Chapter 2: Like a Rolling Stone

Sirens roared and the room was flooded with rapidly flashing red light. The heavy vault door rolled open with a metal scream. Rust and dirt poured down, howling winds bit through Mordecai's vault-suit. It was black outside. Pitch black. Mordecai stepped forward into the darkness clutching his pistol tightly. The door slowly rolled shut behind him as he continued forward. He blinked rapidly trying to adjust his eyes to the darkness.

Gravel crunched under his feet and the stench of rot filled his nose. He kept walking forward. He pressed a button on the side of his Pip-Boy and a small light flashed to life, only illuminating the ground around him. The gravel was a mixture of dusty yellow, flecked with spatters of dark crimson. A battered wooden door rattled in the wind ahead of him. Mordecai slowly placed his hand against the splintered boards. The wind carried a faint growl between the cracks of the door. Hesitantly pushing it open, he was greeted with the same still blackness.

He looked down as his feet as he stepped over the threshold into the wasteland when he felt his head bump into something hard. He reached his hand up and felt what seemed like rough scarred leather. He slowly raised his Pip-Boy. Teeth. A mouthful of teeth. They slowly separated with a wet cracking sound and spewed forth a torrent of guttural rage and rotten breath. He slammed his eyes shut and yelled "Fuck, Fuck, FUCK!" as he fell backwards through the door. He didn't land on gravel, but hard metal.

He opened his eyes and there was blackness. He reached his arm out to his side and felt something soft. It was a blanket. He reached out in front of him and felt a handle. It was a dresser. He was in his room. Slowly taking the blanket off, he tossed it back on his bed looking at his Pip-Boy. The screen flashed the numbers "06:04". He placed a hand on his cracked dresser to help him stand up. He reached down to the floor and picked up his Vault-suit from the day before and sniffing it. He shrugged before going to slip it on. He yawned and stretched his arms, then noticed the lab coat on the floor and picked it up, He slid it on over his Vault-suit and buttoned it up to the top two buttons.

Walking towards the door, he turned the grey knob on the panel next to it. The lights on the box faded from red back to green. He pressed the button below the knob and the door hissed open. He walked out the door, his shoes clicking against the concrete floor. He followed the brown line leading him to the Diner. Not many people would be awake at this time, and the people that were would either be working or eating breakfast. The events of yesterday kept running through his head. "Was this really going to fucking happen?" he thought. "Yes, yes it was."

In his moment of pondering he had walked right past the diner and bumped into a young woman. He looked up to see who he bumped into, then looked immediately down. A young woman barely above five feet looked up at him with large amber eyes that had bags under them. She had long red hair and a smooth round face. She sleepily grumbled, walking past him. He spun around and followed, calling out to her.

"Maya! Maya wait up!"

In response she held up her left index finger and kept walking. She continued down the same brown line Mordecai had been following. As she reached the Diner, she quickly head to the four coffee machines that were placed on a metal table in the middle of the room. She grabbed a paper cup and placed it under one of the machines then pressed a button. Coffee poured out from the machine and filled the cup. She pulled a lever that dropped two sugar cubes into the coffee. She pulled the lever six more times then grabbed a spoon and gently stirred it. She raised it up to her lips and took a long drink, proceeding to drink the entire cup of her sugary concoction. She slowly set the cup down and finally lowered her finger.

"You may speak now." She said in a quiet, matter-of-fact voice. She crossed her arms and stared defiantly up at him.

Mordecai took in a breath as he contemplated how to exactly word his sentence, "I uh.. Don't honestly know how to sugar coat this. But, the greenhouse is fucked and we need parts. So... I'm the one the Overseer picked to go out. I have to retrieve the parts myself from the wasteland."

She nodded slowly. "Oh, okay." She grabbed her cup, filling it up with coffee. She stared at the coffee machine for a moment then looked at Mordecai. Her eyes widened, "What?! You fucking what?!"

He looked down at his feet and tightened his hands into fists, he wasn't sure how to respond. He looked back up at her, "I didn't.. I wasn't... asked. I was told to. But, that doesn't mean I won't be coming back."

"I don't care! That's the wasteland we're talking about, we don't even know what's out there! This isn't some game, that's an entirely new world out there! You could get killed, or raped, or eaten, or blown up, or... I don't know what..."

"I know, I know. But, just because that could happen doesn't mean it will. I'll come back in one piece. If not, you can beat me with whatever limb I happen to lose. Deal?"

She crossed her arms and pouted. "That still isn't fine. I'm not okay with this."

Mordecai let out a heavy sigh and looked down at her with a sad smile. "I'm not okay with it either, Maya. But, I don't really have any wiggle room to make a choice here. People don't exactly tell The Overseer no, now do they?"

Maya stared down at her feet. "Well, I guess not. But, that's not right. You aren't even getting a choice in a life or death situation." She began to speak faster and her voice cracked. "You shouldn't just have no right to pick what happens, you're too young t-."

Mordecai reached out and gently grabbed her arm. "I know. I know. But, once I get these greenhouse parts I'll be coming right back. The instant I do. Now, I need to go get ready." He turned away from the coffee machine and walked towards the exit of the diner.

She reached out and grabbed his arm. "At least let me help you pack, I don't want this to be how I say goodbye to you."

Mordecai stared at the woman for a few long moments before taking a deep breath. "Alright, but no more trying to change something that we have no right to change."

Maya let out a tired sigh of relief. "Let's hurry up then. I don't wanna have to wait longer to see you again then I have to." she said as they both walked out into the hallway

They spent their walk towards the living quarters quietly looking at anything but the other person. If Mordecai were to look at Maya, she would quickly avert her gaze towards the ceiling and point out the pipes, "Are those new?" or read a notice on the wall, "Well isn't that something!"

Eventually reaching Mordecai's small room, they both quietly stepped inside. Mordecai grabbed an old duffel bag and tossed it on the bed before stuffing some of his clothes into it. Maya began to sort through Mordecai's meager belongings and folded some more of his clothes for him. She quietly hummed to herself as she worked, trying to lighten the mood. She opened his drawer, a few records sliding forward. She reached down into the drawer grabbing a vinyl record with a red center and bold black lettering on it and placed it on the record player.

She looked back over to Mordecai and smiled at him before placing the needle onto the disc. She gave her shoulders a slight wiggle, singing along with the song.

"Once upon a time you looked so fine…" She slowly walked forward, her hips lightly swaying from left to right as she did.

"Threw the bums a dime in your prime, didn't you…?" She twirled around Mordecai and grabbed a bobblehead off his dresser and playfully tossed it at him.

Almost immediately after he caught it, she reached out and plucked it from his hands and dropped it on the ground smiling at him. "People call say 'Beware doll, you're bound to fall'..."

She continued dancing around the room until the song ended. She looked over at Mordecai to see that he had finished packing his belongings into the duffel bag. He reached out to Maya and patted her on the head before pulling her towards him and gently kissing her on the forehead. "I'll be back soon, Maya. Stay safe here alright?"

Mordecai tossed the bag over his shoulder and began making his way to The Overseer's office. He gave one last wave to Maya before disappearing around the corner from his room. He slowly walked towards The Overseer's office and paused outside the door and took a deep breath. He exhaled then pushed the buzzer next to the door before it slid open. The overseer looked up at the door and slowly stood, leaning himself against his desk.

"I'm ready to get your fucking parts" Mordecai said. "But, I need one more thing from you before I go."

"What's that?"

"Another Pip-Boy."

"Why?"

"Because if this shit breaks, I'm fucked, and I prefer to be the one doing the fucking in my life." Mordecai said.

The Overseer raised his finger for a moment before giving Mordecai a confused look. "I..." He chuckled. "I can see your point. Give me one moment." He sat back down in his chair and spun around to a large cabinet.

He opened it and rummaged through a drawer before tossing a Pip-Boy back over his head to Mordecai. "There you are son."

Mordecai reached out and caught it, looked it over, and stuffed it in his bag. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. Wait. How do I even get to the vault door? I have never seen anyone just walk to it."

The Overseer smiled and reached under his desk. He pulled out a small brass key and tossed it to Mordecai. He pointed to one of the small photographs hanging on the wall near the door through which Mordecai had entered.

"Take the picture down and place the key into the small hole behind it, then turn counter-clockwise."

Mordecai gave The Overseer a grin as he turned and gently moved the old photograph off its peg. "Clever." He set the photo down and saw a small, rusted keyhole. He put the key in the hole and twisted it. Slowly the wall behind The Overseer's desk slid open revealing a battered steel door. The Overseer got up from his chair and began to crank a large valve on the front of the door, slowly prying it open.

"This door hasn't been open for damn near fifty years, and once you get back, I don't want to open it for another fifty. This is a pain in the ass. We have to purify the air in the vault for the next three days and do bioscans of the entire upper level to make sure nothing has contaminated us. So for Christ's sake, when you get back, wipe your damn feet." He chuckled.

He finished talking as he had finally cranked the door fully open. He stepped back and pulled out a small notebook from his pocket. "This has detailed sketches and model numbers of all the parts we need."

Mordecai walked towards the man and extended his hand for the notebook.

"Mordecai," The Overseer said. "We are all counting on you here, so don't fuck up. Seriously, don't fuck up. I don't think you understand how fucked we are if y-"

Mordecai interrupted it and snatched the notebook from his hand "I fucking get it."

"Godspeed."

Mordecai nodded and stepped through the steel door and stared up a long, dimly lit metal staircase. Taking in a deep breath, he slowly brought a foot to the first step. Dust puffed off the step and the metal echoed up the staircase. He began to walk up the dusty stairs. The staircase was long, far too long for his own good. His mind began to race,

'This is happening, this is happening. This. Is. Happening. Let's go, I'm ready'

He began to walk faster and faster up the stairs. His feet thumping harder and harder against the steps, his foot steps echoed up and down the hall.

'I can handle whatever this fucked wasteland has to throw at me.'

He was getting closer to the end of the stairs.

"It's time to r-"

BAM!

Mordecai bashed his head on the doorway at the top of the stairs as he came flying through. "FUCK!"

He stumbled in through the doorway and rubbed his head looking around, the room was nearly empty, minus the massive Vault door with big bold letters reading; 109, and a small panel next to it. Speakers crackled to life all around him and echoed the same automated voice that was standard in every vault.

"Thank you for choosing Vault-Tec. We hope you have enjoyed your stay. Please pull the large lever on the control panel to continue exiting from the Vault."

Mordecai walked up three stairs to the control panel. The buttons and lever on it were cracked and worn from disrepair. He placed his hand on it, looking up at the Vault door before taking a deep breath. His grip on the lever tightening as he proceeded to pull it downward. It creaked and groaned, resisting him before finally giving in and pulling down.

He released his hand from the lever, sirens instantly went off, "10, 9, 8,." the automated voice cracked through the speakers.

Steam hissed and hydraulic fluid dripped from the sides of the vault door.

"7"

The door screamed and began to slide towards him, breaking large chunks of rust from the edges.

"6"

A second automated voice called out over the count down. "Please make sure any limbs, small chil-"

"5"

"-dren, and jewelry are clear of the door." The door slid forward more, a small blas of steam could be felt coming through the cracks.

"4"

Mordecai closed his eyes and felt the burst of steam slowly increase in intensity as the door finally pulled completely away from the hole it had once filled.

"3"

It began to roll to the side, replacing the warm blast of steam with a small, cool breeze.

"2"

The door kept rolling, squealing, and hissing as the fluorescent lights revealed a rough rocky wall on its other side.

"1"

It finally rolled to a stop with a metallic clang as the door looked in place. The sirens began to die down, and the room returned to a dreary silence. Mordecai alertly made his way towards the door, placing a hand against the thick metal wall. He took his first step outside the Vault door, the red-tinged gravel crunched under his feet. He took another step, reaching his hand to his Pip-boy. He pressed a button on the side, the floor lit up around him just barely giving him enough light to see the dark, rocky hallway. He kept his slow pace, inching closer and closer to the wooden door that awaited him.

Finally reaching the door. He placed his hand on his gun at his side, and then pushed the door open. As he did so, the sirens began to wail again, and the door slowly rolled closed behind him. His eyes adjusted to the dim light outside the cave. He saw a vast panorama of rusted steel skeletons and decapitated skyscrapers covering the skyline. Only a few miles away stood a massive, leaning tower with a large disc at the top hanging dangerously to one side. A few small twinkling lights could be seen far off in the distance below a mountain, and more closest to himself.

The sky was a deep blue that slowly faded to a bright orange as it stretched towards the ground. Mordecai then looked around at his immediate surroundings. He was on the side of a small hill, and around him were overturned park benches and craters. In front of him was a shattered concrete path, now worn down nearly to a fine grey dust. He took a step forward and drew in a long breath. The air was heavy and humid, the moisture seeped into his lungs. He coughed and continued walking. He took slow steps, still adjusting to the landscape as he was used to the Vault's straight cut, rectangular hallways. He carefully made his way to the bottom of the hill.

Upon reaching the end of the broken concrete path, he took a look ahead of him feeling a gentle warmth on the back of his neck, and the world slowly grew brighter around him. He turned to his head upward, looking around for the source of the light. Finding nothing, he casted his eyes to his left. A large bright light was peeking over the horizon at him. That must have been the sun he was told about. He stared at it for a moment in thought.

"So, that's the sun. Huh..?"

His eyes began to burn and water.

"FUCK FUCK FUCK! THAT'S THE FUCKING SUN!"

He quickly threw his head back downward, moving his arm over his eyes. He shook his head, blinking furiously before turning back around to the direction he was facing just before his.. "Discovery". His vision held a slight tint of green, blinking a few more times made the color fade away. Finally able to take in his surroundings he noticed a large, brown building, an apartment. The top few stories were torn apart and collapsed back into the building. The entire roof was missing from the, rubble scattered around the streets in front of it. Around the building were rows of,concrete pots, filled with dry, dusty dirt. A small shriveled stump had even stubbornly remained planted in one.

Stepping over the concrete curb, he slowly made his way to the front of the large structure, a small tattered tent flopped limply in the breeze near the entrance of the building. The wind picked up suddenly nearly knocking him down. He stumbled into a trash can, knocking it to the ground along with himself. He began to stand back up and dust himself off before he heard a clanking sound coming from the tent. He froze and saw a dirty, blackened boot stick out from under the side of the tent.

"Who fucking goes there?" cried the tent.

"Not someone you should be worried about..?"

The boot disappeared back into the tent and heard some more clanking. "Get the fuck off my yard ya vagrantial hoodlum!"

"I-.. I beg your.. I beg your pardon..?" Mordecai took a small step back, confusion evident in his voice.

Suddenly, an old man did a somersault out of the front of the tent. "I fuckin' told you to stop vagrifying my abode." The man crouched producing a battered pipe pistol.

"I'm just here delivering to these fine people that live in this.. broken down house. This is.. vagrifying my job." Sarcasm was heavy in his voice.

"I'm gonna deliver you a punch to the cock."

"Look man, I'm just here to give this food, I can even give you the recipient's name. It's uh.. Fuck you."

"Fuck you? Fuck me!" The old man pulled off a boot and threw it at Mordecai, and as Mordecai reached out to catch it he fired the pistol at him. Mordecai raised his arms in front of his face and closed his eyes. He felt something go zipping past his face. He opened his eyes and saw the man was no longer holding a pistol, but now he was only holding the handle of a pistol.

"Fucking SHITTY MERCHANTS AND THEIR SHITTY GUNS WITH THEIR SHITTY BARRELS."

Mordecai stared at the gun then looked behind him to see where the barrel had been sent flying to. "..Oh," he turned back to face where the old man was, only to see him running towards him, "FUCK M-!" He was stopped mid sentence by the butt of the pistol being slammed directly between his eyes. He crumpled to the ground in a heap. 'Not even out here for five minutes..' Then another hit to the side of the head, and he was out cold. Just like a light.