War. War never changes. The United States of America was not the only country hit by the warheads. Because Canada was annexed by the Americans to protect their resources in Alaska, Canada too, became a target for the Communists. All the province's capitals and major cities were bombed, along with any cities along the Alaskan Pipeline. All of North America was a smoldering ruin. However, all was not lost for those above the 49th Parallel. Because Pre-War U.S.A. and Canada were so tightly intertwined in culture, wealth and industry, Vault-Tec did have a Canadian branch. Many vaults were built in the Appalachians in Quebec and the eastern provinces, and in the Niagara Escarpment in southern Ontario, Canadian Shield in the north, and the Rockies in British Columbia. It is within one of the vaults of the Escarpment, Vault 67, where our story begins.
In the year 2252, Vault 67 opened its door for the first time in almost 200 years. A team of scavengers were sent out to scout what was left of what was once Canada's most industrious and populated area. What greeted them was not a welcoming sight. The rich forests of the area were no more, replaced with kilometers of dead trees, like needles sticking out of the ground. In the distance they could see a great tower, surrounded by vast stretches of ruins. The records called the city Toronto. As they spread out and searched more, they discovered small patches of civilization. People who somehow managed to survive the fires of the warheads without the protection of a vault. These people were generally peaceful, and trading between the two groups began. Vault 67 gave the settlers water, while the settlers provided anything they could gather from the wastes. It seemed like there was a possibility of prosperity and peace. And for a while there was.
But tensions began to rise between the two societies. The wastelanders saw how nice life in the Vault was. Free water, food and clean living conditions. Some wastelanders began to make offers to the Overseer, asking for housing within the vault. But the Overseer knew she could not let them in. Not only would it be unfair for the residents, but there was hardly enough room for them. She knew that if she let one or two in, they would all want in, and she could not have that. So she simply began to say 'No'. This made the wastelanders angry, and they began to attack the vaults traders, taking their supplies. The Overseer had no choice but to recall everyone from the area and reseal the doors. Life in the vault went on as it had the years before: boring, but safe. Yet Vault 67 would never be the same after opening its doors.
"I don't want to take my G.O.A.T." William Foreman was your classic: 'Too Cool For School' kind of guy. He wore his vault suit with his sleeves rolled up and deliberately ripped parts of his pants. He had a full head of black hair, which was always unkempt. He was the son of the Chief of Security, and therefore one of the few people allowed having guns in the vault. He was quite good with them as well.
"We all know you're gunna get Chief of Security, just like your dad." Ashley Smith was the only girl in the group. She had short red hair in a ponytail, covered in a blue bandana. She had quite a few ear piercings as well. She was a tomboy, partly because her dad is a vault engineer, but mostly because there was only really one other group of girls in their age, and Ashley couldn't stand them, therefore becoming one of the guys.
"Now, that's not necessarily true, he could get anything." Maxwell Foster was the voice of reason. His mother was Overseer Elizabeth Foster. He was a boy of small stature, kind of a wimp. He had a pair of glasses and short, tidy brown hair. He wore his vault suit exactly the way it was meant to.
"If I get something like hairdresser, I'm going to kill myself." said Will, slamming his head onto the Diner's table.
"Oh, relax. Even if you do end up with hairdresser, the Overseer will pick you to be on security. It's not like what you get on your G.O.A.T. affects that." said Ashley.
"Well, whatever we get, this is probably the biggest day of our life!" said Max, excitedly.
"It's cruel to make 16 year-olds have to go through this, this early in life." said Will.
"I know, but it's the way it's been done forever, and it's not gunna change now." said Ashley. "We better get going. If we get there late, we'll all end up with Garbage Burner."
The trio began to walk towards the classroom. They could see they weren't the only people procrastinating, for there was a group of kids playing pool in the rec. room. One boy shot the 8-ball into a net and finished their game. They too, headed into the cold, steel halls of Vault 67. The classroom was in one of the lower levels of the vault, along with the clinic. They strolled through the confusing halls of the vault with ease, having memorized them at a young age. As they approached the classroom, they were stopped by a group of girls doing their makeup and giggling in a corner.
"Oh god, here we go…" said Ashley, rolling her eyes.
"Well, if it isn't 'Little Miss Mechanic'. Come to borrow some mascara? Oh, of course not. The auto shop is downstairs, Ash." giggled the leader of the girls. The girls behind her laughed hysterically and pointed at Ashley.
William threw his arm over Ashley's shoulder. "Ignore them. It wasn't even that good of an insult. I could have thought of a thousand better things to call you."
"Thanks…"
William let out a laugh. "I'm just kidding! Come on. Let's go take the test."
William, Maxwell and Ashley walked into the classroom. They took their usual three seats in the back corner of the classroom. Their teacher, Mr. Horwath was pacing along the front of the classroom. Their teacher was always a nervous wreck. He had spent the last week or so ranting to his students about how they were all going to fail and get Garbage Burner as their result, which isn't exactly reassuring. He got Max to pass out the exams while he turned on the projector. The screen at the front of the class came alive with the feared image of Vault-Boy riding a goat.
"Alright students, are…are you ready?" stuttered Mr. Horwath. He was answered by a heavy silence, broken only by William slamming his head into his desk, again.
Mr. Horwath looked around nervously as he dimmed the lights. "…okay, Here we go."
The G.O.A.T. is a relatively small test, only 10 multiple choice questions long. However, the reason why the teens of the vault dreaded it was because their result would most likely become their profession in the vault for the rest of their lives, giving it the name Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test. G.. It asks questions designed to find out your personality or skills, so it can place you in a position. The screen changed slides to show the current question and a corresponding image. After about 25 minutes, the final answer was circled, and the lights came back on.
The students grabbed their tests and formed a line in front of Mr. Horwath's desk. He took the test out of the first student's hand read it over. He nodded and said something to the boy. The boy turned around with a grin and gave his friend behind him a high-five. His friend was next. This time, when the boy turned around, he seemed very upset. He told his friend his result and his friend burst out in laughter.
William leaned over and whispered into Max's ear. "Probably got Garbage Burner"
"Hey, don't be like that! You were so worried a minute ago, what happened?" said Max.
"Oh, I'm not anymore, I totally aced that."
Mr. Horwath looked over to their group. "Ms. Smith. You're next."
Ashley handed her test to the teacher. He looked over it and grinned. "Well, no surprise here! Looks like you're going to be the new Jukebox Technician! Good thing, too. Damn thing always skips at the best parts."
Ashley shrugged and returned to the boys. "Jukebox Technician. I think I can live with that."
"Mr. Foster!" called Mr. Horwath. Max too, handed his test over the teacher. Mr. Horwath read it and looked up at Max. "Pip-Boy Technician! Lots of science-ey stuff! You like that, right?"
Maxwell was beaming when he came back to his friends. "I got Pip-Boy Technician!"
William smirked and said: "Oh really, I thought they would've named you the Overseer right then and there."
"Oh, shut up, Will. You knew that wasn't gunna happen." said Ashley scornfully. "Go, It's your turn."
"Just kidding, you guys!" said Will, heading towards the desk. He confidently placed his test on it. Mr. Horwath picked it up and read it over. After a few references to another very official looking form, he looked up at William and said: "Fry Cook!"
"Fry… Fry Cook? No, there's gotta be a mistake, right?"
"Nope. Says right here. Come on, it's not that bad. Besides, I'm pretty sure you'll be a nice change from the current guy. I'm pretty sure he spits in our burgers…"
William was absolutely devastated. The short trip back to his friends felt like miles. His head was spinning violently. Fry Cook? He was going to have to spend the rest of his life flipping patties. It's barely better than Garbage Burner.
"Hey you don't look good. What'd you get?" asked Max.
"Fry Cook." answered William. The other two exchanged worried glances.
Hours later, all the teens of the vault were in the rec. room celebrating their new jobs. Music was loud, and the Nuka-Cola machine was overflowing. However Max, Ashley and Will were in a booth in the corner of the room. Ashley was staring intently at the jukebox; Max was studying the Pip-Boy in his forearm, and William was banging his head onto the table in beat with the music.
"Oh, lighten up." said Ashley.
"Yeah, at least it's not Garbage Burner!" said Maxwell.
"Whatever, I'm sure we'll all be sick of our jobs in a bit. We'll perform the same menial task everyday for the rest of our lives. How meaningless our lives are." said Will, woefully. "It wasn't like that back when the vault was open. Those must have been the days."
"Will, you know my mom doesn't like it when we talk about that." Max said quietly.
William defended himself. "Yeah? And why not? Both my and Ash's fathers were part of the group that got to explore topside. We grew up hearing stories of the adventures they had up there. It makes the vault seem that much more boring."
"You're right, Will. We shouldn't have to be cooped up down here when it's been proven we can survive up there." agreed Ashley
"You guys…" said Max nervously.
William slammed his fist down on the table and grinned. "It's decided then. We're breaking out of the vault!"