CHAPTER ONE

May 4th 2273

The sound of air being moved through ducts by fans, hummed throughout the ventilation system within the underground vault, which had sealed its blast doors the day the bombs fell, almost two hundred years ago.

For the auburn haired, twenty seven year old Scott Wilkins, it was normal for him. He slept to the sound of that hum every night, lived by the sound of that hum every day. It was almost inaudible to him. The vault was all he had ever known. The people in the vault were all he had ever met. The walls were his horizon and the ceilings were his sky. Nothing made sense to him apart from that he had grown up with. A narrow viewpoint on a small world of familiar faces, where the only strangers were those that were newborn.

He was awakened from his night of slumber, as his alarm sounded on his Pipboy, echoing off of the steel walls as it always had. He reached down to his left arm and shut it off with a tap of a button. He lay there for a moment, staring up at the patch of riveted metal that lay directly above his head.

Scott threw the sheets off of him and slowly rose up out of bed. He thoroughly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, before he made his way over to the bathroom in his underclothes, where he switched on the faucet, splashing his face with cold water in an attempt to wake himself up. Moments later he grabbed his toothbrush and brushed his teeth, then combed his hair.

Once satisfied with his appearance, he made his way out of the bathroom. Attiring himself in his blue leather vault overall, labcoat and putting on his black rimmed glasses, he headed out of his room, down the corridor towards the vault diner.

After Scott arrived, he grabbed himself some Sugar Bombs. He sat down and began to eat it, wondering why foods that were so bad for the body, always tasted so good. Moments later, the door slid open and Jackie, a fellow vault dweller entered.

"Good mornin' Scott." she greeted.

"Mornin' Ms Jackie." he replied, both their voices filled the empty room with a thick southern drawl.

She walked over to the bar and poured herself a soft drink, before making her way back to where Scott was sat.

"Up to anythin' interestin' today?"

"The usual." he replied after he finished swallowing a mouthful of cereal. "Mr Leonard is comin' down office about his bum leg, then I'm helpin' you and Dave with little Milly's tenth birthday party."

"Well my day is a little less happenin', that'll change after work, when I help you."

Scott pushed up his glasses that had been slowly sliding down the bridge of his nose. "Don't you get enjoyment out of teachin' the scamps?"

"Used to, but startin' to wonder if any of it matters."

Scott shook his head as he finished his last mouthful. "Don't say that." he said finally, after clearing his mouth. "Your job is most important here. Without you we'd all be pokin' the reactor with sticks, and gnawin' on the walls."

"Maybe."

Scott stood up from his chair. "Well, I have to scoot." He told her.

"I'll see ya later sugar."

"See ya."

Scott rose up from his seat, placing his bowl on the back sideboard. He made his way out of the diner and headed down the long corridor towards the vaults medical centre. The door slid open allowing him to step inside. He made his way to the desk, before switching on the vault PA system. Smooth jazz echoed through the room as he logged onto his terminal, and looked over the day's schedule.

"Let's see what the day has to offer." he said aloud to himself as he read through it. "All right, just Mr Leonard 'bout his leg."

He rose up from his chair and made his way over to the filing cabinet and opened it, pulling out Leonard's file. As he walked back to his desk, he opened it and began to look through it. "Alright Leonard Hale, let's have a look at your history." He sat down in his chair, leaning back, rocking it on its hind legs.

The first thing in the file that caught is eye, was that he had suffered a radroach attack twenty years earlier. His left leg had been mauled, the same leg in fact that he was complaining about. They were most likely connected, but he'd have to wait till he got the chance to take a look at it.

Scott raised his head as he heard the door buzzer sound. He rose up from his seat, making his way across the room to the door. He hit the panel and the door slid open, revealing the aged, white haired vault engineer, Leonard.

"Hello Doc, here for my appointment." the engineer said, his voice craggy, yet with a soft undertone.

"Mornin' Mr Leonard. Si'-down on the bed, I'll take a look-see at your leg."

Leonard made his way with a limp into the office and made his way over to one of the beds, closely. He sat down on the edge of it, while Scott took a slight detour to the desk, where he picked up a clipboard and pencil.

"Just goin' to ask a few about your leg, okay?"

"Okay." The aged man agreed.

"Just to make sure, which leg is it?"

"Left."

"Where 'bouts?"

"Lower leg round back."

Scott wrote it down before he placed the clipboard onto the side. "I'm going to ask you if I can take a look at it?"

"Sure." Leonard said as he leant down and pulled up his overalls, exposing his leg underneath.

Scott squatted down and had a look at the old scar from the radroach attack, that had happened all those years ago. "Could be due to that roach attack you suffered twenty years back."

"Yer think there's a relation?" Leonard asked. "Thought there might."

"Have yer gone done anythin' that'd strain it?"

"Nope, just the usual."

"Right, I'm gonna check your calf, t'see if I can feel anythin'."

"Sure."

Scott felt around the back of his leg where the scar lay. The muscle felt hard like rock, as if it was under a lot of tension, or had been badly pulled.

"Is anythin' wrong?" Leonard asked him.

"Your muscle feels tight, y'should take a few days off, get some rest. Then we'll see, could be yer old wound coming back to haunt ya."

Leonard let out a heavy sigh as Scott stood up. "I knew this day'd come." the engineer said, sadness evident in his voice.

"What d'ya mean?"

"Gettin' too old to run her, Doc."

"Y'mean the reactor?"

"Yeah."

"If that's how you truly feel then, maybe you should start thinkin' about lettin' Sarah take over as the lead engineer."

Leonard shook his head in disagreement. "Not ready."

"She isn't?"

"Gets nervous 'round the reactor as of late."

"She does?"

"When she's on nights, she says she hears rumbles down there. Not nothin' wrong with Bessy, so must be somethin' wrong with Sarah."

Bessy was what the first engineer of the vault had called the reactor when the vault had been first sealed. The name had stuck ever since.

"Maybe just hearin' vibrations." Scott suggested. "Without the noise of the humdrum of day to day life, of people talkin' 'n, movin' 'bout n' stuff. Normal things that are usually inaudible, seem louder."

"Nah." Leonard disagreed. "Can't hear the rest of the vault from down there, must be somethin' else."

"Panels comin' loose?"

"nothin's loose, just the nuts in her head."

"Okay then." Scott said with a shrug as he picked up the clipboard. "Take the few days off. Sarah can handle the reactor, b'sides she's not alone down there."

"Perhaps, perhaps I should start thinkin' on it."

Scott was just about to tell Leonard to head off home when the whole room vibrated around them. Never before had Scott felt anything like it. It was as if the whole vault had just shuddered, as though it was cold or something.

"What in blazes!?" Leonard said as he pushed himself off the side of the bed. "What was that!?"

"I have no idea." Scott said, his heart starting to pound in his chest. Whatever had just happened, it certainly wasn't good.

"I'll go check on the reactor." Leonard said as he strode out of the room.

Scott was about to protest, telling him to get some rest, when he decided against it. Whatever had happened, it was unlike anything he had ever experienced before in his entire life. That fact terrified him.

The intercom sounded followed by the voice of Oliver, the vaults Overseer, who happened to be a Type-I Mister Handy robot "This is the Overseer, I am inquiring about the vibrations that just occurred. According to the status panel, the reactor has suffered damage, I require more information. Thank you." The intercom went quiet.

Oliver wasn't the brightest on the block, he was a robot after all. He often seemed oblivious to things that lay outside his immediate jurisdiction. But regardless, he had been instrumental in keeping the vault running as smoothly as it had done, since it had been sealed shut, almost two-hundred years ago.

"I'd like to know too." Scott said aloud to himself as he sat behind his desk, scratching his head wondering what was going on.

That's when the alarm klaxon began to wail. Its sudden sounding made Scott leap up from his chair in fright. Something seriously wasn't right.

The intercom sounded again. This time the familiar voice of Sarah echoed over it. "Emergency, we have a breach in the reactor room-"

The intercom went deathly silent. Only the sounds of the ventilation system and Scott's own heavy breathing was audible. He wasn't sure, but it sounded like the reactor had suffered a serious malfunction.

The Overseer's voice echoed over the intercom once again with more information. "This is the Overseer. The vault has been breached by persons unknown. All security to repel invaders. All civilian occupants to lock themselves in their homes till further notice."

The message was clear. Outsiders were inside the vault, like a virus within the blood stream. The security forces were like the white blood cells, antibodies repelling the foreign bodies.

The door to his office slid open suddenly. Scott dived behind his desk, fearful of who it was.

"Doc, you in here!?" Leonard's voice echoed.

Scott peered over the desk at him, making sure it was indeed Leonard.

"What're yer doin' down there?" the old engineer asked.

"I thought yer might be one of them!" Scott told him.

"You heard then?"

"Of course I did."

"What do we do?"

"No idea." Scott stood up from behind the desk. He moved around it gripping his left hand nervously with his right. The kids! He thought suddenly. "We gotta head to the schoolroom, get the kids some place safe."

Leonard nodded in agreement as they both left the office, hurrying down the corridor. Scott kept a slower pace, making sure that the older man could keep up.

They came to a door which slid open, Eric stood behind it, panting, out of breath. "You two, we gotta go!" he shouted feverishly. "Can't stay here, we gotta go!"

"Go where?" Scott asked, the feeling of terror welling uncontrollably inside of him. Something was wrong, badly wrong.

"They're in the vault, killin' everythin'!" Eric yelled.

Leonard glanced at Scott. "Who are they?" the old engineer asked.

"What d'they want?" Scott added.

"No idea, we gotta go!"

Scott held his hands up and waved them in front of Eric's eyes, trying to get his attention. "Hold on, what 'bout the kids?"

Eric shook his head. "No." he said simply.

"What ya mean, no?" Scott responded angrily.

"They killed them!" Eric shouted out in devastation. "Gunned them down with guns I never saw before!"

"What!?" Scott couldn't believe what he was hearing. The invaders just killed the children? Shot them without a hint of remorse?

"They've got guns like devil machines. Fire bullet after bullet faster than you can count!" he sobbed. "We gotta go!"

Scott looked behind Eric as a group of strangers came walking down the corridor. Their clothes were ragged, and their skin thick with dirt. They raised their weapons.

"Look out!" Scott shouted. It was already too late, they opened fire and Eric was struck, killing him with a horde of bullets. "Eric!"

The lead stranger smiled a sick and twisted as they stopped shooting. "He's dead!"

"Why!?" Scott demanded.

He didn't answer the question, he just laughed. Then threatened him, mockingly. "Take a good look, 'cause that's where you're headed!"

Leonard quickly hit the door panel, sealing the door shut. "That'll hold 'em fer a few moments, we gotta go now!"

They both turned, leaving the area as fast as they could. The door slid open before they could make it to the T-junction and the murderers opened fire. Their bullets hit the metal walls, as the two fled down the corridor, closing the next door behind them. They then continued on down another long corridor, in half a sprint. Panting at the unusual exercise.

As they reached the base of some stairs that lead up to the next level. The sounds of close gunfire echoed down the corridor, and the sparks of ricocheting bullets flew off the steel walls.

Leonard let out a yelp as he fell to the ground, glistening blood oozing from multiple holes in his overall.

"Leonard!" Scott yelled, pausing at the sight of his vault kin laying in a pool of his own blood.

"Just go!" Leonard strained. "Go, survive!"

"But."

He heard the gunmen laughing in the corridor. They were laughing at his plight, at their plight. The killing, the murder. It delighted them, gave them joy.

"Go!" Leonard yelled at him angrily.

He heard the killers shout down after him. "Yeah, go! Run for your life!"

They were mocking him. The Death was nothing but a game to them. Just the thought of others getting so much joy from such killing, made him feel ill.

"Goodbye Mr Leonard." Scott said with a finality, as he turned and ran up the stairs.

There was only one place he could think to head from here, the Overseer's office. He heard the butchers mock him as he ran down the hallway, that lay at the top of the stairs.

"Run coward, we'll kill you soon enough!"

He headed up a set of stairs and through a door, straight into a group of handguns that pointed straight at him. He let out a yelp, before noticing that luckily, behind those handguns was a group of vault security.

"Scott, get behind us!"

He did so, quickly. "What's happening!?" he asked them, his voice shaky.

"Don't you know?" Terry, one of the security officers asked.

"I guess I do." he responded sombrely.

He didn't know why he'd asked such a stupid question. He knew full well what was happening. Everyone in the vault was getting gunned down. He didn't even know how many there were. That small group that had killed Eric and Leonard might only be a small percent of the total force.

"Get up to the Overseer's office." Jones, the head of vault security ordered. "We're waitin' fer any survivors to come this way."

"Who's made it here?" Scott asked them, his voice shaky, almost frantic. So much had happened in such a short time, that his mind had yet to fully process it.

"No one, just you." Jones told him. "Up till now anyways."

"Who's up there?"

"Just Mr Oliver, and his assistant, Peter."

Scott looked up the stairs ahead, then back at the security officer. "Aren't any of yer comin'?"

"We need t'stay here to guard the office. Other security men are looking fer folks right now."

Scott hesitated, before he continued on, up the stairs and into the office.

Oliver turned to him, the front centre of his three eyes looked at him. "I'm afraid things are looking very grim." The robot said in its tin voice. "Very grim indeed."

Peter folded his arms, his face sullen. "We've lost the vault, Scott." he rubbed his face, a gun in one hand. "Ten minutes is all it took for them to wipe us out." Peter passed Scott the gun, his hand trembling.

Scott took it reluctantly. He looked at the death instrument, Its cold steel a reflection of its purpose. To kill. He brought his head up, focusing his attention back on Peter. "Why are yer giving me this?" he asked him, as he pushed up his glasses that had slid down his nose.

"You'll need it." Peter responded as he checked his own ten-millimetre handgun.

Scott peered back down at his. As he looked along its barrel, he noticed the design, a familiar design that he'd seen before. He looked across at the ornamental stand, that lay on the wall to the left of the Overseer's control console. The stand lay empty, the ornamental weapon removed. "This is the decorative revolver." he said. "How will this help me?"

"It's a real gun, Scott." Peter explained, as he handed him a bandoleer ammo belt and a holster. "Put these on under yer coat."

Oliver hovered over to him. "Normally it is against the rules to remove the gun, however times call for drastic action."

Scott took off his coat and put the ammo belt and holster on, putting his coat back on over them. "I'm not happy with the idea of shootin' people." Scott informed them. "I'm a doctor."

Peter scowled. "Get over yerself Scott, they wont think twice 'bout killing you." He turned to the Overseer. "I say we prepare to abandon the vault!"

"Abandon the vault?" Scott asked in shock.

Oliver hovered over to the main control desk. "It is a sound idea."

Peter walked over to a nearby wooden desk and picked up a ten millimetre handgun. "You two should get to the exit and wait there. I'll send anyone that comes up here through to you."

Scott didn't agree with that at all. "We can't just leave like that, what about the radiation out there?"

"We'll have to risk it, now go."

Scott looked at the door that lead back out into the corridor. "Don't we have to go out through the intruders to get to the exit door?"

Oliver hovered over to the ornamental stand. "There is a secret passage through here."

Scott walked over to it. "How do we open it?" he asked.

"Only I can open it." Oliver stated. "Stand back."

Moments later the stand clicked and it slid to the side with part of the wall, revealing a door. Both Oliver and Scott headed through the it, down a steel corridor, before they entered the main entrance room, through a wheel lock hatch.

Scott felt his jaw go slack, as he stared at the large cog shaped blast door. It was all that stood between them and the wasteland beyond. All that had blocked the radiation from seeping into the vault, irradiating them all.

Moments later he heard footsteps echoing down the hallway from the Overseer's office. Scott looked down to see Peter running towards them. "Is there no one else?" he asked in shock.

"They're right behind me!" he shouted back. "Open the blasted door!"

Peter ran into the room, closing the door behind him spinning the wheel lock on the hatch to seal it.

Oliver moved over to the hatch. "Perhaps I should flame this door and heat it up, so that they cannot open it without burning themselves." A flame leapt from Oliver, as he began to heat up the door.

Scott stared at Peter. "Where is everyone else?"

"They burst into the room and I ran. Jones tried to stop them, but." He shook his head with a sob. "I don't know how anyone else can get out this way. Not without gettin' killed by them."

Scott turned silently to the small elevated door control panel. After a moment he pulled down on the small lever, and a loud siren began to wail. A great armature swung forward into the large door. It pulled back with an ear chafing sound, as it screeched, metal on metal. It then rolled to the side, revealing what was beyond. Both Scott and Peter stared out to the rocky tunnel, which was lighten up by old electric lamps. Scott was about to say something, when there was a loud bang from the door Oliver was protecting. The Overseer robot moved out of the way, as the heavy hatch fell away from its hinges, in a cloud of dust and smoke. At any time, the killers could now run through, and start their unrestrained murder once again.

"Oh no!" Scott yelled. He knew they could not stay there, they had to go, and they had to do so now. Scott moved away from the console in a hurry. "Head for the outside!" he shouted with dire urgency.

All three of them ran out, heading into the long cave system beyond. They all turned around as the siren sounded once more. The huge blast door slid shut with the screech of rubbing metal, locking the three of them out of the vault, out of their home forever.

Updated: Dec 21st 2013