-=I do not own fallout or anything from interplay such as the settings, objects and the like.....though I wish I did I don't so just enjoy ^^=-
1
Vault 17
03:00
2018
I coughed as my hands were brought to my face, pointer fingers massaging my temples. It was dark except for a small dim light that illuminated one corner of the room and reminded me of something desperately fighting off the dark with it's one last bit of life. The walls were clean, too clean it bothered me, staring at the smooth blue metal walls I longed to leave this underground cage and I wondered if I would ever get out. It seemed like only yesterday I was sitting in the back of an army cruiser speeding through Seattle and steering around the riots of angry and desperate people who wanted to live.
It seemed like only yesterday I watched though the large, now sealed tight corkscrew door. As the cave outside it lit so bright I had to avert my eyes as the door closed at the last minute. Those thoughts however, dissipated as they were interrupted by the dull sound of the other dwellers snoring or talking in their sleep. A sigh was let free from my lungs as I laid my head on my pillows and pulled the covers over my body once more, triggering the light to turn off. My eyes instantly fell though, sleep was robbed of me by the thoughts of the past, the future, my family and friends.
I grumbled as I pulled myself from the bed, the light doing it's job. Some of the blankets had fallen on the floor and I tripped, hopping on one foot in the darkness as I tried to shake the blanket's grip on my ankle. I shook my leg free and took a few unsteady steps towered the large metal door, triggering the wall to my left to split and reveal several sets of the same blue jumpsuit with the bright yellow 17 on the back and several pairs of charcoal colored boots.
I grabbed one of both and slipped the jumpsuit on, pulling it over my bare shoulders and zipped up the front, tucking the zipper inside a small stitched patch by the neck then proceeded to hop into my boots. The door was activated by a small hand scanner with a little "Vault tech" symbol etched into the corner as was everything in the vault.
As I placed my right hand on the scanner and watched the green beam proceed down it I used my other to pad down my hair which fell over my eyes and ears in large locks. The door opened silently to a considerably large empty room that held an elevator in the middle, surrounded as if it was being watched by the 33 doors around it.
I kept my head facing the ground as I walked to the elevator and scanned my hand to open the door and as I looked up I was blinded by the sheer light of the elevator causing me to turn away quickly. Once my pupils dilated I stepped inside and pressed the small, dimpled red button with the label next to it that read "level 3".
I did not know why I was going to level 3, I was not allowed in most areas as most in the vault were not except for the "Techies."
A small "Ding!" was heard as the elevator door split to another hallway, surrounded by walls that dampened the sounds of tings and beeps coming from the computer room. I stopped at the end of the hallway and shrugged. The overseer was probably awake he was the only person in the vault who slept as little as I did. I turned towered his room. This housed the one man who in a sense was "President" of the vault. I stepped in quietly and stared at him in the distance of the room furiously working on papers.
"Hello Daniel" The overseer said gently without turning.
"How did you know it was me?" I asked observing his white hair and the large 17 on his back in yellow.
"Haven't you heard from the others? I have eyes on the back of my head" he chuckled still working on the many papers scattered on his chair which was facing the wall.
"I'm not a kid anymore" I mumbled "You have a mirror on your chair" I pointed out, getting a glimpse of my own figure in the mirror.
The overseer sighed and scratched the side of his head with his pencil. "Yeah…I guess you aren't…say what are you doing up this early anyway?" he asked, turning his head to face me.
"You know I can't sleep very often" I replied and walked over, sitting at the base of the chair and looking up and the multi-colored wires that flowed up it like so many electrical veins that powered the two large mini-guns mounted upon it.
"Paperwork?" I asked from below "Have we finally regained contact with vaults 13,15, and 26?" The vaults had a buddy system set up by the pre-war people so that every vault would have contact with three randomly picked vaults but our vault had lost contact with the others after 3 years.
The overseer shook his head grimly and straightened his back, bundling the papers in his thick hands.
"There logs" was all he said. The overseer was a nice man however troubled by recent events or serious he seemed. He held things in the vault together easily. I glanced over to a large metal safe in the corner of the room. I knew inside that safe was an orange booklet that held the code to open the corkscrew door. This thought struck into my heart and I soon longed to get inside knowing that the only thing that kept me from getting outside was a safe and perhaps the combination was inside his chair.
"I'm off to the bathroom it's best if you get off to bed" The overseer grunted. "Maybe I can get them tonight" I thought to myself as I watched the overseer climb down the chair and land with a small thud to the floor and started to stride away.
"How long has it been?" I asked. The overseer turned around slightly and raised an eyebrow.
"Since…the bombs…"
"oh…" he frowned "About ten years I believe, why?" he asked
"Never mind" I muttered "Goodnight"
"Goodnight" he said back and left my view.
As soon as he left my view I stood and placed one foot on the base of the chair and hopped high enough to grab the top with two hands, carefully but quickly pulling myself up. I pulled out every drawer inside the chair until on the very I saw on the bottom was a black book with a dusty footprint on it. It seemed he kept it under him where no one could possible get to it.
I grabbed it in my hands and it easily opened to the spot where the code bookmarked. I slipped it out and placed the book back in it's spot. My hands unfolded the paper to let my eyes see the code and I smiled, hopping back down with a soft thud. I made my way to the safe and started to turn the dial, in the background the sound of the bathroom door opening and closing again was like a sledgehammer to my head. Franticly I turned the dial "17-21-33 wait no!" I cursed under my breath and reset it "17-23-38."
A satisfying click was heard as the door opened and inside was the very orange book I had thought of, Quickly I pocketed it and closed the door, dashing behind the chair at the very moment he returned. I held my breath as his footsteps came towered the door and then to his inner room. My lungs burned from lack of air as I listened to the door shut and gasped for some.
Quickly I stood and ran to the elevator, My plans would have to wait until tomorrow because I agreed with my heart and my mind I had enough excitement for one night.