An alarm goes off in the early morning darkness of the suburban bungalow, coming from the otherwise quiet blue house sitting atop the slop of the hill, perfect in every sense of the word right down to the mathematically square hedges lining the bright green grass. Its neighbours all sit in relative quiet, just as bright in color and perfect in presentation as the next.
Inside, the sound jolts Nate Robertson into immediate consciousness as he lays bare-chested, blankets askew, on the right side of his double twin bed. His heart pounding, sheets soaked wet under his back, his eyes glue to the dark grey ceiling in his bedroom to focus on the sunlight streaming in across the room from the open bit of curtain on the windows. He rejects and shakes away the nightmarish fear still bubbling in his stomach from another mind twisted dream he'd suffered trying once again to sleep soundly through the night. He is mildly thankful for the military trained internal alert system that allowed him to be alert at the sound of his clock alarm, with that in mind, he reaches over and shuts it off.
He glances to the stirring woman still sleeping at his side, she didn't have to worry about nightmares as he does, because of his service to the country, and it's because of that that he harbours no regret for what he experienced. He leans over to brush her bright blonde hair off of her neck and press a gentle kiss to her bare shoulder.
Nate pulls on a pair of shorts and exits the room to cross the narrow hall, opening the sliding door directly across from the master bedroom as quietly as he can to peer into the blue and yellow accented nursery. In the center, a bright blue wooden crib sitting as quiet as the infant he can see through the bars, his son lying open armed and snoozing peacefully without a care.
With a smile, he leaves the door open just a bit and grabs a towel from the laundry room to shower.
The room is heavy with condensation when he pulls his underclothes on, sounds from outside the room alert him to Codsworth powering up and his wife speaking to their baby son. He wipes the steam from the mirror and begins to shave, the blades press awkward and uneven against the scars on his chin and jaw. One's he accumulated through battle, and most he doesn't remember getting. Once smooth, he runs a little gel through his damp hair to pull the bangs back from his face.
Parting the hair in the center, he notices the ever approaching tiny white hairs beginning to grow out into his roots, replacing his brunette crown with something far more aged than we would have preferred. He found that, not only is his hair going grey, his face is sagged with lines crinkling around his eyes and brackets that line his mouth. He doesn't remember looking this old and tired before enlistment, even the blue in his eyes is looking dull.
"Hey," A soft voice comes from the doorway behind him, pulling his attention to the woman in the reflection of the mirror, Carolyn, standing with her hand on the doorframe wearing a silky white nightgown, the one he recalls pulling off of her last night, "How did you sleep?"
"Pretty good," He lies.
"Is the medication helping?"
"Yeah, I think so," He lies again.
She looks relieved, smiling as she approaches and slides a hand gently onto his shoulder. Nate finds that lying to her lately has made her feel more at ease, especially when it's about his recovery. What she doesn't know won't hurt her; it might do the both of them good to have a little good old fashioned optimism around here.
Plus he'd do just about anything to see her smile.
"I put your suit in the closet yesterday after the drycleaners delivered," She presses a cheek to his shoulder blade, "What time do we need to be at the Veterans Hall tonight?"
"Before 1800," He rinses the gel from his hands, warmed at the sensation of her opposite hand rubbing a light circle just under the base of his shirt.
"So, six?"
"Yeah, sorry, six," He corrects.
"Okay," She steps back, "I'll put Shaun down for a nap at two. He should sleep right through the event if we're lucky. Nora wants to meet up for lunch later; maybe you could get some air while I'm gone, take Shaun to the park, or take a drive?"
"Yeah," He answers noncommittally, which Carolyn acknowledges with a soft sigh. He tries to be engaging almost all the time to prevent her from getting suspicious of his proclaimed behaviour change; however he's totally distracted by the tremor in his hands. He rubs them together and clears his throat, ready to offer her the bathroom, "All yours."
She stands between him and the door, looking up at him with concern. He passes her a playful look to reassure her that he's okay and it's enough to perk her pretty beam. She stands on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, "You're going to be great tonight."
"Yes, ma'am" He agrees with a pleased hum.
He meanders out in the hall, letting his wife take over the bathroom for her own beauty regime. Bare feet on carpet, he soundlessly walks into the shared living room and kitchen portion of their small home. At the sink he passes a glance to their Mr. Handy Robo-Butler, Codsworth, already hard at work on the dishes from dinner last night.
One of the Bots three eye visors turn to see Nate as he crosses the room to the newspaper sitting on the end of the counter, "Ah, Good Morning Sir!" It exclaims with chipper that no one possessed this early in the morning, "Your coffee, 173.5 degrees Fahrenheit, brewed to perfection! And today's newspaper, just delivered!"
"Thanks," Nate passes it a customary smile, though he's not sure if the Bot registers things like that so much. With the newspaper in hand, he chances a sip of the coffee, a little guilty that he doesn't really have a taste for it anymore, the perfectly brewed hot beverage wasn't exactly provided on the field by demand.
He glances over to the bottle of Bourbon sitting on the alcohol dresser next to the recently used fireplace; he bought it for the occasion where Mr. Able would come over to visit and complain about anything he could think of, the night usually ended with Nate helping the old man back to his own suburban bungalow three doors down. He might have the right idea after all, a shot of that might just entice him to find the taste for caffeine again.
Nate passes a sideways acting casual glance to Codsworth before he sets the coffee down on the dresser and knocks at few ounces of the liquor into the mug. A testing sip confirms his hypothesis and he returns to scanning the newspaper with it to his lips. He's a few pages into an article on the newest flavour of Nuka-Cola when he spots Carolyn walk into the room from the corner of his eye.
"And a Good Morning to you as well, Mum!" Codsworth exclaims, "And might I say you look absolutely stunning!"
Nate's eyes lock on his wife as she smiles at the Bot and bows in a mock curtsy. She's wearing her favourite dress, pink in color with a matching set of heels. He takes in the sight of her tightly wrapped upper body generously; his mind stretches back, thinking fondly of last night before bed. Carolyn had finally found her confidence in the bedroom again after losing the baby weight; something Nate hadn't really considered a problem in the slightest, considering it was in no means an unattractive gain.
It's then, that he realizes that this is the first time she's worn this dress in over a year.
"Thank you, Codsworth," She beams.
"Of course, Mum!"
One thing Nate really missed about not having the probing Bot around in their small house is the privacy gained by just shutting the blinds at a moment's notice. He would certainly not object to having Carolyn all to himself here in the kitchen right about now, unfortunately, he hasn't yet figured out how to turn Codsworth off without the use of a blunt force instrument.
Suddenly from the end of the hall in the open nursery, Nate hears the cry of his son. Both he and Carolyn perk up simultaneously and turn to the sound like they were a pair of jackrabbits with an ear out for danger. However, before either of them could make a move to respond, Codsworth is already on the scene with surprising speed, "Ah, it sounds like someone's made a stinky! Don't trouble yourselves; I shall attend to young Shaun."
The married pair watches the Bot float down the hall and disappear into the nursery without saying a word of protest. Changing his son's diapers is one thing that Nate certainly doesn't miss.
"You know, I was a little nervous at first, but Codsworth is really good with Shaun." Carolyn hums.
Nate nods a little in agreement, "We should probably get him serviced soon."
"You know, Nora's husband was offering to come over and upgrade him for beer and a decent sandwich," She offers playfully, "Maybe we should invite them over, I feel like you and Don would really get along, you could bond over enlistment?"
Nate glances at her over the paper and responds with a dismissive hum. Nora is Carolyn's best friend, and he gets that they're not bad people. He just doesn't like how overly comfortable Don acts around him, like they're already good friends. It sets Nate on edge though he doesn't really know why, and to be honest, the last thing he'd want to talk about to a guy like that is his time on the field. He's also still pissed about Don accusing him of domestic abuse a few years back because Carolyn had gotten a large bruise on her arm from slipping in the shower, not something he's likely to forget anytime soon even though it's clear Don already has.
Besides, Nate finds it perfectly reasonable to have mild trust issues with an oriental engineer offering to upgrade the robot that babysits his infant son.
Carolyn hesitates to offer some kind of counter to his apathetic response, but she's interrupted instead by the door bell. As far as he knew, neither of them was expecting anyone to show up this early in the morning. Nate guesses it might be Nora, considering she and Carolyn are going out later, but when he cranes his head to peer through the living room window, he can see the overly familiar blue Vault-Tec vehicle sitting on the road just in front of their house. He sighs with contempt, "It's that salesman again."
"Again?" She follows his gaze through the window, "Well, I'd better see what he wants."
Nate stares after her, thinking for a moment that the looming presence of the watchful and protective husband might just cut his visit short. That and maybe she's looking a little too good in that dress, especially for someone with wandering eyes like that Vault-Tec Rep.
He sets the newspaper down and carries his mug with him as he settles himself on the red couch sitting long ways next to the opening of the door to create a hallway feel when someone walks in. It's also great for eavesdropping. Carolyn only looks down at him, knowing exactly what he's doing, and shakes her head in mild disapproval as she opens the door.
Nate looks to the man in the yellow fedora and matching trench coat, holding his clipboard to his chest with a bright and eager expression that darkens the moment he see's Nate halfway glaring him down.
He focuses back on Carolyn, tapping his fingers like he forgot what he was going to say, "Uh, good morning!"
"Good Morning" Carolyn responds, motioning to the logo on the van parked out front, "Vault-Tec, right?"
"Oh, yes! Ha-ha, right you are!" He appears to hop right back into his salesman pitch, "And I cannot begin to express how happy I am to finally speak with you, I've been trying for days. It's of the utmost urgency, I assure you!"
Carolyn glances down to Nate with an unsure and mildly amused smile before answering, "Okay, I'll bite, what's so important?"
"Why, nothing less than your entire future. If you haven't noticed, ma'am, this country has gone to heck in a hand basket, if you'll pardon the uh... language. The big kaboom is, well it's inevitable, I'm afraid. And it's coming sooner than you think." He lowers is voice a little and leans in, "If you catch my meaning."
Nate feels a growl rise in his throat; he can't stand these doomsday enthusiasts ready to exploit dread from innocent people who don't know any better. He glares at the man, wanting to be perfectly clear that this family isn't in the business of giving into fear mongering, "We're not buying anything."
The man's smile drops for a moment, "Oh, don't you worry; I'm not selling anything, not today, now, I know you're busy people, so I won't take up much of your time, time being a, um, precious commodity..." He clears his throat, "I'm here to tell you, that because of your family's service to our country," He looks to Nate, "Uh, Your service Sir, you have all been pre-selected for entrance into the local Vault. Vault 111."
Carolyn nods slowly, "Oh, okay... Well, that sounds like it would be really nice, but we have a busy day ahead of us, so maybe you could just mail us the information instead, to give us time to... mull it over?"
"Oh" He waves his hands quickly, "Won't take but a moment, we just need to verify some information to make sure you're cleared for entrance, in the unforeseen event of... total atomic annihilation."
Carolyn exchanges a look with Nate, a silent conversation considering whether or not they should really bother. Nate really doubted, after the war against the Communists, that they would really risk bombing the US. All that would be good for is some good ole' fashioned Mutually Assured Destruction because without a shadow of a doubt the US would just bomb them all back.
All he cares about right now, however, is getting this salesman's shoes off of his doormat and is eyes off of Carolyn's chest, so finally he just shrugs and exclaims with heavy sarcasm, "The apocalypse? Hell, sign us up!"
The Rep laughs nervously, "That's the spirit..."
He hands the clipboard over to Carolyn and waits as she fills out the small questionnaire; it takes all about five minutes of Nate staring him down to the point where he looks like he's about to melt into a puddle the same shade as that god-awful coat. By the time she hands it back over to him, he looks like he's very eager to end the exchange and get the hell off of Nate's front steps, hopefully for good.
"Wonderful, that's everything" He points a thumb behind him, "Just... gonna walk this over to the Vault, congratulations on being prepared for the future!"
Carolyn shuts the door just about as quickly as the man takes off towards his van without giving her a chance to thank him; she turns to Nate with the spitting image of totally not impressed. He does his very best to look innocent despite his slowly growing coffee-bourbon buzz.
"Was all that necessary?"
He sips his cooling mug, "No, but I personally don't like paper-work."
She leans in and takes his coffee right out of his hands, and the moment she does, he immediately regrets being at all experimental. A single sip tells her all she needs to know, but of course she's going to ask him anyways, "Is there alcohol in this?"
Nate takes a moment to figure out exactly which response is going to come with the least amount of confrontation, "I'm not a fan of creamer."
What hits him the most about when Carolyn is angry with him, is that she never yells, she never antagonises, she never insults or belittles. When she's angry, it's wet and miserable and it always makes Nate feel like the biggest piece of shit in Boston.
"Christ, Nate, you know you're not supposed to drink while on your medication, we talked about this!" She urges with despondence, "Why are you even drinking this early in the morning?"
A really good question, he could have put sugar in his coffee instead of bourbon, "I just thought it would improve the flavour, I don't really have a taste for coffee anymore, I thought it might help."
The look on her face tells him that she knows he's lying, maybe not even about this, but about something. Instead of figuring it out like he knows she has the smarts to do, she dismisses it with a small smile and hands the coffee back to him, "It does taste better."
"Why do you even doubt me?" He reaches out with an arm to grab her dress and pull her towards the back of the couch, close enough to hook an arm around her waist.
"You're such an ass," She sniffles back what could have been one hell of an early morning guilt trip.
"I have my moments."
With a small sigh, Carolyn reaches down to clear a few stray hairs from his forehead. He offers a bittersweet smile and presses his face into the fabric of her dress, comfort that makes him feel so exhausted all of the sudden. He really doesn't want to make a speech in front of all those people tonight; he'd rather just accept his compensation and forget any of it ever happened. He'd like to take a drive to the coast with his family, radio playing, windows open, wind mucking up any attempts at a decent amount of hair gel.
He ought to pack his uniform away. Maybe bury it in the back yard.
Suddenly, from the nursery where Codsworth had gone only minutes prior, there's the distinct sound of an unhappy infant fussing which is almost immediately followed by a wail. Nate lifts his head up just as Carolyn turns to look over her shoulder. They both watch as Codsworth bubbles back into the main room with little to no concern in its voice as it addresses Carolyn, "Mum, Shaun has been changed but he absolutely refuses to calm down! I think he needs some of that 'maternal affection' you seem to be so good at."
The comforts of a mother that a steel bulbous butler couldn't give a baby, maybe robots aren't meant to overthrow the working class after all. He lets go of Carolyn and gives her a little pat on the bum, "I'll join you in a sec, 'kay?"
She hums, "Don't bully Codsworth."
It's not bullying if he isn't receptive to it, it's more like yelling at a toaster for being a toaster, "I won't."
He allows Carolyn to make it into the hall before he lifts himself off of the couch with the fluid ease of a light buzz and steps into the kitchen to lean on the counter, watching their butler work on the last bit of cleaning. He might consider allowing Nora's husband poke around his systems if it means he could change some of its settings in the process.
"Hey, Codsworth, how would you feel about some adjustments?" Nate asks.
"Adjustments?" It inquires with a single oculus turning around to address him, "I'm not sure what upgrades you're referring to Sir, as my most recent diagnostic informed me my system is operating at full capacity with latest software upgrades to date! Unless of course you're referring to something off-the-books, which I highly do not advise considering the warranty would no long be valid after such... adjustments. However, there are minor modifications you could achieve within the contract, such as seasonal finish color!"
Nate smirks in mild victory, and then considers for a moment what a Halloween themed Mr. Handy would look like, he immediately thinks of its large bulbous head being painted like a jack-o-lantern, "Good to know, thanks."
"Do let me know if you intend to make any changes so I may plan my duties in advance."
He offers the Bot a half-hearted thumbs-up before turning to join Carolyn in the nursery. Arguing about the warranty was enough for him to say no to have Don over, if that was his only excuse. Nate is sure he can come up with something else to avoid him for the rest of his life if necessary.
Down the hall, he can hear Carolyn singing lightly to their son to calm him, which sounds like it's working pretty well. He stands by the door to listen out of view, propping himself against the wall.
Let's go sunnin', it's so good for you, let's go sunnin'
He sighs lightly; he knows it hasn't been easy for either of them since he came home. There was always this undeniable wall between them that he couldn't figure out how to scale and climb, or break down in this case, in order to be as close as they were before his enlistment. It made him angry to think about how much it had changed him, how it was going to affect the rest of his life.
Sometimes, he even considered that Carolyn might be afraid of him, and that it's her that put the wall up and preventing him from getting too close. He could tell by the way she tensed at his touch.
No, it's just an adjustment period, it's been great these past eight months, and it feels like, despite not being able to sleep properly, everything's getting back to normal. Once he's able to prove to the doctor that the worst of his PTSD has passed, he'll be able to rejoin the work force and start providing for his family again. It's all this slumping around the house that's making him feel so off.
Nate considers the gift he'd been meaning to give her at the right time, perhaps sooner rather than later would be ideal. He was going to slip it to her as part of her birthday gift in November, to go with the dress he'd special ordered. But the dress could be enough for that.
Speaking off sunnin'.
Nate finally turns the corner to lean against the door frame, Carolyn holds the bundle in her arms, bobbing him in time with her soft lulling, rocking on her hips as she stares down at his chubby little face, running a finger along his cheek with a gentle grin. Nate smiles, "My boy isn't giving his mother any trouble, is he?"
"He just needed a little maternal affection," She coos at Shaun, "Right?"
"I fixed that mobile on his crib the other day," He offers, gesturing to the dangling space ships hovering just over the crib, "Give it a spin."
She reaches over and flips the small switch on the motor of the device, a cute little tune rings and the mobile starts to turn slowly. Carolyn leans over as if to show Shaun the mobile in action, pointing to it for him, "Look," She mock gasps in surprise, "Yeah, daddy fixed it for you!"
Shaun giggles at the sight, kicking his feet out, wiggling under the blanket.
"That's my boy, on his best behaviour, just like his dad," Nate grins and Carolyn gives him a look, he shrugs a little and adds, "Well, most of the time, anyway..."
Carolyn smiles at him, returning her attention to their son as he settles down. It always surprised Nate to some extent how comfortable she is with being a mother, even during her pregnancy, it's like she was born to do it. She'd often hold her stomach and talk to the growing life inside of her, talk about how nice the weather is outside, talk about how they're going to take him to the stadium like she had when she was little.
And then her stomach would growl, and she's say, 'I agree, how about some ice cream? Ice cream it is.'
Nate had been worried about her being a first time mother, hell; he should have been worried about being a first time father because she's handling it so much better than he is. At first, he'd been scared shitless to hold his own son. Of course, he managed to figure it all out, but hearing him cry still sent him an anxious little punch to the gut.
"Hey, listen," He walks into the room, up to the end of the crib, "After breakfast, I was thinking we could head to the park for a bit, weather should hold up."
She looks over to him with bright and hopeful eyes, he doesn't often offer to get out of the house much, "That sounds great; we should also get some pumpkins from Concord, carve them up for Halloween."
"Yeah," He smirks, "I was also thinking about getting some orange paint from the hardware store, make Codsworth look like a jack-o-lantern when he powers down."
Carolyn starts to laugh, a pleasant and catchy sound that prompts Nate to follow. However, just as the giggles die down, a mildly alarmed call sounds from the other side of the house. Nate doesn't quite recognize it at first because the only other person in the house is Codsworth and it never sounds anything but chipper, "Sir, Mum, I think you should come see this!"
Carolyn frowns and calls over Nate's shoulder to the open nursery door, "What's wrong, honey?"
"I'm sure it's nothing serious," Nate assures, reaching out to press a hand to her lower back, "Maybe it forgot to wax the car or something."
Carolyn holds Shaun close as Nate guides her from the room, they file out into the living room where Codsworth hovers in the living room next to the window, staring down at the TV Nate left on while halfway listening to the morning weather. The same news reporter is still on, but the tone of his voice is low and almost trembling as he speaks, "... followed by flashes... yes, blinding flashes..."
Nate slips by Carolyn to stand next to the bot to get a clearer picture as she walks over to the front door and glances through the small window, "Nate," She says, "All of our neighbours are out on the street, what's going on?"
He doesn't answer, because he refuses to allow the dark though encircling his mind to fully process as the man on the TV receives a new bundle of papers from someone off-screen, he watches the man's expression turn despondent as he struggles to speak, "...we do have... coming in... confirmed reports. I repeat, confirmed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania... My God..."
Nate's stomach drops as the signal is lost on the TV, the dull ring of the system seems to trigger another, louder, and more urgent sound from outside. A full roar that, as Carolyn opens the door seconds prior seems to enrapture his senses with the gut wrenching critical alerts that drilled into him like a whole other sense, the sound of an impending air drop, a bomb siren.
It was impossible; he'd told himself that so many times over the last year. They won the war and everything was supposed to go back to normal, that's what they had told him. This can't be happening, not to them, not when everything was so perfect.
"Nate!" Carolyn cries over the alarm, grabbing his arm and snapping him from his own frozen shock, "What's happening?!"
"We need to go," He steels himself, tearing his gaze from the black and white reel ringing silent on the TV, "We need to go, now!"
Nate grabs her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders to pull her from their home, abandoning everything inside. He first see's the wind ripping at the tree's, leaves scattering and twisting at the ground, and then a large black Vertibird blast overhead what feels like inches from the tops of the houses, and like Carolyn had said, all of their neighbours are standing on the sidewalk, hesitant and scared.
"What about our home?" Carolyn curls her arms around their son, "What about Codsworth?! We can't just leave him there."
Nate shakes his head; he's not going back for anything, especially not their fucking butler. He gives her a light shove in the direction of the only place he knew would be safe, that Vault, "There's no time," They both start to jog down the street, "They've already dropped in New York!"
Carolyn turns her head to look at their house, which Nate assumes is going to be the last time either of them see it, but he can't think of that now, he can't afford to be wistful in a time sensitive situation. The bombs could drop here literally at any second, and the close they get to the Vault, the higher chance they'll have of surviving.
They make it down the street to where Vault-Tec employees are guiding people off into the forest, a path that the locals used to use to get up to the plot of land that used to be a sight-seeing destination turned into make-out point. It had been purchased a while ago and cut off for the long duration of construction, but Nate and Carolyn had moved in long after it had been complete. He's not even sure there were houses here until after it was finished.
Another large Vertibird flies overhead, announcing that all residents make their way to the Vault, the family of three passes the halfway point, crossing the bridge and up the steep incline of the hill. The collaboration of sounds, the siren, loudspeaker, the Vertibirds, it all makes Nate's head spin, he can almost hear gunfire and screaming in the distance. He can almost feel the weight of an AK in his hands, the sweat on his brow, the ache in his muscles, the burning breath of his own body protesting length of the battle, hours and hours, days and weeks in the trench. His hands begin to tremble as he continues to guide Carolyn along.
"Nora!" Carolyn gasps.
Nate spots his neighbour as she jogs to a stop just around the bend of the hill; her hair is in a mess of black tendrils as it's whipped around by the wind. Her blue sweater is askew, her long pale legs exposed and anything higher is barely covered by the length of her long white t-shirt, barefoot, and totally unprepared as the world for this sudden and alarming event.
"Where's Don?" Carolyn asks as they approach.
"He's already inside, he was doing maintenance all night," She pants, "Carol they're not letting anyone in unless they already signed up, there's a crowd outside the gate, please, please, tell me you signed up!"
"Yes," Carolyn grabs her hand, "Th-this morning, we signed up- it... it feels like it was only minutes ago."
"We have to go." Nate urges with a snap, Nora looks to him for an instant, something cold and reserved, before she quickly agrees and takes the lead up the hill.
As they finish the bend, he sees that Nora was right, there's a crowd of people stopped at some sort of gated checkpoint guarded by a man in uniform as well as two soldiers fully suited in T-60 Power Armour wielding large and unforgiving weapons. He notes coldly that the stoic faced man doesn't seem to be at all phased by the terrified pleading of the people huddled together.
"That's absurd, I AM Vault-Tec!" An unwelcome and familiar voice yells over the crowd, and Nate recognizes the ugly yellow trench coat of the salesman that stopped on their doorstep moments ago. It looks like he's not getting into the Vault either anytime soon.
"You're not on the list," The man responds.
"I'm going in!" The Rep insists, "I'm going in and you're not going to-!"
The soldier steps forward and throws a solid punch to the salesman's jaw, throwing him back and tossing his matching yellow fedora into the air, landing at Nate's feet as he stops at the edge of the crowd. The people around them cry out in surprise and outrage as the Rep stumbles back and away.
"You can't do this!" Someone shouts from one of the groups, and a chorus of howling agreements follow. The uniformed man turns to look at the soldier in the Power Armour at his right; the soldier then hoists his large mini-gun upwards and fires a deafening barrage of rounds into the air to silence everyone instantly.
"If you're in the program, step forward!" He shouts, "Otherwise, return home!"
Everything is suddenly eerily quiet, and Nate realizes that the siren has stopped. His gut twists in urgency and he begins to shove his way through the crowd alone, towards the man in uniform that he has no problem having no time to salute to, "We registered this morning."
The man looks over Nate's shoulder to where Carolyn is standing with Shaun in her arms; he then looks to his clip board for what feels like the longest drawn out few seconds in his life, "Infant, adult male, adult female. Ok, go ahead."
"Thank you, sir," Nate takes a stiff and relieved breath, and then motions his wife forward. She carefully passes the people around her, looking at each of them as she does, her face is lined with sorrow and helplessness, Nate reaches out and pulls her the rest of the way, because as he's experienced in the past, it's impossible to save everyone, it's just how the world works.
As they file passed the soldier, he stops Nora as she tries to follow, "You're not with them."
The woman's eyes go wide with panic, "Wait, my husband is working maintenance in the vault!"
"We're going to need to confirm that, Ma'am, please step back." He pushes her back behind the gate and into the crowd already doomed. Nate knows then that she's not going to make it in with them, and the look on her face tells her that she knows it too.
Nora catches Nate's eye, something in her face goes slack into a sorrowful expression of acceptance. Just like that, he feels like he's known her for years, and the silent communication between them is as clear as day.
"Wait, no!" Carolyn calls out, trying to pull herself back towards the gate, back to her best friend, "Nora!"
Nate reaches out and grabs Carolyn, gathering her up in his arms as she struggles. She tries to push herself away, to get loose, but he's not letting her go, "Let her in, her husband is in the Vault, please, Nora!"
Another soldier waits at the top of the slope, motioning them forward, and Nate starts to jog with the weight of his wife and son in his arms, burning muscles he hasn't used in what feels like years, but he's not letting go, not even as Carolyn's protest dies down into shocked gasps still turned and outstretched over his shoulder, barely heard through the new sounds around them, soldiers shouting orders into radios, the mechanical hum of equipment, another Vertibird flying overhead, and the wind bursting clouds of dust and leaves in small twisting storms.
Nate feels like he's suddenly placed back into the midst of a military camp, it looks like everyone here has been set up for hours, they knew what was coming long before the news report came through. How did they not hear the military land on their doorstep this morning?
The soldier leading them forward points to a small crown of people standing on some kind of metal platform in the open area overlooking the entire neighbourhood, "Step on the platform, in the center!"
Nate quickly races up to join the crowd, eyes scanning the distant horizon looking for planes, waiting to see the bright orange flare of the nuclear fire just waiting for them. He holds Carolyn still in his arms, the adrenaline pumping through his system is allowing his body to support the weight without much protest on the matter. That and he's afraid she'll try and go back if he lets her go.
"We're almost there," He assures her, looking down to the face of his son, eyes large and blue with alarm, but he hasn't cried at all. Calm in the center of the storm, that's my boy.
Carolyn is shaking, her eyes pooled and shiny with tears, "We just left her there..."
Nate hesitates, he knows what she really means, that he is the one who left Nora there. He knows that Nora wanted Carolyn safe, and that's what she'd told him to do in that silent moment of eye contact, keep her safe. He knows Nora doesn't like him much; no doubt she's seen the worst of his relationship before it had the chance to get better, but she knows he loves his wife, and he's willing to do whatever it takes, including leaving everyone else behind.
"It's going to be okay, just focus on Shaun," He forces himself to grin, "Look at him, look how calm he is, we should do this more often!"
Carolyn slowly looks down to their son, adjusting her hold and pulling his small blue cap on a little snugger, "Hey, sweetie," She coos wetly, "...big tough guy, you don't cry over anything but food and a wet diaper do you?"
She chuckles as the infant looks up to his mother with a gummy grin and giggles. Nate leans over and presses a kiss to the top of her head, "We're going to be okay, I lov-"
The air is suddenly filled with an impossibly bright light; a violent vibration that forces Nate to his knee, his back is warmed by something far hotter than the sun. Carolyn gasps aloud and turns to see, but Nate forces her head down, "Close your eyes!" He doesn't need to see what just landed to know what it is, his shadow burns black and clear on the metal at his feet, he looks to his right and see's the distant trees being torn forward by the shockwave approaching faster than a full speed carrier.
Men at the controls shout frantically to lower the platform; the metal rumbles again under his feet as they slowly begin to descend, far too slowly, they're not going to make it. No one is.
The aftershock finally hits them, knocking him them all down on the platform only a meter underground. A billow of wind roars above, drowning out the cries of those around him and those above with nowhere to go. Nate braces over his wife and child like a shield and everyone is encapsulated by the thick darkness that follows the overhead door sealing shut and cutting off every sound. The silence that follows is terrifying, almost so stark that he can hear his blood rushing in violent pulses through his body. The mechanical hum of the platform coming to a stop in the light signals a universal numbness that takes over everyone as they takes several moments to gather themselves back up.
No one says a word, not even as the man claiming to be the 'Overseer' addresses them with a misplaced sense of friendly hospitality, sounding much like the sales Rep that signed them up only this morning. Nate had been such an ass to him, if Carolyn hadn't been there, he would have sent him off without batting an eye, and he'd be as dead as everyone above ground. Everyone he'd ever known in a world that he would never see again.
They walk in a quiet and hesitant group, Nate keeps his arm around Carolyn as they make their way forward and up a set of stairs, through an impossibly large and thick gear shaped Vault door, picturesque to the images in the pamphlets they get with the mail. Nate would toss them in the trash; barely look at them with anything other than distain. If he'd known that one of these Vaults would be the source of his family's salvation, maybe he would have taken more care to research and be prepared for the apparent inevitability. But no one, not even a soldier, expects that something like this would happen in their life, it always happens to someone else, someone he'd see on TV that he could feel sympathy for and be thankful that nothing like that ever happened to him.
As they cross the bridge and step through the small gate, they're greeted by more Vault-Tec employee's who act cheerful and totally oblivious to what's happening above them. Nate finds himself hating them for it and maybe it's because they're all so eager to forget and focus on being the lucky few who've been spared. Maybe Nate wishes he could be happy he and his family survived, but all he can think about is the futility of it all. Nothing he did on the field did any good, and just as history taught them, people are going to destroy each other and everything with them. Mutually Assured Destruction, once a joke is now a painful reality.
He's handed something, a package with something soft inside, what looks like some kind of uniform, the same thing everyone in the Vault is already wearing. A snug blue and yellow jumpsuit, he already dreads what kind of boarding school system they have in store with keeping everyone living peacefully underground for however long it takes. Nate was taught about the true devastation one of those bombs could cause, how it obliterates at short range, and sickens those at long range. He can still feel the heat on his back like mild sunburn, anyone closer would have caught fire as instantly as the shockwave would have killed them. Everything boiling seconds before being blown away like ash, even if they did eventually make it back above ground, nothing would be the same.
Images of green grass pour into his mind, a field back home with his family. His young son holding a catcher's mitt far too big for his hand and tossing a baseball to him just too short, Nate dramatically diving to catch it, his son laughing at the grass stains on his shirt. Carolyn sitting close by on a blanket with a book watching them as Nate picks up Shaun and tosses him in the air, catching him with the shrill laughter of a toddler. Everything that Nate used to think about; being the kind of father that he didn't have... it's all going to change.
They follow a doctor down a long hallway, what looks like underground military barracks, Nate notices the machines through the windows they pass, nothing he was familiar with, nothing he was sure about. People are climbing into them, for what reason, he doesn't know, but he certainly doesn't like it.
"...one of our most advanced facilities, not that the others aren't great, mind you" The scientist finishes a sentence that Nate had tuned out a while ago.
"How long will we be down here?" Carolyn's voice is thick with grief, tired.
"Oh, we'll be going over all that in orientation. Just a few medical items we have to get through first."
Nate isn't sure he wants to know what kind. Everything about Vault-Tec is an unknown to him, all he knows is that they're scientifically advanced and for good or worse, they're going to be controlling the next aspect of everyone lives. Nate really had no other choice than to trust them.
The room next to the first is also filled with less than a dozen more of those large pod-like machines. A few more of those scientists linger about, talking to some of Nate's nameless neighbours already dressed in those ridiculous suits. He and Carolyn are directed to two pods on the end that are open and unoccupied, directly across from each other. They're both directed to put their suits on before entering the chambers.
It has to at least be better than walking round barefoot in pyjama pants.
With that in mind, he quickly sheds them and pulls the Vault suit on, it wraps tight around his body, not like anything he's worn before, and it makes his post-war comfort belly stand out. He tugs on the sleeves and then the thighs with a grimace, it's hugging parts of him that were never meant to be hugged, he's sure this is a cheap one size fits all genre of clothing. He catches Carolyn staring at him with a kind of half-amused smirk; he wordlessly opens his arms in a mock pose as if to show off. She only shakes her head and then walks over to hand Shaun off so she can do the same.
She first pulls it up by the legs and then reaching back to unzip her dress to continue. Nate looks over to the scientist who'd guided them in; the man catches his eye after watching Carolyn intently, and then turns himself away with an embarrassed shuffle. Nate looks down to his son, making sure he's all snug and comfortable in his wrap. What he'd called a baby burrito at some point, he still hasn't make a sound, but he does look up at Nate with his large and wondrous eyes.
When Carolyn finishes, she reaches over to take Shaun back, but the infant begins to squirm and fuss. She hesitates and looks up to Nate a little unsure. He nods a little and smiles at her, "I'll hang onto him. It's okay."
She only smiles and quickly brushes the top of Shaun's tiny hand before she steps towards the open pod across from his.
"All done?" The scientist asks without expecting an answer and then motions to Carolyn's pod, "Just step inside and get comfortable."
Nate looks at his wife, wanting to reach out to her before they're separated, overwhelmed by the looming sense that this is some kind of goodbye. He passes it off as nothing but anxiety following what had happened, everything seems to be running smoothly, everyone being so accommodating and friendly. It might all just be Nate's reaction, trying to keep alert to any further threats, but what if this is it? What if after this, there's no more reason to be afraid? This could be the start of something peaceful and he's trying to distrust every step forward.
The scientist steps into Nate's view as the large machine closes around him, "The Pod with decontaminate and depressurize you before we head deeper into the Vault. Just relax."
Nate tries to do just that, trying to offer some kind of trust, but his heart is thundering in his chest. The cushion at his back feels numb and cold, the only thing he can think of to calm him, is to look at his son lying calmly in his arms. He feels like he can emphasise, take note from his son that nothing can be bad as it seems.
"Sequence initializing," The pod announces, "Occupant vitals, normal."
Nate lays his head back and breathes deep to calm himself.
"Procedure complete," The voice continues, but the sudden haze the clouds Nate's mind throws him into alarm, a gripping cold that seizes his body still and quickly pulls him into unconsciousness is marked by the slow declining countdown, "In 5... 4... 3... 2..."
"Manual override initiated. Cryogenic stasis suspended."
Nate's eyes shoot open and he gasps in urgency, lungs compressing against the merciless and cold air around him. He coughs are violent, trying to catch his haggard breath as he hears the cries of his son suddenly erupt from his own tiny contorted gasps. He holds Shaun close, all he can think of to do is rub the blanket in an attempt to warm him against the chill.
His head inclines to see two people standing in the dark at the foot of the open pod, one dressed in a full white hazmat suit, and the other in something causal and worn, his shoulder wrapped in some kind of partial white metal armour.
"Is it over?" He chokes out, but more urgent questions are begging for his attention, why did they put him to sleep? Where is Carolyn? What's going on? Who the fuck are these people?!
"Almost," The gruff man with the armour answers, "Everything is going to be fine."
Nate watches the man carefully, because he's not in uniform, he doesn't look like he belongs down in the Vault. Did they open the doors already? How long have they been asleep?
"Come here," The person in the hazmat suit, who sounds like a woman, reaches out gently to the wailing bundle in Nate's arms, "Come here, baby."
"I've got him," He snaps and turns away from her grasp with aching muscles. She only follows and grips the ends of the blanket, pulling Shaun away from him without regards to gentleness or consent. It becomes clear to him that they're not here to help when the man pulls out a large silver magnum and points it directly to Nate's chest.
"Let the boy go," The man states, "I'm only gonna tell you once."
Fear grips him like the cold claw of the machine all over again and he snarls in retaliation, "I'm not giving you Shaun!"
A single shot rings in the air like a firework, echoing sharp in the hollow metallic halls of the Vault, it happens not even the instant his voice finishes the protest. A piercing white hot pain rips through the left side of his chest, he doesn't even realize he'd let Shaun slip through his fingers until he sees the woman bobbing the infant to calm him, stepping away from the machine as Nate reaches out in shock to his son. His hand is dripping with his own warm blood, he gasps, coughing scarlet ooze from his punctured lung and slumps back against the cushions with spotting vision.
"Goddammit!" The man curses, "Get the kid out of here, and let's go."
The pod closes back up in an instant; Nate's strangling fear is empowering him, fuelling him with adrenaline that pounds loud in his ears. His son is being stolen, he needs to get out, and he needs to go after them. He gurgles, pressing both hands against the door, clearing his throat of more blood, too much blood, he can feel it running down the suit and can see it pooling at his foot. He's going to die.
"No-!" He gasps, pressing a hand to the glass; it only smears red over his view of outside, "Sh-!"
He can't catch his breath, he's inhaling blood, he's losing consciousness, and he can't get out of the pod with all of his energy being sucked out by the wound and by the pod reaching those increased freezing temperatures once again. Against his will, his heavy body slumps and he's pulled back into the haze of unconsciousness, fading faster than the pod could refreeze him.
"Cryogenic sequence reinitialized."