Several Hours Later... The storm that shook the Liberty Monument had finally let up. Hal was startled awake by the sudden lack of noise, and he rose onto his feet. The Sun was beginning to rise outside, judging by the cracked windows and shutters. He turned off his Pip-Boy light and walked to the entrance. He unlocked the doors and walked outside. The frigid air and heavy snowfall hit him like a baseball bat to the teeth. "Heh." Hal rubbed his hair. "You never really realize how hot it is in there until you have to stay overnight." Hal searched his backpack and grabbed the small portable radio. He tuned it to 141.12 and pressed SEND. The radio cracked into the Secure Vault Channel. "Hal? Is that you?" The slight Hindu accent was immediately recognized by Hal's subconscious. "Yes, it's me, Harshil." Hal looked around the Wasteland, pinpointing Vault 18's location by a laser beacon he had planted before he had left. "I'm on my way over." "Where have you been, Hal? The whole Church is saying that you were killed in the storm!" Hal took a minute to explain as he made his way to Vault 18. He went into great detail, taking more than an hour to explain. He ended up slamming head-first into the Vault door near the end of his story. Rubbing his forehead, he said "Buzz me in, Hersh the Gersh." A loud ring sounded from the orange speaker above the steel cog as it came open. Hal took precautions not to get his toes caught under the thirteen tons of fast moving metal. He remembered when Harshil got his entire [i]leg[/i] stuck under it, hence why Harshil is confined to the Vault. The door pushed forward and slid to the side. "Home sweet home," Hal said quietly.