Tunnel Snakes

The Tunnel Snakes are a gang in Vault 101.

Background
They wear perfecto black leather jackets over their vault suits and have recognizable 1950s haircuts. The members of the gang are Butch DeLoria, 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.

In the late 2260s, the young Butch is actively organizing the gang and recruiting new members. During the Lone Wanderer's tenth birthday, Butch holds an open panel for possible gang names. Wally suggests "Mackers" and "Hell's Overseers;" whereas, Paul suggests "Grease Weasels," "Vaultikins" and "Vault Dwellers." Butch suggests "Vault Rats" and "Vault Snakes." The name "Vault Snakes" was eventually accepted by the gang and changed to "Tunnel Snakes." A carefully drawn and designed snake is sewn onto the leather surface of the jackets' backs. The snake's body forms the letter 'S.'

Six years later, on August 3, 2274, the gang members are harassing Amata Almodovar near the classroom. They are chiding her for being a "daddy's girl" and the daughter of the overseer. Amata is offended and frustrated by the unwanted harassment of the gang members. In this situation, the Lone Wanderer can choose one of three possible paths. The paths could involve them helping Amata for good Karma, helping the Tunnel Snakes for bad Karma or simply ignoring it and forcing Amata to resolve the situation herself.

During Escape!, if the Wanderer accesses the overseer's computer, it is revealed that the overseer has secretly used the Tunnel Snakes to harass residents in situations where having his security force do so would be undesirable. The Lone Wanderer also has the opportunity to become an honorary member of the Tunnel Snakes.

By 2277, the gang's numbers have fallen. Paul was badly injured during the radroach attack and eventually succumbed to his wounds, and Wally Mack left the group, leaving Butch as the only original member. Freddie Gomez appears to have joined the gang. However, he is not with Butch after completing Trouble on the Homefront, Butch may be found in Rivet City and will express his desire to start up the gang again.

By 2287, Wally Mack had moved beyond the Capital Wasteland and arrived in the Commonwealth to found his own group of Tunnel Snakes. The group eventually took hold underground in an abandoned unmarked subway station near the Chestnut Hillock Reservoir. One of the subway cars had a ton of radioactive waste, raising some concerns. But Wally dismissed this, believing that the radiation could give them "superpowers."

At some point later, the Tunnel Snakes had a brief skirmish with a group of Gunners, driving them off and capturing one of their members, from whom they took an intricately engraved gun called the Ultimatum. By the time they had celebrated their victory, many members of the group had developed radiation sickness. Eventually, many members of the group had succumbed to the radiation poisoning while others had turned into feral ghouls.

Appearances
The Tunnel Snakes primarily appear in Fallout 3 and are mentioned in ''Fallout 4'.

Behind the scenes

 * When Butch DeLoria, Wally Mack and Paul Hannon Jr. discuss 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.


 * Butch and his gang are modeled after 1950s-style juvenile delinquents known as "Greasers," seen in movies such as West Side Story, The Wild One, Rebel Without a Cause, as well as later "retro" movies and TV programs that hearken back to the same era.