Chapter One: End of the world part 3
"No, they couldn't have." Ryan thought his bad feeling getting worse by the second as the news caster spoke on the screen before him.
"Followed by.. Yes followed by flashes, blinding flashes of light. Deafening sounds of immense explosions... Were trying to get confirmation on the reports coming in from the west coast now."
"No no no. Please no." Fear was in his thoughts as Ryan looked on in horror his worst fear playing out before him like Saturday morning cartoons. He was completely unaware of his wife coming up behind him their son cradled in her arms, until she placed a hand on his shoulder breaking him from his shock.
"Hun? What's wron..?" She trailed off the same image that caught her husbands attention so deeply now snaring her as well. "What? What is he saying?" She asked under her air around them growing the slightest bit cold with fear.
"We seem to have lost contact with our affiliated stations..." The news caster's face now looked pale on the screen, he visibly swallowed looking at the papers that were frantically being handed to him.
"Ohh no." Nora exclaimed quietly next to her husband. While Ryan stared on. He didn't want to believe what he was hearing now. "Have they actually done it?" He asked himself still staring on in disbelief.
"We do have.. Coming in confirmed reports. I repeat confirmed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania... My god." The screen grew white before suddenly turning to static before their eyes. They just stared at the screen for what felt like hours. Which in reality it had only been mere moments.
"My god... They actually did it." His mind shaking itself from shock to soldier mode in an instant as he turned to his wife. "Nora take Shaun and run as fast as you can to the vault now. I'm going to grab our emergency bag, GO!" He ordered snapping his wife from her bewildered shock. "Hurry Ryan!" Is all she said as she bolted out the door. Air raid sirens began to blare down in Concord as Ryan tore open the hall closet grabbing the duffle bag containing cloths, food and water, and baby formula sitting on the lowest shelf before bolting into the living room. Ryan stopped at the door looking back at Codsworth.
"Hey Codsworth, I... Stay safe buddy." Ryan said sorrowfully guilt eating away at him. Despite his being robotic Codsworth had become a part of the household maybe even family in the months they had had him.
"And your family as well Sir. Ohh my." Ryan quickly slung the bag over his shoulder before he to bolted out the door running as fast as he could toward the hill that contained Vault 111. Ryan passed many of his neighbors. As he weaved between them passing over a small wooden bridge that lay over a small creek that cut through the path up the hill, he saw the military checkpoint that guarded the entrance to the Vault surrounded by a mob of people.
"Ryan!" His wife called out to him as he spotted her running to him from the crowd. He ran too catching her in his arms. "Come on we need to get to the gate." Ryan said as he took his wife's arm leading her through the rowdy crowd towards the opening in the fence.
"I will say this again if you do not have a spot in the Vault move aside! Others who do need to get through." A military man with a clipboard ordered as he stood directly in the middle of the gate. He was flanked by two soldiers in T-60 model power armor the newest power armor American engineers had designed. The armor was an exoskeleton with special plates covering the delicate internal workings. It allowed a soldier to fall from higher heights, increased their survivability, and doubled their strength basically turning a single man into a mobile weapons platform. The T-60's predecessors the T-45 and T-51 had turned the tide of the Resource War with China. One of the men was carrying a pump action shotgun while the other carried a mini gun. It seemed they were taking the threat this mob posed very seriously.
"But I'm with Vault-Tec, surely you can let me through?" The man that had been at their home earlier was arguing with the military soldier at the gate as Ryan and Nora approached. "Sir as I've told you before you are not on the list. You are not getting in Vault-Tec employee or not." The soldier responded starting to get annoyed with the salesman. "Ohhh I'm getting in and your not stopping m..." He was cut off at the cocking of a shotgun. "Sir! Back away from the fence, Now!" The soldier on the left said as he pointed his weapon at the man. The salesman froze at the sight of the weapon pointed directly at his face through the fence. " I.. I I... I'm reporting this." He yelled running past Ryan and Nora as they approached the gate.
"Sergeant Ryan Roland Crest, Nora Thompson Crest, and Shaun Theo Crest. We're on the list." Ryan said to the soldier with the clipboard putting some authority into his voice as he approached the gate with his wife and son in tow. "Let's see.. Yes Sir you are. Good luck." The soldier said as he moved aside so the could get through. Ryan ushered his wife in first before following.
"All right you three up the hill to the elevator." A man in Vault-Tec Security garb called out to them as he pointed up the hill. "Be quick about it we don't have much time." He said hustling them to move.
"Ryan? All those people, at the gate... What's going to happen to them?" Nora asked frightened. He knew, every soldier knew they were taught the effects of radiation in basic. If they tried to rush the hill they would be gunned down quickly. If not the blast if close enough would vaporize them and if that didn't kill them the fallout would. "They're all going to die, more pointless fucking death in a war that should be over now." He thought to himself as they jogged up the hill choosing not to tell his wife what would really happen to them. As they reached the top of the hill they were ushered to the large cog shaped elevator at the very top of the hill.
"Stand as close to the center of the elevator as possible we'll be descending shortly." Another Vault-Tec Security guard said as he corralled everyone to the center of the large cog. "Ryan? We're alright now, right?" Nora asked as Ryan pulled her to him holding her close. "Yeah we're gonna be just fine no..."
Ryan wasn't able to finish his words of comfort to his wife as a blinding flash lit up far into the distance in the direction of Boston. The heat uncomfortable hot across Ryan's skin he used himself to shield his wife and child from the light. Everyone on the platform screamed at the flash the of light some being blinded by the intense light while others turned away in fear. "Send it down now, now send it now!" A guard yelled to another in the elevators control booth who frantically pressed the button on the panel inside. Ryan held his wife and son firmly against him while stealing a glance at the now lessened light of the blast. He saw a wall of dust and debris racing toward the platform they stood upon. The shock wave was mere moments from reaching them as the elevator screeched in protest as it began moving down the shaft.
"Nora! Hold on tight to me!" Ryan yelled. As the sonic boom of the blast finally reached them it's deafening crack reverberating through his chest. The shock wave blasted over them mere moments later as they just managed to descend down enough into the shaft the be shielded from the worst of if. The haunting howl of the air rushing past overhead was as deafening as the sonic boom that had preceded it. Two metal doors above them closed sealing the shaft from the horrible reality on the surface above and shrouding them in darkness.
Ryan had a long time to think as he just held his wife and son close refusing to let got entirely. Everyone was silent except for a few sobs now and then. It made for a long trip down into the Vault nearly three minutes past in near total darkness before they reached the bottom of the shaft. Florescent light slowly bleed onto the platform as they passed the threshold of the elevators entrance before they came to a slow stop at the bottom.
"Alright folks rides over." A guard said as he pulled back the folding fence that blocked the path off the elevator. "We made it. We're okay." Nora said to Shaun who was still cradled in her arms between her and his father. Surprisingly Shaun had been very calm throughout the entire ordeal. "That's all that matters now Nora. us being safe." Ryan said as he separated from his wife but remained close.
"Alright. If I could have your attention please. We're going to begin the process of decontamination now. If you would please proceed up the stairs behind me in an orderly manor we can begin." A man wearing a blue and yellow jumpsuit said directing people with the help of another guard. Behind them was another large cog shaped doorway with a metal staircase right in front of it. People were already proceeding up the stairs as Ryan grabbed Nora's hand so they could go together.
"Please find your names and check the box by them please." Another man said halting them as they made their way over a metal grate bridge just past the cog shaped doorway. Ryan took the clipboard that he was presented finding their names and checking them off before handing it back. "Thank you Sir. Please proceed to the woman in the jumpsuit over there she will give you further instructions. He said flagging down the next few behind them. Ryan couldn't help but feel a familiarity to this place Vault-Tec had contracted with the military before to build bunkers for them. They all have the same utilitarian feel to them though this one was a bit nicer than the plain concrete and steel bunkers that they had built on the front.
"Hey there you three. We're going to be fitting you for your vault suits before we proceed." The woman said. "Here?" Nora asked a bit shyly. "Ohhh no no. We have booths you can change in right behind me. The woman said apologetically. "And Sir I'm afraid we'll have to take your bag. Don't worry it will be checked for non allowed items and then sent to your room." She said again apologetically. "Alright I guess." Ryan said begrudgingly handing it over to her before he and Nora were taken to get their measurements.
The suit was a bit snug but quite comfortable Ryan thought as he exited the booth. "Leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination though." Ryan's thoughts paused as soon as he saw his wife waiting for him. All he could do is stare for a few moments. "Nothing at all." Ryan shook his head as he approached his wife who looked very good in her outfit. "Hey looking good Hun." Ryan said flirting. "Not so bad yourself." She replied back raking her eyes over him.
"Now that we're dressed whats next?" Nora asked the woman. "Just follow the doctor right over there he'll show you the way." She replied quickly before addressing the next in line.
"Alright you three if you could follow me we can begin decontamination." The doctor said as he ushered them through a doorway leading into a long corridor. "See Shaun, this is our new home." Nora said comfortingly to their son who was still cradled in her arms. "Yeah home... I'm sure we'll like it here." Ryan said reassuringly. He knew it would take some getting used to but he was hopeful.
"Ohh yes your gonna love it here. This is actually one of our most advanced facilities. Not that the others aren't great mind you." The doctor replied while leading them further through the corridor.
"So? How long are we going to be down here?" Nora asked looking around the corridor.
"No need to worry, we'll go over your every concern during orientation later." The doctor answered trying to put her at ease.
"Alright so what's next then?" Ryan asked as they reached the end of the corridor. They were now in a room with several pods of some sort along each wall.
"Now? Now we finish decontamination. These pods will decontaminate you and acclimatize you to your new environment. All you need to do is step inside, recline back, and relax. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes." The doctor responded. As Ryan looked at his pod Shaun finally began to cry behind him. Ryan immediately walked over to his wife and son to try and calm him down.
"Hey hey hey I'm right here bud. I'm not going far." Ryan said soothingly to his son "I need you to look out for you mom, Okay?"
"Look after me huh?" Nora replied.
"Yeah. You need to be seeing as you married trouble." Ryan joked.
"I love you Ryan." Nora said kissing him.
"I love you too Nora." He said breaking their embrace.
"All set? Just step inside and settle in. This wont take long." The doctor said directing Ryan into the far left pod. "Alright here goes nothing." Ryan said as he climbed into his pod the door sealing behind him. As he settled in he looked out of the door's porthole into the room beyond. He smiled as he saw his wife and son nestled in the pod just across from his.
"Time for a whole new life." Ryan said as the temperature in the pod became cooler.
"Resident Secure. Occupant Vitals: Normal." A computerized voice said through an intercom. Ryan dismissed this as just a normal part of the process. Procedure Complete In 5... 4.. 3.." The air in the pod began to become colder and colder as the countdown continued so mush so Ryan could now see his breath. What Ryan found more distressing was he was having a hard time keeping his eyes open now.
"2..."
"What's? I can't..." Ryan exclaimed gasping for air his lungs feeling as they were full of ice. His last sight was of his wife pressing her palm to the glass of her pod looking lovingly at him as she did. "Nora." He gasped.
"1..." Everything went white for Ryan nothing but white. No sounds, no thoughts, nothing just white.
Author's Note: Viva la done Chapter 1... I'll stop. Anyway i managed to finish this sooner than I thought I would. Staying up till five in the morning writing may have had something to do with that. Quite a bit of writing and just for the story to the point of cryo sleep jeez. Next chapter will more than likely take us to the gas station to get our faithful K9 companion and the museum in Concord. I'll know when I start writing it. With that said thank you for reading and please review or not your choice.
