Sage was awoken by the bright light of the sun streaming through her bedroom curtains. The light hit her face gently, and she opened her eyes. As much as the teenager wanted to stay in bed, she knew better than that. Today, her Dad would be giving a speech at the veteran's hall and she knew it would be better to not sleep in until the last minute for it.
She rose from her bed and made her way over to her dresser and put on a light blue and white polka dot dress, using a white bandana to tie her auburn hair up. Codsworth's voice carried into her room, along with Shaun's cries. The robot passed by Sage's room, and she slipped into the kitchen to see her dad drinking his coffee and reading the morning paper.
"I'm glad we have Codsworth," the teenager looked towards her brothers room and noted that his wails had become softer.
"Me too, sweetie," her Dad replied between sips of his coffee. "I'm sure we would've been bogged down with work without him. Shawn's care, my work, your schoolwork…" He trailed off, leaving a heavy silence between us.
'He must be thinking of Mom…' Sage thought sadly. A knock rapped on the door, snapping the two of them out of their thoughts. "Coming!" the girl shouted at the door before opening it.
"Good morning! Vault Tec calling! Does Nate Washington live here?" The salesman asked jubilantly.
"Yes?" Sage answered, looking at her father.
"Well, I am happy to announce that because of his service to his country, him and his family are being granted access to the local vault! Vault 111!" The representative made a grand gesture and Sage couldn't help but giggle.
"Well, now we can't wait for the apocalypse!" The teenager chuckled, and the man laughed back with her as well.
"That's the spirit! Now, there's a few details we need to confirm…" the man handed a clipboard to her, and before she could try to grab it, her father took it and started filling it out himself. Eventually, Nate gave it back to the Vault Tec representative. "Wonderful! That's everything, just going to walk this over to the vault. Congratulations on being prepared for the future!" He walked away from the house as I closed the door.
"I could've filled that out, Dad. I am almost eighteen after all." Sage sighed and pouted, turning to her father.
"That still isn't for another month. Plus, you'll always be my little girl." Sage's father grinned, knowing that that phrase annoyed his daughter. "Besides, at least its peace of mind for us, right?"
"Right." Sage smiled, before hearing her brothers cries had started again. Codsworth appeared in the hallway shortly.
"Mister Nate, Shaun has been changed, but he absolutely refuses to calm down. I think he needs some of that 'paternal affection' you seem to be so good at." The robot explained. Sage's father walked into the baby's room, with Sage following. He gently picked Shaun up and started rocking him, quieting the baby down almost immediately.
"The weather's supposed to be good later today, do you think we could go to the park with Shaun before your speech?" Sage asked, with the baby starting to coo. "See, I think he'd like that!"
Her father smiled sadly. "Okay, you've won me over! We'll go tomorrow."
Codsworth's voice carried to the baby's room, full of concern, "Uh...sir? Miss? You should come and see this!"
"Codsworth? What's wrong?" Sage and her father walked into the living room to hear the television tuned to the news.
"Yes...followed by...followed by flashes. Blinding flashes. Sounds of explosions. We're, uh...we're trying to get confirmation. We seem to have lost contact with our affiliate stations..." The newscaster murmured.
"W-what is he saying?!" Sage's father stammered.
The reporter was handed a paper. He took a second to read it before looking back up grimly. "We do have...coming in…confirmed reports. I repeat, confirmed reports of nuclear detonation in New York and Pennsylvania...my god…" the newscaster shakily announced.
"Oh...oh my god!" Sage exhaled. She could feel her stomach sinking as panic tried to sink its claws in. Sirens began to sound outside.
"We need to get to the Vault! NOW!" Sage's father barked, holding Shaun tighter.
Sage looked at Codsworth. The robot had been a great addition to the house. She felt bad leaving him behind. "Be...be safe, Codsworth." she sniffed.
"Your family as well, Miss. Oh my…" he responded before Sage joined her father outside.
The cacophony outside the house only added to Sage's anxiety. Soldiers had been stationed on the street, directing people to the vault. Neighbors who weren't in the program were shouting and wailing and cursing the "communist bastards". Throughout it all, her brothers' cries filled the air, even with her father trying to console the infant.
Sage and her father made their way through the woods to the vault. There was a mass of people at the sides of the gate, and Sage recognized the man currently trying to get past the soldiers as the Vault Tec representative. He was shouting about how he was Vault Tec, but the soldiers raised their guns at him. He raised his hands in defeat and walked away. Sage glanced at him sadly. 'Why isn't he on the list? He works for Vault Tec…' the teen thought.
"We need to get in! W-we're on the list!" Sage heard her father shout at the soldiers.
"Adult male...adult female...infant...alright, go on in. And...good luck." the soldier stepped aside for the three and they quickly hurried in. Sage was more than grateful they were let in.
Sage and her father and brother followed a soldier over to the circular platform, the entrance to the vault.
"Alright, that's it! Send it down!" Sage felt the mechanical rumbling under her as she began to descend. She huddled next to her father when she felt the explosion. The girl dared not look, in fear of being rendered blind by the flash. Ducking, she heard the screams of fear from her neighbors and felt the warm air rushing over her before the entrance completely closed.
When the platform stopped completely, Sage looked up to see the Vault personnel. Dazed, she followed behind her father, wondering what the fate of those outside the vault were. She felt like crying from the fear, sadness and happiness mixing inside of her.
They were eventually herded to decontamination pods after everyone changed into the canvas Vault suits. Sage hugged her dad and kissed her brother on the top of his head. "I love you, Dad." They both smiled at each other, and stepped into the pod across from her father.
Sage realized the feeling of cold numbing her fingers and toes before she was able to react. A panic rose in her while the frost frantically crawled across her sun kissed skin. Before she knew it, she had faded from consciousness.
Waking with a jolt, Sage coughed and sputtered. She could see was still in the pod, but she couldn't spot doctors anywhere outside. Trying to open it from the inside was not working.
Suddenly, the girl saw two people walk into view, heading to the pod across from her. Dad and Shaun's pod. To her, they looked like...she didn't even know how to describe them. Panic rose in her wondering what those people were doing in the vault, and how they even got in here. Sage was sure she didn't see these two when she entered the vault. She watched helplessly as the two unknown people opened the pod containing her father and brother. The woman reached out at the infant, not trying to hide her desire to get the baby away from his father. Sage's dad resisted, and the man...pulled out a gun.
"No! I won't give you Shaun!" Sage's father bellowed before a soul crushing bang. Sage saw her father sag and the woman grabbed Shaun from his weakening grasp. She could see the stain of red growing on her father's suit.
She wanted to do anything...to call out to her father, to stop the kidnappers. But she found herself frozen in place. Sage felt a lone tear drip down her cheek.
The man faced her pod now. Sage could see an ugly scar trail across his eye. "At least we have the backup." He chuckled. The teen felt the familiar sensation of coldness, and she lost consciousness once again.