Disclaimer: I don't own glee or its characters
AN: warning: This is rated M for a reason. Deals with drugs, rape, violence, prostitution, slavery… graphic scenes, so if that's not your thing turn back now.
Fallout
Vault 101
War… war never changes, since the dawn of human kind when our ancestors first discovered the killing power of rock and bone. Blood has been spilt in the name of everything, from God, to justice, to simple psychotic rage.
In the year 2077 after millennia of armed conflict the destructive nature of man could sustain itself no longer. The world was plunged into an abyss of nuclear fire and radiation. But it was not as some had predicted the end of the world; instead, the apocalypse was simply the prologue to another bloody chapter of human history. For man had succeeded in destroying the world, but war… war never changes. In the early days, thousands were spared the horrors of the holocaust by taking refuge in enormous underground shelters known as vaults, but when they emerged, they had only the hell of the wastes to greet them. All except those in vault 101. For on that fate full day when fire rained from the sky, the giant steel door of vault 101 slid close and never reopened.
It was here you were born, it is here you will die, because in vault 101, no one ever enters, and no one ever leaves.
Chapter one- Enter the vault
"Santana! Come on San wake up … San? Open the door..." loud banging erupts from the metal bedroom door. "SAN!" the insistent pounding jars he sleepy Latina from her dreamless slumber.
"What in the…?" the girl rubs the sleep from her eyes, "Britt is that you?" The young Latina groans as she brings her legs over the edge of the bed. 'It is way too early for this shit.' she thinks as she scratches her Bedhead. She jumps when she hears another loud knock on the vault room door.
Santana Lopez was your average vault occupant. She was a young Latina with beautiful tan skin along with her long flowing black hair. She wasn't very tall, average size you could say, but athletic which was uncommon for most vault dwellers. She was also eighteen years old which meant that she was in her final year of 'school'. However, according to the blonde who was currently pounding on her bedroom door her best characteristic is her 'amazing dark brown eyes'.
"Come on, San! We're going to be late." The cheery muffled voice calls to her. The young blonde waited impatiently outside of her best friend's room.
Brittany Pierce was not your average vault occupant. Unlike most vault dwellers, Brittany was always smiling, or dancing around the corridor. She was beautiful, and tall, taller than most girls her age. Her hair wasn't as long as Santana's, but did flow down past her shoulders. She usually wore it up though. What was most noticeable about her however were her piercing pure blue eyes. For some reason they always sparkled in the fluorescent lights of the vault. Her skin almost looked sun kissed, which was weird since neither of them have ever even seen the sun.
Santana throws a shoe at the open button on the door which opens it for the impatient blonde as she herself finishes pulling on her vault 101 ump suit. There was nothing special about it, since it looked like everyone else's. Blue with yellow accents, along with a worn out 101 printed on the back.
"Good your dressed" Brittany says as she walks into her friend's room and pulls Santana towards the door.
Santana however was practically sleep walking, since her eyes were barely open. She was not a morning person, that much she was sure of. "How are you always up this early… it's not natural." She groans as she is pulled out of her residence.
"Come on San, how aren't you excited. Today is the last day of school. This is the last day we'll spend the whole day together." Brittany pouts, "after we take our goat, you'll be too busy working with your dad in the medical wing, while I'm off working in the vault's pits, or something. So we need to make the most out of the last hours we have together." Brittany hates that they will probably be separated, but she's never been overly scholarly, which meant she would probably be stuck doing some sort of terrible job. Jobs like rat roach extermination, or a security guard. She didn't have the same connections like Santana, since her family had died when she was a baby, so there was no guarantee of where she would be placed. She was still looking forward to graduating from school. 'Cuz who liked school?'
"Britt, " Santana tries to cheer up the blonde, since she couldn't stand seeing Brittany sad "… we will see each other every day no matter what that stupid goat says. It's just a job, and you could still get something you actually want to do. " Santana tries to reassure her. Brittany can't help but smile at the encouraging statement. The two of them have been friends ever since they could remember. She knew that Santana would always be there for her, and she would always be there for Santana.
Brittany was right though, Santana knew she would be placed in the medical wing along side her father, who was the head surgeon in the vault. The long work hours would mean she wouldn't see Brittany as often. Which meant she wouldn't be able to protect Brittany from the cruelties of the vault. Another thing that made Brittany different from most people in the vault was that she trusted people a little too much for Santana's taste.
Santana tucks a random strand of hair behind Brittany's ear. The blonde smiles at the close contact.
"Okay… come on. Let's get this over with." The blonde beams, and extends her pinky to Santana, who without hesitation links their pinky's together, and lets Brittany drag her along the labyrinth like halls of vault 101. They made their way through the vaults cafeteria, making sure to grab some breakfast. Powdered food wasn't the most appetizing, but then again it was the only thing the vault supplied. Brittany stops several times to talk to some of the vaults occupants. One of them was the overseer's daughter Amata. She was older than both of them, but by far their favorite person in the vault. Even though she was nice, Santana always got the feeling she was hiding something from them. That was probably because she was the overseer's daughter, which had to have perks. However, Santana still wanted to figure out what the girl was hiding, she didn't like secrets.
They finally rounded the corner to the learning center. All the vault kids were walking into their respected classrooms, but before the two of them could enter their respected room a voice calls out to them catching their attention.
"Well well well… it's about time you showed up Satan…" Santana grimaced at her nickname, she was known to be a bitch, but the way this guy used her name sent chills down her spine. Santana turns and faces a gang of boys. They were all wearing leather black jackets over their vault suits.
Brittany catches the flash of sadness on her friend's face before it harden before into what Brittany described as the Santana's game face.
"Puckerman… what do you and your little gang want?" Santana says with as much venom she can muster in her voice. She couldn't show weakness, not infornt of this group.
"Whoa Satan…" Puck throws up his hands and laughs, "calm down… the vault Titans don't want anything… plus even if we did want something we definitely wouldn't ask for it." The group of guys smirk I agreement, " I just wanted to talk. The goat is today, and I just wanted to make sure both of my ladies are ready." He winks and reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind Brittany's ear. "How is my little Cheerio doing?" He smirks. Santana swats his hand away from Brittany.
"Hey Britt, why don't you go inside, and save me a seat." Santana says as she tries to usher Brittany away from Puck and his gang. Brittany can tell she silently pleading with her to do as she asked, even though she didn't want to.
"Yeah, but San…" she tries to argue. The last thing she wanted was to leave h rest friend alone with these guys.
"Please Britt."
Brittany gives her a sad smile. She didn't like Puckerman… he always seems to make Santana sad, and whenever he approached the two of them, Santana would always send her into another room. She once asked Santana why she couldn't stay with her when Puckerman and his gang were around, but all she got in return was a smile and Santana saying 'she was just trying to make sure she was safe, and that if anything would happen to her she would never forgive herself.' This always confused Brittany to no end.
"Okay… just… I'll see you inside." Brittany reluctantly leaves Santana and goes into the classroom.
Santana turns back towards Puckerman… whose eyes are following the blonde who was retreating into the classroom.
"I hate to watch her go… but I love to watch her leave… " The mohawked boy gleams.
"Really Puck?" She wants nothing more than to slug the punk ass boy, but there were rules even she couldn't cross… not without severe consequences.
"What can I say… the girl is fine in all the right places… right boys?" The other gang members all agree with their leader.
"Okay that's it, I don't know what's wrong with you, but Brittany is off limits… I thought we had an agreement?"
Puck laughs. "Is that what you call it babe… you suck my cock, and me and my friends leave your trophy girl alone…" Puck's sickening laugh rings out again. Santana tries her best not to show weakness, this was what she was trying to protect Brittany from. And in the end, that's all that mattered to her.
"That's right… so what the fuck do you think you're doing?" she asks through gritted teeth.
"I guess you could say I'm counting down the hours until you step out of the picture and leave that hot slut, helpless, and all alone." Santana lunges at him, but Puck easily moves out of her way. "Easy babe… pretty soon you will be down in some lab while she's out doing some shit ass job, and if I don't get to her first you know who will…"
"Fuck…" Santana knew there was more than one slime ball pining after Britt.
"Abrams has always had an eye for your girl, and even though I would do anything to snatch her away from you, I would have to go after Abrams as well. The Titans are strong, but you'd have to be a fool to go up against Abrams." Santana was fuming; Artie Abrams had always wanted Brittany for himself, but because he had taken the goat a year ago, it was hard for him to get his slimy hands on her. However the fact they were graduating today would give Abrams the leverage he needed to wheel his way back into her and Britt's life.
Santana remembers the first time she had met the notorious gang leader. It was at one of the vaults parties. Britt had gotten drunk, and when Santana found her, she was practically naked and straddling Abrams's lap. There was no way Brittany could have consented to anything in her state, so Santana had stepped in to help. After that, Abrams had vowed to make Britt's his, no matter what. Britt says she doesn't remember anything that night, but ever since then Santana has never allowed her to drink as much.
"Look, I know you don't like me, but the way that I see it is that your friend can come with me. Where I can keep her safe from Artie, or you can let her be taken by him, and she will be treated like a piece of shit. Trust me I've seen Abrams's girls, and they don't remember their names, they are that high."
"I can keep her safe." Santana tries to sound confident, willing herself to believe her own words.
"Really… how? Abrams has people in every sector of the vault. Hell, he's the head of security and has a direct link to the Overseer's ear. You don't stand a chance. Hell I'd be lucky to keep her hidden from his goons."
"I'll figure something out…" Santana is nothing if not stubborn, and there was no way she would give Brittany up to a pig like Puck.
"What, are you going to start blowing Abrams too…?" He says with a cheeky grin.
Santana doesn't retort, instead she turns and walks into the classroom. Their teacher was standing at the front of the room passing out the papers for the test. His name was Edwin Brotch, and just like his father and grandfather, he was placed in this position. Santana didn't know him very well, 'could he a part of Abrams society?' She would have to find out after the test. 'Maybe he can place Brittany closer to the labs,' she thinks hopefully.
Brittany smiles as Santana enters the room. She waves the Latina to the open spot next to her.
"Thanks Britt… for saving me a spot." Santana says as she sits down next to her.
"No problem… plus you had to sit next to me, how else would I be able to cheat off of you." Brittany says nonchalantly.
'There was an idea; if Britt had the same answers maybe she would be placed in the medical wing as well. Then we would be together, and I would be able to protect her from Abrams.' She leans closer to Brittany and whispers, "hey Britt, I want you to copy off of my paper, okay."
"Well yeah, I thought we already established that." Brittany whispers back.
The teacher clears his throat in order to gain the attention of the class. "Okay everyone now that the test has been passed out you may begin. The test is a series of questions to test your abilities. After the test, you will bring your paper up to me, and I will grade it and assign you your new job. The position you are assigned will be where you will report to tomorrow for your individual job training. Also, before you begin I want to say there is no wrong way to answer these questions, so just try your best. You may begin." With that the teacher made his way back to his desk and waited for the students to finish. Throughout the exam, Santana couldn't help but noticed the questions were weird, but she made sure that Britt answered the same as her.
Brittany couldn't help but smile at one of the questions. "What does this have to do with a job…?" The question was asking 'how you would react if your grandma gave you a firearm and told you to go kill the neighbors.' It was a silly question, but Santana's dad had told her that this wasn't a test of skill, but more of an aptitude test, and that some questions just wanted to see how you would react if something happened to your family, or to see if you are a complete nut case. Santana couldn't help but think if anyone tried to harm Britt, she would kill everyone involved. Instead of circling that answer, she opted for the 'tell the overseer' answer. By the time they finished most of the kids were done. Santana waited for everyone to leave before she brought her paper up.
"How was that ladies?" Their teacher asks as Santana handed him her goat.
"It was alright… I guess it was a little confusing." The teacher marks several places on her paper then pulls out a sheet from his desk.
"Well you have nothing to worry about I'm sure. The overseer wouldn't place you anywhere but the medical wing. Your father is a great asset to the vault, and one day you will be too. Congratulations." He hands her the sheet of paper. It says medical assistant on it along with some other mumbo jumbo. It wasn't a surprise, but this did make her wonder.
"So this test doesn't have any pull to placement?"Santana asks as she folds up her piece of paper and tucks it into her jumpsuit.
"Not really, it's the Overseer's final call in the end, but he issues the test to make sure you will be able to handle your responsibilities. Miss Pierce your next."
Brittany is still smiling as she hands him her paper. "I hope I passed." The teacher again circles something's on her test, and pulls out a piece of paper and hands it to Brittany. On it, it says secretary to security personnel. Brittany smiles, she was relieved that she didn't have to scrub toilets for the rest of her life. When she looks at Santana to see her approval she's met with a very pale looking Latina, which was weird considering she was very much tan. "What's wrong San?"
Santana ignores the question. The sickness she was just feeling was now replaced with a new one … anger.
"Are you kidding me? Is this some sort of sick joke?" She asks in disbelief.
"I'm sorry miss Lopez, but everyone must do their job they're assigned." The teacher exclaims.
"That's not what I'm talking about and you know it! You work for Abrams don't you."
"Now miss Lopez you know that the Overseer picks, and finalizes everyone's job. This has nothing to do with Artie Abrams."
"Do you actually think I would believe that… he works as head of security and now the one thing he wants is his secretary?" She slams her fist against the teacher's desk, causing both Brittany and the teacher to jump. It didn't take a genius to know that Mr. Abrams was corrupt, most of the vault dwellers knew, but there was nothing anyone could do since the Overseer was blind to any misconduct Abrams was involved in.
"San… I don't understand. Why are you angry? Security headquarters isn't too far from medical… we can still have breakfast, and walk to work together. I thought you would be happy for me." Brittany whispers to Santana hoping that Mr. Brotch wouldn't overhear her.
"Britt you shouldn't… I don't want you to be sad… and If you work in security I-I can't be there to help you if… if he. Look Mr. Brotch I know my dad needs secretary personnel too… isn't there any way you could transfer her over from the security wing to the medical wing… she would have the same job. Please, look if you are what you say you are, and Abrams isn't behind this then it should be no problem. Please! " The teacher shakes his head.
"Look I wish I had that kind of power, but like I said all decisions are made by the Overseer. I can't go over his head, I'm sorry girls." Santana starts to tear up. "Look you can request a transfer from the Overseer but it will take two months to process, and there has to be a definite purpose for the transfer. If I were you, I would wait two years before putting in the request otherwise it will be rejected. Look, just give it a chance, she might like working-"
"No, I can't have her working in that place… working for that man…!" Santana cuts him off.
"I'm sorry but there's nothing I can do… please try and understand." Santana wipes her tear stained face, links her pinky with the blonde's, and pulls Brittany from the classroom for the last time.
They quickly make their way back to the Lopez living quarters, and enter Santana's room. The heavy metal door locks when they close, sealing the two girls inside.
Brittany sits on Santana's bed and watches her friend pace back and forth across the room muttering something to herself. She then decides it would be better to talk about what just happened rather than let the Latina's rage build.
"Hey San… why don't you want me to work at the security headquarters, I mean it's a good job."
"Yeah Britt, it is a good job… but I really wanted you closer to the medical wing." Santana says as she stops pacing the room. Brittany can tell that there is more to it than them not seeing each other as often so she wait patiently for her friend to continue.
"San what aren't you telling me… I know this isn't just about wanting me in the medical wing. You and I both know I would be no help there. Look…" She stands up and grabs Santana's face. "I love that you want to protect me… but maybe it's time for me to learn how to protect myself." At that moment Santana sees a side of Brittany she hasn't witnessed very often, it was her mature side. Like Brittany had finally grown up, and had left Santana behind.
"But what if something happens... What if he…" she tries to justify her concerns. Concerns Brittany wouldn't understand.
"Nothing is going to happen… tomorrow we're going to get up… you're going to walk me to my new job… then after you're going to pick me up for dinner, and we will laugh about how much you hate working for your dad. That's all that's going to happen. I promise." Santana's eyes begin to water. She wanted nothing more than to make what Brittany said come true. And at that moment, she knew she would find a way to keep Abrams at bay.
Brittany placed a light kiss on Santana's forehead before pulling her on the bed. She snuggles into Santana's body.
"You don't mind if I stay the night… my place is so quiet it's starting to drive me crazy." Brittany's voice is filled with exhaustion. She smiles slightly when she feels Santana's arms encircle around her, keeping her from leaving.
"I don't mind…" they lay there in each other's arms waiting to fall asleep.
"Say Britt, tell me about your dreams again." Santana always liked hearing about her friends' dreams; they weren't about the vault, like hers. Instead, they were filled with strange wonders and far off places she'd never heard of or seen.
Brittany has to think before she can remember what she had dreamt about the night before.
"Okay… well last night I had a dream, and you were there and I was there, and we were lying under a black roof that seemed to stretch on for like miles. And you were holding me… kind of like you are now… but we were looking at this ceiling and you could see thousands of bright lights shining down from it, but it was still very dark. And sometimes one of the lights would shoot across the dark ceiling, and then disappear. Then you said 'make a wish,' for some reason. There were no metal walls around us… no maze… it was open… it felt like freedom… and we had each other and that's all that mattered." Brittany ends with a yawn. Santana couldn't help but smile… she wished that it was real, that she could be there with her in that world that didn't seem real. "Hey San…"
"What Britt…?" She feels Brittany snuggle closer into her.
"I don't want you to see Puck anymore…"
"Really, and why is that…" Santana knew the reason why, but she wanted to hear Brittany say it.
"I don't like that he makes you cry… and I don't like that you smell like him afterwards. I like your normal smell, so please stop seeing him."
"Sure babe… whatever you want, but tomorrow we have to be up bright and early so I want you to try and get some sleep." With that, the room fell into silence… Santana listened quietly to the soft sound of Brittany breathing. She pulled herself closer and felt the warmth of her breath on her face.
She wished she could stay like this forever, and not worry about contributing to the world around them. Santana eventually fell to sleep. She knew that even if this feeling wasn't going to last, and wanted to take full advantage of it while she could.
The next day Santana woke to a small giggle. She couldn't help but let out a groan… which quickly turned into a smile as she felt feather light kisses being peppered across her face.
"Wakey Wakey… hands under blankie…" She felt wandering hands on her… she let out a giggle
"I think it's, Wakey Wakey eggs and bacon…"
"That makes absolutely no sense…" Santana can't help but crack her eye open just to witness her friends' confusion. "What does breakfast have to do with you and me in bed?"
"Good point Britt, I guess it is a stupid saying. Plus I kind of like your version better…" She lets out another giggle as the blonde starts to tickle her sides… "Stop! Britt… s-stop… that tickles…"
"Nope not yet…" The room is filled with laughter, until Britt finally rolls off her friend. Their laughter slowly dies down. "Are you awake now?"
"Um… not just yet…" She pulls her friend into another kiss causing the young blonde to smile.
"I like when you do that…" Brittany says with a grin, as she leans in for another kiss. "I love your sweet lady kisses."
"I love them too Britt." She gives her another peck on the lips, before the blonde jumps off the bed and runs to the shower.
"Come on Sanny, we're gonna be late for our first day of work."
That's when reality set back in for the young Latina. Today was the day that Britt would work for Abrams as his secretary, and she would be learning her new job as a technician.
'Fuck, and this started off as such a good morning… let's just hope it doesn't get worse.' Santana thinks as she falls back on her bed.
After the two of them got dressed, and ate breakfast Britt started to pull her down through the maze of the vault.
"You know I'm actually starting to get nervous. I mean this is our first day of work, and I won't even get to see you most of the day." Britt sounded so sad. This was going to be hard for the both of them.
"Hey, everything is going to be fine. Like you said, we still can meet for lunch, and I'll make sure to pick you up on my way back from the lab so we can go to dinner just like we always do." She pulled the blonde closer to her. Then they rounded the corner. The first thing she noticed was the door to the security wing. Unlike most places in the vault, this place was one of the few that needed a passcode to open. Brittany had received a visitor code that morning over her pipboy. This was standard procedure until she could get an ID badge.
Santana stops at the doors.
"Look Britt, I want you to text me with your pipboy if anything happens okay…" Brittany nods. "And promise me you won't let anyone take advantage of you." Britt nods again. "Okay… I'll text you when I get to the medical wing, and then you can fill me in on what you've done so far." She smiles "And Britt promise me you won't be in a room alone with Artie Abrams… even if he is your boss. You can't trust him okay… he's not like he seems, just try and avoid him, and I will see you tonight."
"I'll be careful… I promise." She gives Santana a kiss on the cheek then bounds off.
"Please be careful." Santana watches as Brittany disappears behind the heavy security doors.
One would think that working with family would be an easy adjustment, but for Santana working with her dad was becoming nothing more than annoying. She loved her dad, but he was too much of a control freak.
"Come on Santana I've told you twice now, you have to wash your hands every time you touch sterile tools." Santana's dad starts to preach again. It has only been like a few hours, and Santana was already sick of her job.
She checks her pipboy, Brittany still hasn't texted her back.
'Come on Britt you promised me.'
"Hey Santana." Santana looks up from her pipboy. Standing in front of her was none other than the overseer's daughter, Amata. For the most part, they were close. Amata was almost like a mother to Santana, since her own mom died while giving birth to her. She practically raised her since her dad was always busy in the lab with patients.
"Hey Amata… what's up?"
"What's up? Can't a girl just drop in unannounced to see how a young Latina's first day of work is going? Man, it feels just like yesterday I was chasing Brittany and you from room to room." Santana smiles but doesn't make eye contact with her friend. "Hey, are you okay? I mean working for your dad can't be that bad can it?"
"No it's fine, I mean if working for a control freak that can't seem to stop lecturing you every time you mess up is fun, then yeah it's not that bad." Santana shrugs.
"Okay, you do know who I am right, Overseer's daughter, and all. I think I know how much fun it is to work with family." They both let out a small laugh. "Actually, I got a cut, and I was hoping you could patch me up seeing as you're a doctor and all."
"Doctor's assistant," she corrects " I don't think the vault would want me to take over my dad's position just yet."
"True that."
"Come on, let's get that cleaned and bandaged before my dad comes over to observe my bedside manner." Amata sits on one of the cool metal surgery tables as Santana finds the supplies she needs to clean the cut. She grabs a sterile pad and antiseptic and starts to clean out the wound. "It doesn't look too deep. I don't think you'll need stitches. Just keep it covered and come back tomorrow, and I'll clean it again. We don't want it to get infected. I would hate to have to amputate the future overseer's arm."
"Ha-ha Santana… you know you're not too old to spank." Santana raises her eyebrow in amusement.
"Don't promise me with a good time." Amata swats her friends playfully.
"You're lucky I consider you family." She says playfully. "No but seriously Santana what's up with you today. I don't think I've seen you like this before."
"It's nothing really. It's just… I told Britt to text me once she was settled into her new job over in security, but she hasn't gotten back to me. And I know I shouldn't be freaking out since it's only been like a couple hours, but I'm just worried about her."
"That's right, I heard she was over in security… that's not too bad…"
"Yeah, I guess it isn't. It's just… Abrams, he has always had his eyes on Brittany, and not in the good way. I just don't want her to be taken advantage of. I mean you know how trusting she can be." The vault never changed, there was always going to be drugs, gangs, and prostitution. Abrams had changed a lot of protocol since he took his place as head of security after his dad retired. "I just wished I knew what going on, you know?"
"Yeah, I get it; Brittany is a very special girl. She always has been." Santana noticed the hidden meaning behind her words. Amata was always keeping secrets from them. Secrets about the past, and history that had been buried. "Hey if it makes you feel better I can check on her after this, to make sure she's okay." Santana instantly brightens.
"That would be great actually… could you have her text me too." Amata slides off the table and pats her young friend on the shoulder.
"Look everything will be fine… you'll see." With that said Amata leaves.
The day went by slowly from there, Santana restocked medical supplies until lunch when her dad finally released her. She found herself texting Brittany; she wanted to see if she was free for lunch.
-Hey Britt-Britt… lunch? You in?
She waited patiently for a reply but none came, and before she knew it her lunch break was over. The day had gotten worse from there. She had attempted to text her friend several times but ended up with no response. She texted Amata to see what she'd found Brittany. The reply can minutes later and said.
-Yes I have, but she was really busy and couldn't talk.
And for a moment her anxiety was gone, unfortunately it didn't say away very long.
The first day of work had come and gone and Santana waited eagerly outside the security headquarters for Brittany. She texted her again for like the tenth time since she was released from work, but all of her text went unanswered.
-Hey B, I'm waiting outside, what time do you get done?
No response.
"What the fuck!" She goes up to the doors, but because of the security reader on the door, she wasn't going to be able to get in. She was starting to worry, okay that was an understatement; she was freaking the fuck out. 'Britt should have answered me by now… something is wrong… something happened'. "Shit…"
"Excuse me lady, you can't loiter outside the security wing." A guard walks up behind her… catching her off guard. "You're going to have to return to the residential hall now." The man says as he tries to usher her away.
"Um I'm sorry, but I'm just waiting for my friend to get done with work. She just started today and she isn't answering my text. So I need you to open this door up so I can go inside, and find her?" At that moment, she got a text from Brittany.
-Help.
Santana stares at the text for a moment… 'Help'. She didn't even notice that the guard was still talking to her. All she could see was the words calling to her.
"I'm sorry ma'am, but for security reasons you cannot wait outside the doors. You'll have to come with me. I'll escort you out." The gaurd puts a hand on her shoulder.
Santana snaps, and before she even realized she had successfully dislocated the guard's arm, and pushed his injured body up against the wall. Running on nothing but instinct, she effectively knocks out the guard and lets his unconscious body fall to the ground.
Santana quickly grabs the guard's gun, ID card, and swipes the card through the reader. Luckily the work day was done which meant the offices were empty by now. She stashes the gun in the waistband of her outfit, and walks towards the elevators.
She's never been in this sector before, but Brittany had downloaded most of the restricted maps onto her pipboy as a present for her tenth birthday. Therefore, she knew where she was going… the head of security office was just above.
The doors of the elevator opened into the front secretary's office. There were no signs of Brittany at the front desk. Her blood was pounding in her head as she opens the door to the main office. Her vision is blurred… there was Brittany, lying on the couch naked with Abrams over top of her, who had just pulled out of her leaving his seed inside. Santana was practically in tears as she reached for her weapon. She points it at the back of Abrams's head. He hadn't noticed she was there, that was until she cocks the gun behind him. He slowly turns around as he buttons himself back up.
"Well… it's about time. I was expecting you 20 minutes ago. As you can see, I'm done with her now." The man in front of her smirks.
"You fucking bastard… I'm gonna fucking kill you!" Santana's hands are shaking in rage.
"Now, let's not get crazy here… you knew this was going to happen… you took her away from me once and I won't let that happen again."
"What the fuck… is wrong with you?" The man just smirks. "Back up…" She starts to walk toward him as she motions him back towards the wall. "Back the fuck up before I blast your fucking brains across the wall!" She doesn't know if she's shaking with anger or adrenaline, but whatever it was moved her forward. Slowly Abrams starts to back away from the couch, he stops when he feels the wall behind him. Santana walks over to Brittany, who was still on the couch, the girl hadn't moved since she came in. The first thing Santana notices was the mixture of seamen and blood on the girls thighs, the sight made Santana cringe. The next thing she noticed were Brittany's eyes, which seemed distant, almost like she was looking through her. "Britt… Brittany, can you hear me?" Her voice sounds weak as she tries to get through to her blonde. She uses her free hand to cup Brittany's tear stained cheek, and tries to get the girl to look at her. Bruises cover Brittany's body along with small cuts, and bite marks. However, the most noticeable were around her wrist and neck. The marks distinctively looked like hand marks. In fact, Santana could actually see the individual finger markings that were left behind. Then she notices the syringe lying next to the couch, and the bruised track mark forming on Britt's forearm. "What did you do to her… what did you give her?" Santana sounds frantic as she tries to assess the extent of Brittany's injuries.
"I think it's kind of obvious on what I did to her. Unless you want details, cuz your girl, man she was so fucking tight… I mean I've fucked a lot of girls, but I've got to say she was my favorite." His eyes drift over Brittany's battered body.
"Shut up!" Santana yells, but Artie continues.
"I was a little worried at first. She fought so damn hard so I give her a little something to relax. Though she did impress me, normally the drug takes a hold instantly, but Brittany here fought the effects. Well for a while at least, and I'm not going to lie to you, I did find it endearing the way she pleaded for your help. She was all 'Santana, help me… no, Santana save me…'"His voice got lower. "'Santana it hurts so much… make it stop…'" His voice is like ice as he mimics the blonde's cries.
"Stop it, shut up…" She finds herself standing in front of him trying with all her will power not to pull the trigger. Instead, she pistol whips him breaking open his lip in the process. Her control was slipping fast, yet Abrams continued to push laughs as he wipes the blood from his face. Santana stands over him still trying to hold back her anger.
"But my favorite part is when she gave up completely. She only cried as I fucked her over, and over. Until the drug took over her completely, and as soon as that drug wears off, she'll be begging me for more. Hell it's almost comical what these girls will do for it, like suck my cock until I give them what they want…" She hits him again knocking him to the floor this time.
"You bastard." She gives him a swift kick to his side ensuring that he stays down this time before returning to Brittany's side. Brittany's clothes were practically in tatters, there would be no saving them. The most important thing now was to get her away from Artie. "Britt you need to get up… we need to get out of here."
Brittany's eyes slowly meet Santana's. "San…" It was barely over a whisper…
"Yes it's me… I'm here. Come on we need to go." She helps the girl to her feet holding her tightly in her arms, she starts to guide Brittany out of the room.
"Where do you think you're going… you think you can hide her from me? I run this vault, and if you think I'll just let her go without a fight, you're wrong. You know what they say, you were born in the vault, and you will die in the vault." He spits up some more blood. "And after you're gone I'll make sure Britt is taken care of every day. I will fuck her until she forgets who you even were… hell she won't even be able to function after I'm done with her…" He tries to stand… Santana pulls Britt tightly into her side. Making sure her head is buried in her neck. "She will be mine in every wa-"
His words are cut off by two gunshots. She watches as his body falls to the floor. "You will never touch her again."
Santana leads Brittany towards the medical ward. She wasn't sure what she should do, but she figured the medical wing would be the safest place for Britt. They were half way to the medical wing when Brittany's legs gave out completely. She smelt like sweat and sex, but Santana lifted her naked body into her arms and carried her the rest of the way. When they arrived at the clinic, Santana lays the blonde on a medical table. Brittany still hadn't said anything since Artie's office, instead she stares at the wall. Santana desperately tries to hold back her tears.
'How could this be happening.' "Fuck… what are we gonna do… shit." She knew she needed to do something to help her, but her mind was slowly fogging up as reality was starting to set in. 'Amata… she'll know what to do…' Santana texts her on her pipboy.
-I need your help in the medical wing… Britt's hurt… please hurry.
-I'm on my way.
Amata texts back seconds later.
"Okay… okay Britt, Amata's on her way… she's gonna help you." Santana then starts to clean the cuts on Brittany with disinfectant. When she got to her legs, she was almost in tears. She was trying so hard to be strong for Brittany, but seeing her like this… she started low on her legs. Trying to wash Abrams off her, but as Santana washes higher she feels Brittany start to shake in fear. "It's okay… Britt it's just me… I'm just trying to help get you cleaned up." Santana's voice calmed Brittany, but as her hand trailed up higher Brittany began to shake more, until a hand finally stopped her.
"Please no more…" That's all Santana could make out before Brittany passed out from exhaustion. That's all Santana could take. She couldn't help but cry. She was startled when she heard the doors to the medical wing fly open. When she turns around, she sees Amata frozen in her spot.
"S-Santana… what's going on… what happened to Britt?" Santana burst back into tears.
"I'm sooo sorry… this is all my fault… I should have… I should have been there… I was supposed to pro-protect her." She starts to hyperventilate.
"Whoa… calm down, you need to breathe… I need you to focus on my breathing okay… in and out." Santana tries to calm herself. She takes deep breaths as she sobs into Amata's embrace. Amata rubs her back trying to soothe the young girl. "Shh… okay... There we go, just breath and tell me what happened… who hurt Brittany?"
"It's all my fault… I knew something was wrong, and I should have reacted sooner." Santana avoids her question.
"Santana… I know you would never do this to Britt so tell me what happened… start from the beginning."
"I-I well. I left work and went to pick up Brittany for dinner. I texted her and waited outside the security doors, but she never came out, and then this security guard told me to leave. I told him I was waiting for my friend, and she hadn't come out yet… then… then I got a text from Britt… and it said… It said help… help… and I lost it. The guard grabbed me from behind so I knocked him out, and I took his gun and ID to get into the security wing. I went to the front desk… where Britt should have been but she wasn't there. Then I went into Abrams… A-Abrams office, and I saw Brittany… she was on his couch and she was… he… h-he r-raped…" She couldn't finish but Amata understood what she meant.
"Santana, okay I need you to tell me what else happened."
"I hit him… he kept telling me what he did to Brittany… I got so mad. He told me he was going to keep Britt. I tried to leave, then he told me he was going to come after me, and that I had nowhere to hide. So I shot him… twice, and then we left and came here…"
Amata was in shock, but she held on tighter onto Santana as she cried. Most of the stuff she was saying at this point was incoherent.
"Okay Santana I want you to listen to me. You didn't do anything wrong… I would have done the same thing. Now the most important thing we do is help Brittany. Okay but in order to do that I need you to be strong for a little while longer. Can you do that for me?" Santana nodded. "Okay good, this is what we're going to do. I want you to pack up some medical supplies you think will be helpful for Britt, okay. When she wakes up, she can use my shower and clean herself up. But right now I need you to grab any medical supplies you think she'll need, because we're going to move her back to my room for now. Santana looks a little worried. "It's gonna be okay… I know a secret way to my quarters. We can use that so no one will see you or Britt. No one saw you leave the security wing right…" Santana shakes her head no. "Okay good, you grab the supplies and I'll wrap Britt up in a medical sheet."
They work fast to get Brittany to safety. Santana grabs more supplies than she probably needs, things like saline and bandages. Anything she can get her hands on that could come in handy. She just hoped what she grabbed would be helpful.
They left the medical wing without saying a word. Santana follows closely behind Amata as they weave through the un-used vault hallways. Brittany was still unconscious when they entered Amata's room. She lays the battered blonde on her bed, and covers her with a blanket.
"Okay when she wakes up get her in the shower. I also have extra uniforms she can use. I'll go, and get this situation under control without you two getting involved okay." Santana sits next to Brittany, she holds the blonde's hand, and kisses it ever so lightly. They're so soft. Amata sees the 9mm still tucked in the waist of Santana's pants. "Okay, I'm going to go now, but I need you to give me the 9mm and ID badge." Santana looks worried she didn't really want to give up the weapon. She might need it to protect Brittany. "I know you think you need it, but I need to make sure this weapon and ID card are placed back on that guard so they can't blame you for the shootings." Santana nods and hands the weapon and the card over to Amata.
"What if I was caught on camera?" The vault had a very outdated camera system but they were still present in the vault.
"Don't worry about that I'll take care of everything… okay? Right now you need to look after her." She points to Brittany. "That's all that matters. I'll be back before you know it." Amata leaves out a different door then locks it behind her, giving the girl a sense of security.
Santana then crawls into bed with Brittany, and pulls the girl tightly in her arms while whispering sweet nothings to her. "It's going to be okay… I will never leave you again… I promise… promise."
Santana slowly succumbs to exhaustion alongside her best friend. It seems like the day was nothing more than a nightmare. Santana woke hours later to Brittany thrashing in her arms. She tries to soothe the girl, but Brittany is trying to kick off the intruder.
"Santana! Please help!" Brittany screams as she thrashes.
"It's okay. Britt I got you, I'm here. You need to calm down." Brittany shakes more as she tries to grasp what is happening to her, she thought she was being assaulted by Artie still. She soon found that the arms around her were Santana's, and stops struggling. She lets out a sob and clings desperately to Santana. Santana feels the tears soaking into her shirt, she sooths the girl trying to get her to relax. She rocks Britt in her arms slowly as she talks quietly to the girl. "It's okay Britt your safe, I promise. No one's going to hurt you." An hour or so later, along with a couple more melt downs, Brittany finally seems to have calmed down. Her perfectly blue eyes were now bloodshot, and her once full soft lips were now chafed with cuts and dried blood. Santana could feel her eyes start to fill with tears, but she quickly wipes them away. She needs to be strong just like Amata said, and take care of Brittany. "Hey…" She soothes, "let's take a shower." She pulls Britt to her feet, which were still wobbly, and leads Brittany into the bathroom to shower. She doesn't ask if Brittany will need help, but instead she quickly undresses and pulls the blonde into the shower. Brittany is staring at the water drain as the water cascades down her skin. She makes no attempt to move. Instead, she feels Santana's hands roaming her body with a wash cloth. She gasps when that hand cups her. Santana just stops her movement. Brittany makes eye contact with Santana as she feels her start to move again. Being as gentle as possible, she washes the dried blood away. After Santana washes the rest of Brittany's body, hair, and herself she then dries off the blonde girl, and grabs a clean pair of clothes for the both of them. Amata still wasn't back yet, but she had gotten a text from her dad.
-Please report to the medical wing. A patient has been brought in.
That was over two hours ago. "Hey Britt Britt…" She pulls the girl into her arms and holds her there. The girl starts to play with her fingers, lacing them together. "How do you feel?" It catches Santana off guard when she hears Brittany giggle. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing silly head…" She says so cheerfully. "I can't feel anything…" She pokes herself… then pinches… and slaps… "Why can't I feel anything?" Brittany starts to panic.
"Britt, stop hitting yourself." She grabs her wrist… and the girl yells in pain. She then realizes she had just grabbed the girl in the same place Artie had. This brought the pain back. Britt starts to struggle against her.
"Don't hurt me…" She cries.
Santana lets go of her wrist. "I'm sorry Britt I didn't mean to grab you like that, I'm so sorry."
"Santana… y-you saved me from the bad man…"
Santana sniffles. "Yeah, I saved you from the bad man. He'll never come near you again." Moments later, she hears the girl's breath even out as she falls back into a deep sleep. Santana holds her rocking ever so slightly. She jumps when the door to Amata's room opens and the girl comes running in.
"We've got a problem… Abrams isn't dead." The girl says before Santana can ask what happened.
"What! No, I shot that bastard… I shot that fucker twice."
"Look I know you have questions, but I need you to focus okay? Abrams isn't dead. Someone found the guard before I got to him, and they found Abrams too. Let's just say your dad is tending him as we speak."
"So okay… what are we going to do now?" She starts to panic.
"That's not the only problem we have. Abrams woke up an hour ago, and ordered a shoot on sight warning for you. They're already searching for you and Britt."
"Oh fuck, I'm so screwed… Amata what am I going to do… I…"
"Calm down there is only one thing we can do. We need to get Britt and you out of the vault before they find you." Amata says as if it was that simple.
"What? But there is no way out of the vault."
"There is, and I've done it before so there should be no problem getting Britt and you out. Look I packed some supplies for you and Britt already. Here, I've packed you some stimpacks, food, and fresh water along with some clothes. Extra ammo… which you will need out in the Waste."
"Waste? I… h-how do you know so much about this?"
"Look it's a very long story... Nevertheless, I can assure you the vault doors have been opened many times. Before you were born, and before your dad was the head surgeon we had another doctor. My dad brought him in from the waste, along with my best friend. Then one day the doctor escaped from the vault… which made my dad furious and had his lab assistant killed. In short, I help my best friend escape the vault so he could find his father. Then a couple years after you were born, I was working in the observation room. You see there is a camera right outside the vault door, and one day a lady came on screen. She was holding a young girl… the lady was looking for someone to help them. She was sick. I told my father about them, and that they were right outside and we could help them, but he said no. Then a couple of days later I noticed that the mom was gone, and she'd left the girl. She had left her with like one bottle of water and that's it. I watched this girl for hours, then that night I opened the door yet again. I brought her into the vault. She had a note attached to her…" Amata pulls out a crumpled piece of paper, and hands it to Santana.
Santana looks at the worn words on the page. "I know you must think I'm bad… but a man told me this vault was safe. I'm sick and my child needs someone to look after her. Please raise her for me… I love her… her name is Brittany… please forgive me. I don't understand… Brittany isn't from the vault?"
"No she wasn't born in the vault. We told her that her mom and dad died when she was old enough to understand, but otherwise she thinks she was from the vault. Those dreams she has… they aren't dreams… they're memories… of the wasteland, and of her mom."
"Why didn't you tell me this before… why didn't you tell Brittany before?" Brittany was still asleep in her arms.
"Look I know this is a lot to take in, but you need to know. The wastes are a very hard and unforgiving place." She looks down at Britt.
"Okay… when do we leave?" An Hour later Amata was leading them through a slew of abandoned tunnels. Brittany was having a hard time keeping up, but Santana wouldn't let her fall behind . It wasn't until they entered the overseer's office that Santana started to feel worried, 'what if we can't escape… what if this is a trap.' Amata however would never betray them.
"Okay when you get out, you need to understand its everyone for themselves. I've heard transmissions coming from a town called Megaton. They seem to be the closes thing to the vault… it seems like the best place for you two, and they can protect you."
"Why don't you just come with us…?" Santana asks, she really didn't want to leave her friend behind.
"I can't. If you and Britt disappear… nothing will happen… if I disappear. My dad will send a search party, and if I leave who will take over as the overseer."
"Abrams…"
"Once my dad dies I will be able to take over the vault and get rid of people like Abrams. I plan on opening the vault to anyone seeking protection, and to anyone who wants to leave. This is what I meant to do, and why I never left all those years ago. I need to be here, because you never know when another Brittany will come a knocking."
"Another me is that possible?"
"Sshh Britt." Santana coos.
"That reminds me… here take these." She hand Britt a tiny white pill.
"What is it… are you giving me more drugs?" Brittany eyes the white pill.
"Please take it… otherwise you will have another Brittany running around in nine months." Santana's eyes widen.
"It's just a vitamin Britt, you should take it."
"Okay." She eagerly swallows it without water.
"Okay from here we have to be quick. Once I open this entrance way an alarm will sound, and we'll only have a couple minutes to open the vault door. Are you ready?" They nod… Amata hugs and kisses them both on the head. "You guys will always be my favorites. It's like you're my kids." She wipes a tear from her cheek. She then turns back to one of the overseer's computers and types in the password. All of a sudden, the overseer's desk starts to shake… it lifts and reveals some stairs. They quickly run down the stairs as an alarm starts to blare. They make their way through a computer room. Santana saw screens that were left on… it was some sort of a security room. After that, they came face to face with a giant round door. Amata quickly turns some controls on a nearby substation. They watch as the door slowly starts to move. A giant machine overhead attaches to the giant vault door and pulls it forwards, then it rolls it open.
"Whoa…" That's all Santana could say.
"Okay this is it… this is where you guys start anew. Promise me you'll stay safe." Brittany is still a little out of it. Watching the door open was too amusing. Santana just nods. "Okay quickly you need to leave before security gets here."
Santana grabs the Brittany's hand and pulls her out through the giant door. As soon as they step through the thresh hold the vault door comes back to life, and moves back into its original place, sealing them out. Banishing them from the only life they've ever known. After the dust settled, they notice a light at the end of the dark dusty tunnel. They walk over the signs on the floor. Most of them said help me, or save us. Santana pulls the old wooden door open, this was it the beginning of their new life. The sunlight burned their eyes, and made their vision blurry. The next thing that hit them was the heat, then a small breeze. It was so different. The air wasn't stale, and the lights were warm. Santana's breath hitched as soon as her eyes focused. In front of them was a vast and open space, there were no walls, just like Britt had described in her dreams.
Brittany giggles, and starts to spin. "It's just like in my dreams…" Brittany says with glee. They walk towards a sign that says lookout. "Look out for what…?" Brittany giggles. Britt was a little confused, but they noticed they were on a cliff. In the distance, they could see a fortress, and down below looked like a rundown town.
End... Hope you like it so far