"… War never changes," Archer concluded in the steamed mirror while trimming his beard. He was going over his speech for the veteran's hall as he got ready for the day. He appraised his appearance for a moment, then made a slight adjustment just under his chin.
"You're gonna knock 'em dead at the veteran's hall, hon," Nate appeared from where he had been combing his hair.
"You think?"
"Absolutely," he replied, then added with a smirk; "now finish getting ready and stop hogging the mirror."
"Right," Archer mumbled distractedly as he gave himself a final once-over, though he knew if he kept worrying at his beard he'd only ruin in. He kept a groomed yet rugged appearance; he had a strong jawline with a broad, flat nose and thick, angular brows set over bright brown eyes. His complexion, though not the clearest, was even and had a nice tan from regular yardwork. His hair, short on the sides but exceptionally long on top and falling to one side, was naturally red, almost burgundy. He decided his appearance was satisfactory, and stepped away from the mirror then slipped on a pair of jeans and a plain tee.
Pacing into the living room, he saw Codsworth had only just prepared his coffee, which sat steaming in its mug on the kitchen island. He pulled up a stool and reached for the coffee as the robot noticed his arrival:
"Oh good morning, sir! Your coffee, one hundred and seventy-three point five degree Fahrenheit. Brewed to perfection!" The family's Mr. Handy preened himself in its very butler-esque programmed tone; the rotund bot hovered in place with its three arms, one holding the coffee pot and the other extending a copy of the paper towards Archer. Archer nodded in acknowledgement as he accepted the newspaper. It was only more of the same; he set it aside and downed his coffee, allowing the hot, bitter drink to help him to wake up.
In lieu of the paper he reached for his most recent edition of Grognak the Barbarian and, just as he began to continue from where he had left off, he heard Shaun begin to cry in his cradle; he started to get up but hesitated as he noticed Codsworth starting off for his son's room. "Oh, looks like someone made a stinky! I shall tend to young Shaun," Codsworth announced as he floated off, having set the coffeepot on the table.
Archer was admittedly nervous for his address tonight; he wasn't given to making speeches or public appearances. After finishing his tour of duty he had settled into the quiet life (by comparison) of an engineer for the General Atomics factory which was about a twenty-minute drive away. His boss had decided to volunteer him to give the speech in an attempt to offset the anti-war sentiment which had been spreading around the plant. "Do I look nervous? I look nervous, don't I," he said to Nate as he entered the living room.
"You're going to do great," Nate said with a reassuring smile.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
"Oh, will you get that? It's probably that salesman. He's been stopping by for you every day." Nate asked. Archer grunted an affirmative and stepped over to the door, opening it with a grimace set to his face.
"Good morning! Vault-Tec calling!" the cheerful little sales rep announced immediately, making a rehearsed step forward with a gracious nod, hand held to his hat while the other grasped a clipboard nervously.
"Good morning," Archer said with faint irritation.
"Isn't it!" he replied, making a broad sweeping gesture and glancing around. "Just look at that sky out there." He cleared his throat, clearly ready to get to the point. "You can't begin to know how happy I am to finally speak with you. I've been trying for days; it's a matter of utmost urgency, I assure you." This last sentence was punctuated with emphatic gesturing of the clipboard.
"Well, I'm here now," Archer said. "What's so important?"
"Why, nothing less than your entire future," he said, happy to get into his spiel. "If you haven't noticed, sir, this country has gone to heck and a half, if you'll excuse my language," here he noticed the tri-fold American flag in the entry, and glanced down nervously. Then he started again: "The big kaboom-" this with more emphatic gesturing, "- it's inevitable, I'm afraid. And coming sooner than you might think if you catch me meaning? Now, I know you're a busy man, so I won't take up much of your time, time being a, uh, precious commodity, and I'm here to tell you that because of your service to our country, you have been pre-selected for entrance into the local Vault! Vault One-Eleven," He added on the last phrase with a reverent tone and a flourish of the clipboard.
"That sounds great," Archer said, unsure quite how to respond.
"Oh, it is! Believe you me. Now, you're already cleared for entrance, in the unforeseen event of, uh," he leaned in and continued quietly, almost conspiratorially, "Total atomic annihilation." He then said, in a professional tone, "I just need to verify some information, that's all."
Archer nodded and accepted the clipboard which was ceremoniously thrust to him. It was very basic paperwork – his name, some information on his physical fitness and medical history and his level of education, his occupation – he filled it out hurriedly and returned it to the Vault-Tec rep, who looked quite uncomfortable. "I can't wait for the world to end!" he added sardonically.
"Splendid," he said awkwardly. "Splendid.. Just gonna walk this over to the vault. Congratulations on being prepared for he future!" with one final flourish he backed away as Archer closed the door. He groaned tiredly.
"Hey, it's only a little paperwork. That's worth peace of mind, right?" Nate said from where he was seated at the couch, watching the news.
"For you and Shaun, no price is too high," Archer responded playfully.
"Good answer," he chuckled.
"I have my moments," he said as he leaned over the sofa back to give him a peck on the cheek. He then noticed that Shaun was still crying; clearly Codsworth lacked the paternal touch.
As if on cue, Codsworth swept into the room, announcing with despair: "Sir, Shaun simply refuses to calm down! Perhaps he needs a little of that paternal affection you seem to be so good at."
Archer straightened up as Nate said, "You heard him. Go on," he ushered. The dutiful husband headed in to see to Shaun. As always, seeing the infant in his cradle was enough to cheer him up. For a minute, he wasn't nervous – wasn't thinking about his potentially humiliating upcoming speech.
"Hey there, little guy-" he said in a gentle, hushed tone as he approached the crib and reached out to give play with Shaun's hand. A hand so small that it was barely larger than the tip of his thumb, which amazed Archer endlessly. Shaun quieted down at the touch of his father's hand and latched himself to it feebly.
"Spin the mobile a bit; he loves that." Archer heard Nate suggest from back behind him. "How are my two favorite men doing?" He added, a subtle note of pride in his voice, as he approached Archer and placed his hand comfortably on the small of Archer's back, who was still absorbed in staring at their baby. Archer reached up and spun the mobile; Shaun laughed the ebullient, sporadic laugh of an infant.
Archer straightened up and set an arm over Nate's shoulders. He was tall, and quite muscular. He possessed a combination of fortunate genetics as well as military training, a rigorous regime which he still maintained, and he was easily a head taller than Nate, who was slender by comparison, short, with golden blonde hair groomed into a near-pompadour, a freckled pale complexion, and beautifully clear blue eyes. Nate nuzzled into Archer's side and said, absentmindedly, "I was thinking of going to the park today. That salesman was right – it is beautiful outside."
Archer grinned mischievously and said "And, uh, have some fun? Like that one time?"
Nate nudged him, bashful, and said, "Come on, we're dads now. We can't do that!" Archer chuckled good-naturedly. The moment was practically perfect until they heard Codsworth's voice, alarmed, coming from the living room:
"Sir! Da! You best come see this!" Archer groaned in annoyance, and a moment later he heard alarms outside. Exchanging concerned looks, he and Nate hurried to the living room. Nate scooped up little Shaun, who had begun to cry again with the sounding of the alarms.
"Codsworth? What's wrong?" Nate called.
Archer found Codsworth anxious in front of the television – well, as anxious as a floating robotic orb with three limbs can be – as the newscaster was muttering something in a shocked tone.
"Followed by… ye, followed by flashes. Blinding flashes. Sounds of explosions… we're trying to get confirmations. But we seem to have lost connection with our affiliate stations…We do have coming in, confimed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania…"
Archer was stunned. He acted on instinct, no longer listening to the television. "You have Shaun?" He called to Nate, who nodded, also in shock, and said "We have to get to the vault. Hurry!" He grabbed his shoes and held Shaun was Nate did the same, then Nate took Shaun back and the fled the home amid confused protests from Codsworth.
Outside, the neighborhood was entirely transformed. They lived in a picturesque little cul-de-sac called Sanctuary, full of perfectly groomed suburban homes, and yet the streets were now lined with their panicked neighbors and military personnel who urgently guided certain persons to the Vault.
Archer already knew where it was – its construction had been a subject of local interest, and he had passed it occasionally hiking in the woods around their neighborhood. Taking Nate by the arm, they rushed down the street and out a hiking path to one side which was now transformed into a military corridor.
"For God's sake, leave the suitcase!" He heard a man calling to his wife, who was bent over an open suitcase collecting the things that had spilled out. "They have this shit in the Vault!" The woman, crying, complied and they fled towards the Vault.
Archer, with Nate and Shaun in tow, approached the chain-link fence surrounding the entrance to the Vault – now flanked by Vault personnel in jumpsuits and military in power armor – and approached a Vault-Tec official who was confirming entrance for the panicked customers. In front of him, the salesman from before stood protesting – "What do you mean I'm not on the list! I am Vault-Tec!" The official ordered him to stand by.
Archer and family approached and he insisted urgently, "We need into the Vault! I'm on the list – under Archer!"
The man perused his list unhurriedly, mumbling, "Two adult males, one infant – yes, everything seems to be in order. Let them through," he called over his shoulder to the guards. They passed through – everything was a daze, and they hardly noticed their surroundings as they were lead up to the Vault by another official in a blue jumpsuit and a hardhat.
"What about all those people! What's going to happen to them?!" Nate called to the man, concerned.
"We're trying to take care of as many as we can. For now, just get yourselves into the vault. Just step onto the platform there," he gestured to the huge, gear-shaped metal platform before them. To one side was a control center. There were already several people on the platform, waiting to be lowered into the vault. Archer recognized a few of them, but they were all silent amid the surreal nature of their situation.
The vault elevator lurched slowly downward just as – on the horizon – Archer saw something he had hoped never to witness. A light, which could only be described as blinding and white, flashed in a massive detonation, followed by the iconic mushroom-shaped cloud. And yet the elevator was so slow, surely they could speed this up-
Everyone panicked. One of his neighbors shouted, "Can't this thing go any faster?" Just as they were about shoulder-deep down into the entrance, they felt the shockwave of the explosion. It was still strong enough, even at this distance, to kick up dust and knock everyone off-balance.
Despite the elevator's best attempts to stall them, they made it into the Vault. Vault 111.
Archer was slowly calming down with the knowledge that they were now safe. He had read up on the Vaults when they had announced the construction of this one – they were incredibly durable, strong enough to resist a direct nuclear blast and built to be totally self-sufficient, even against the pervasive radiation which would accompany a nuclear detonation.
The grate separating the Vault from the elevator lifted as a robotic voice announced their arrival. There they found industrial-style metal stairs leading up onto a decontamination platform. Archer led Nate, who was totally silent and held onto Shaun protectively, up the steps and through the decontamination unit. It blared a loud confirmation as they passed through – one tech said, unimportantly to the side, that they were clean – and they were approached by another tech who was proffering them blue jumpsuits.
Archer accepted the two suits. "Thanks," he said in a hollow voice. "What now?"
"Just follow the doctor here. He'll show you where to go." The woman smiled warmly at him and he nodded, then followed the man who had been standing to the side. He was older, with silvery hair and a dignified lab coat.
"Alright, you three, follow me." The doctor said, waving them on as he headed down a corridor to their left. Archer took a moment to notice that the Vault had a very industrial, near-military look – which wasn't surprising. It was all metal, with pipes and bundles of cords running down every wall. Machinery lined the corridor they were being lead through. "Oh, you're going to love it here," the doctor was rambling cheerfully, was he walked ahead of them, not even aware of whether they were listening or not. "This is one of our most advanced facilities! Not that the others aren't great, mind you…" He added with a note of pride.
A man and woman were standing to the side as they passed – Archer noticed, through a window, a mostly unlit chamber holding rows of unidentifiable machinery. It took, he supposed, quite a lot of machinery to build a self-sufficient community belowground. He caught a bit of their conversation as they passed: "It's gone… our home… Everything we had…" The man was muttering, processing the chaos which was still ensuing aboveground.
They continued down the hallway; Nate finally spoke up. "How long will we be down here?"
"Oh, we'll be going over all that in orientation," the doctor called over his shoulder. "Just a few medical items we have to get through first. Just to check them off the list."
They had entered into a chamber flanked with what appeared to be some sort of pods. Despite his background in engineering, it wasn't apparent to Archer what they were for. A few other residents, already in their form-fitting blue and yellow vault suits, were talking to one side.
"The suits are designed to be fashionable as well as comfortable," one woman was saying, clearly impressed. Archer wasn't certain why they couldn't wear their normal clothing.
"Prepared for the future!" another said in agreement.
"Such a lovely family you have," Archer heard a staff member say to him from next to one of the pods. "I hope you love it here." Archer smiled appreciatively for the encouragement and continued to where the doctor had stopped just in front of the last pods in the row.
"Just step in here, and put your vault suit on," the doctor said, gesturing to the two pods on either side of him.
"What about Shaun?" Nate said. Archer was already stripping out of his pants and shirt, and slipping on the vault suit. That one woman had been right – they were certainly comfortable.
"One of you can hold him. You'll only be in the pods for a minute as it goes through a decontamination. It's completely safe for the little guy," the doctor replied. Archer took Shaun as Nate donned his suit. Nate then reached for Shaun again, and Archer handed the infant to him. Nate seemed to be holding onto Shaun to comfort himself nearly as much as he was to comfort the child. Archer took his hand for a moment, reassuringly.
"Don't worry – we're safe now." He said and gave Nate a reassuring grin, then turned to step into the pod. He felt claustrophobic for just a moment door to the pod lowered from above him, and he saw Nate doing the same, fawning over Shaun and comforting him. He gave them both a wave as he heard the doctor.
"The pod will decontaminate and depressurize you before we head deeper into the vault. Just relax." He said as to tech staff came to engage devices at the sides of the pods.
A programmed voice announced from within the pod: "Resident secure. Occupant vitals: normal. Procedure complete. In 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…" He was vaguely aware of the pod begin to chill, and then nothing at all.