had been some time since Lilly experienced that, she was quite glad to see someone else doing the same, "Seriously, I've tried it so many times I can't even cry about it anymore. Two, Moira likes it when I give her some of your guys' equipment and when Moira's happy, I'm happy."

"Permission to shove his head up his ass, sir!" Sergeant asked eagerly.

She sighed. They wouldn't listen to reason. "Permission granted. Please go."

The battle was comically short. In less than a minute, that area of the Capital Wasteland had limbs in different spots and patches a lot greener. Salvaging the equipment, Lilly and the others moved on, her hand petting a pleased Dogmeat behind his ears. Similar events happened frequently, but the lone wanderer wasn't scared. Not with this backup.

And that band of two would become three.

Getting captured sucked.

She had agreed to assist the Brotherhood of Steel in their endeavors –though any lost technology obtained would mysteriously find itself at Craterside Supply– which led her to exploring Vault 87. After befriending the mighty Fawkes–who seemed to share her companion's epic endurance–, the Enclave decided to incapacitate her on the way out and abduct her.

She hadn't bothered to wear underwear on the trip and when the annoying and super mean Colonel Augustus Autumn stood far too close to her during interrogation, he didn't understand his mistake until his knees and below were thoroughly drenched in piss. Lilly's following apology and loud begging fell on deaf ears, and only the intervention of President Eden saved her from certain pain. Autumn's later betrayal put the weak girl to the test.

During travels ranging from the AntAgonizer's Lair to Minefield to Vault 92, their stock of Stealth Boy devices gradually increased. Happily taking advantage of the large supply, she snuck through Raven Rock, device constantly wrapped around her trembling wrist. Many Enclave soldiers carried rifles similar to her mechanical patriot's and after seeing its effect on countless occasion, Lilly had no intention of having her pretty face morphed into a pile of goo. Despite her earlier accident (and other identical cases along the way), the Power Armor of the Enclave soldiers hindered their sense of smell to Lilly's advantage. It took incredible restraint not to scream or cry or inaccurately fire her weapon in fright, but she managed.

Barely.

By the time she approached Eden, the Vault dweller spent the first ten minutes on her knees bawling her eyes out, the super computer waiting patiently. Talking to Eden felt weird encased in a stealth field, but he wasn't a real person anyway so she couldn't feel bad. With that in mind, she had no problem convincing it to self destruct, where she threw on another Stealth Boy crying "WAAAAAAH I'M GONNA DIE!" with large anime-style tears flowing down her eyes.

Outside Raven Rock, the sight turned her tears of fright to joy.

"You're going to pay for taking her!" The large super mutant with a heart of equal size blasted nearby Enclave soldiers with a gatling laser held securely in his grasp.

"Bark!" Her favorite canine, Dogmeat tore through a set of Tesla Armor like butter, the last among a trail of many dead soldiers in a similar manner flowing behind him.

"And this is how we do it in the US Army! Hoowah!" Plasma and fire at full force, Enclave robots brutally suffered at his arsenal.

With the threat over, Lilly rushed to her consistent saviors with a enormous smile, "You guys came!" Hugging Dogmeat, she laughed as he wouldn't stop licking her face, the dog showing more happiness than she'd ever seen before. "Hahahaha! Did you miss me boy? I know I missed you! Awww Dogmeat I love you so much!" Sergeant RL-3 stood to the side continuing his eternal search for assholes to kill, but she still felt touched he pursued her as well. The last of the group, Fawkes, approached her after patiently waiting over twenty minutes for her to stop cooing Dogmeat.

"I'm delighted you survived, my friend!" Despite his appearance, his smile was clearly genuine. "I had hoped to assist you in your rescue to repay my debt to you. When I saw your capture and your companions following without hesitation, I knew I had to accompany them."

Lilly took to smile at Dogmeat, gushing over him once again.

Loudly clearly his throat, Fawkes continued after reclaiming her attention, "But even now, I don't feel like my debt has been fully repaid. As I owe you my freedom, would you allow me the honor of following you? Of following my friend?"

Nodding, Lilly beamed, "Of course I would! Thank you so much!"

The dream team was complete.

As leader of the Pride, Sentinel Lyons had seen much in her time. Super mutant attacks, indescribable technology and various people and situations from all over the Capital Wasteland. Even so, Lilly… no, the Lilly threw her for a loop. The Vault dweller and her team lead the attack to recapture the Jefferson Memorial, and every member of the Brotherhood of Steel felt amazed at the miniscule resistance they encountered upon catching up. Dead bodies of so many belonging to the Enclave greeted them every step of the way.

Still, something seemed off. In their first meeting at Galaxy News Radio, the dog and robot did the fighting while she couldn't even tag a Behemoth with an assault rifle. Apparently, she improved dramatically since then. Either that or her legendary status was a just a sham. 'Impossible.' Sarah thought to herself. 'She's been nothing but nice to me and has proven herself to the Brotherhood plenty of times. That's beyond absurd.' She shook her head to rid herself of such nonsense. Even if she believed those batshit thoughts, she had no desire to test it. Tangling with the woman who destroyed over sixty Super Mutant Overlords and four hundred Raiders in less than a year was a thought even a person with her credentials wouldn't entertain.

"Yoohoo! Sarah, you still with us?" Sentinel Lyons returned to reality, noticing the team staring at her.

"I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

"One of us will have to get in there, and won't be coming back," Lilly answered, pointing in the same room that had claimed the life of her father. She took one last glance at her companions. Dogmeat, the dog she loved and enjoyed cooing over. Sergeant RL-3, her first companion and main reason she still lived. Fawkes, Super Mutant of compassion, a cherished friend. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "And I've already decided. The person who will enter-"

"Worry not my friend." Fawkes stepped in, gigantic hand placed gently on her shoulder, "Radiation doesn't hurt me so I'll take care of this in no time. Just tell me what I need to do and we'll all get through this."

Feeling blown away, she nodded, revealing the password and letting Fawkes do his thing. Her plan of self-sacrifice to actually contribute for once wasn't needed after all.

'These guys.' She thought with a smile. 'They're just too strong.'