The Tunnel Snakes were a delinquent gang active in Vault 101 in the Capital Wasteland in Fallout 3. An offshoot gang of the same name appears in the Fallout 4 Creation Club content "Tunnel Snakes Rule!".
Background[]
In the late 2260s, the young Butch DeLoria along with his friends/lackeys Wally Mack and Paul Hannon Jr. got the idea to form a gang. When the Lone Wanderer's tenth birthday was held, Butch could be heard having an open panel for possible gang names, with Wally suggesting "Mackers" and "Hell's Overseers;" whereas Paul suggested "Grease Weasels," "Vaultikins" and "Vault Dwellers." Butch himself suggested "Vault Rats" and "Vault Snakes." The name "Vault Snakes" was eventually accepted by the gang, then later changed to "Tunnel Snakes." At some point, they had custom leather jackets made to fit their gang personas, emblazoned with a carefully drawn and designed snake that forms the letter "S" with its body.
Six years later, on August 3, 2274, the gang was harassing Amata Almodovar near the classroom, chiding her for being a "daddy's girl" as the daughter of the Vault's overseer. The Lone Wanderer may have been involved in one of three possible ways: getting the gang to leave Amata alone (either by telling them off or getting into a fight), helping the Tunnel Snakes by mocking Amata, or simply ignoring it and forcing Amata to resolve the situation herself.
By 2277, during the escape from the Vault, if the Lone Wanderer accesses the overseer's computer, it is revealed that the overseer has secretly used the Tunnel Snakes to harass dissenting residents in situations where having his security force to do so would be undesirable.[1] The Lone Wanderer also has the opportunity to become an honorary member of the Tunnel Snakes by stopping to heed Butch's request to save his mother from being killed by radroaches.
Later in 2277, the gang's numbers had declined. Paul was badly injured from radroach bites during the Lone Wanderer's escape and eventually succumbed to his wounds, while Wally abandoned the group, leaving Butch as the only original member. By then, Freddie Gomez appears to have joined the gang. However, if Trouble on the Homefront is completed by opening the Vault (either by killing the overseer or convincing him to stand down), if/when Butch is later met in Rivet City, Freddie is nowhere to be seen with him and Butch himself will express his desire to start up the gang again.
The following is based on Creation Club content. |
By 2287, Wally Mack had managed to leave the Capital Wasteland and reach the Commonwealth, where he tried to found his own gang of Tunnel Snakes. The group eventually found an abandoned unmarked subway station near the Chestnut Hillock Reservoir,[2] in which they discovered that one of the subway cars had a ton of radioactive waste. Wally dismissed any concerns over its dangerous effects, believing that the radiation could give them "superpowers."[3]
At some point after occupying the Fens Way station, the Tunnel Snakes had a brief skirmish with a group of Gunners, driving them off and capturing one of their members. They took an intricately engraved gun called the Ultimatum from their hostage.[4] The new Tunnel Snakes however were short-lived, as by then, many members of the group had developed radiation sickness.[5] Eventually, many of them had succumbed to the radiation poisoning while others had turned into feral ghouls, with Wally himself having degenerated further into a glowing one.[6]
End of information based on Creation Club content |
Organization[]
Wearing perfecto black custom leather jackets over their Vault suits and with recognizable 1950s haircuts, the founding members of the gang are Butch, Wally Mack and Paul Hannon Jr. The leadership of the gang shifts consistently between Butch and Wally, with Paul following whoever is in charge at the moment. One other Vault resident, Freddie Gomez, desires membership in the Tunnel Snakes gang, and the gang members approve of Freddie's bullying of his peers. Freddie's father, Officer Gomez, disapproves of his son's association with the gang.
The gang's activities appear to largely consist of juvenile pranks and thuggery, like harassing Amata, as well as getting into fistfights like with Butch and the Lone Wanderer if he is incited to fight outside of the classroom. Overseer Almodovar used the Tunnel Snakes as an informal enforcement and intimidation mechanism, though he had routinely considered cutting them loose as they frequently harassed his own daughter. This partnership ended as Butch DeLoria sided against him with the faction that wanted to open the Vault, while Paul had been killed in the conflict.
Iconography[]
The Tunnel Snakes style themselves as a 1950's greaser gang, with their iconic leather jacket with an s-shaped green snake on the back being their uniform. This is usually accompanied with a Vault 101 jumpsuit.
Their weapons are limited to whatever they could get ahold of, but switchblades and 10mm pistols were most often used.
Appearances[]
The Tunnel Snakes primarily appear in Fallout 3 and are mentioned by Robert MacCready in Fallout 4,[7] as well as appearing in the Fallout 4 Creation Club content"Tunnel Snakes Rule!"
Notes[]
MacCready repeats their motto in Fallout 4.
Behind the scenes[]
- When Butch DeLoria, Wally Mack and Paul Hannon Jr. are discussing the gang's name during the Lone Wanderer's birthday party, one of the names proposed is "Vault Dwellers," which is the name of the main character of Fallout and Fallout 76.
- The Tunnel Snakes' aesthetic is modeled after the 1950s greaser subculture, seen in movies such as West Side Story, The Wild One, and Rebel Without a Cause, as well as later "retro" movies and TV programs that hearken back to the same era.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Vault 101 terminal entries; overseer's terminal, Tunnel Snakes
- ↑ Fens Way station terminal entries; terminal, First week
- ↑ Fens Way station terminal entries; terminal, Super powers
- ↑ Fens Way station terminal entries; terminal, Hostage
- ↑ Fens Way station terminal entries; terminal, Vomit
- ↑ Fens Way station terminal entries; terminal, Radio
- ↑ Robert MacCready: "Tunnel snakes rule! *Laugh* Sorry, heard that a long time ago."
(Robert MacCready's dialogue)