/Loading Holotape "Outside or Inside? Part one".../

Elaine gasped for breath as she woke up, her vision was filled with mist and uncertainty as she tried with great effort open her eyes. She stretched out her hand to the figure sitting next to her bed as she heard her husband's voice. "Nate, hun? Is that you?" her voice was weak and dry as she spoke. The figure took her hand and held it softly as the voice of her husband suddenly stopped. "No, mother. It's me, Shaun" said the figure that held her soft hand in its firm yet caring grasp. "You were wounded when you arrived and I think I caused the wound to reopen and you started to bleed out as you passed out. I rushed you to the medical ward as fast as we could." Elaine tried to sit up, but her muscles protested by sending a deep, pulsing pain throughout her body, but her vision started to clear as she finally managed to sit up after much effort. "I thought heard your father's voice.." She groaned and held her hand against her head as it thumped in pain. "I was listening to holotape on your pipboy, dad said that he loved you." He spoke in his normal unempathic voice, the voice of Father not Shaun. "You should get rid of the holotape, it is not healthy to cling to the past" said Father. Elaine stared at her son in shock as he spoke, what was he saying? Throw away a memory of her husband, his father.

Elaine felt her anger swell in her chest and she opened her mouth to shout some sense into her son, but she realised that screaming and shouting would not help the situation so she spoke softly and understanding as if she was speaking to a child that was unable to comprehend the concept of love. "I will not get rid of your father's message since it and his ring are the only things i have to remind me of him, I love him and I won't let him go so easily just because one of the Institute's henchmen stole him from me" There was a harshness behind her soft words that Father did not particularly like to hear and he said, trying to be as understanding and empathetic as he could. "But Mother, you have me and the Institute, this can be your new home. We can be here together, as a family. You're safe here underground, making the world better for humanity, one step at the time. You have seen the surface, it is not a place for humanity to thrive, it's barbaric and dangerous." Elaine lowered her eyes and sighed. "Shaun. You have been raised without a family, you were raised by a scientific organization that has a fear of the surface and humanity thus they hide underground and stay away from the rest of the world. I am the last part of your family, they took the rest from you. Please let me show you that the surface is not as horrible as you think and that you could improve the life of those on the surface with your technology." Elaine's voice was heavy with concern and dread over what her baby had become. "Shaun… I will join you here in the Institute if you agree to come with me to the surface and show you that the world isn't so bad up there." Shaun sighed as he held his mother's hand "Fine I will come with you to the surface if you agree to stay here afterward this endeavour." She smiled softly as she held his hand tighter. "I love you Shaun".

The following days went by fast, Elaine tried to teach Shaun how to use firearms and how to survive out in the wasteland, he was hesitant at first deeming it "barbaric" to use firearms and eating century old food, but much to his dismay his mother was very insistent on him learning. Elaine had been given a room to stay in which was guarded by a synth courser designated X6-88. X6-88 stood above her while she slept, he guarded her day and night. She stirred in her sleep and sat up suddenly thanks the terrors of her mind, the rapid and sudden movement threw off the soft sheet covering her bare body. X6 would have reacted differently to the sight of her perky mounds if he was human, but all he did was say "Nightmares, Miss?". Elaine instinctively covered herself when she realised her exposed position in front of the synth as a soft blush covered her cheeks. "No, memories X6." She looked over at the alarm clock and groaned, it was 4 am and she wasn't sure she'd be able to get another glimpse of sleep before it was time to go to the surface. "X6 would you kindly inform Shaun that we are leaving in two hours? I will take a shower and prepare for departure. Make sure that he is ready." X6-88 nodded in response and walked away towards Father's quarters, meanwhile Elaine had gotten up and was now standing in the shower, the warm water trying to wash away the horrors of the night as her tears mixed with the torrent from the shower head. "Nate...why did he take you from me.." She whimpered quietly as she cleaned herself, her hands roamed her soft skin, removing sweat and traces of her night from folds and crevices.

The two hours went by quickly, too quick in fact. Shaun was barely ready as his mother stood by the molecular relay, waiting for her little boy to get ready for school, her thoughts drifted away thinking about what could have been if the bombs didn't drop. She would drive him to school, help him with his homework and raise him to be the fine young man he was meant to be. She smiled as she remembered her life before the bombs, having Shaun so close to her, that night in the park. She was happy back then, now she didn't have time for happiness just survival.

With a sound akin to lightning they arrived in Concord. Shaun covered his eyes for a few seconds as he got used to the bright light, a warm breeze kissed his cheek and as his eyes grew used to the sunlight he saw the flags and banners sway in the wind. Elaine scanned the surroundings for any sign of hostiles, she knew that she wouldn't find any but it was a good practice to have if you wanted to live in this land. She steadied herself and put her hand on Shaun's shoulder and smiled softly. "Let's get going then, sweetie" The nickname angered Shaun a bit, but his anger soon fizzled into a soft blush. "Don't call me that, Mother. And yes I'm ready to explore this hells cape with you." Elaine chuckled and started walking, "It's not that bad hun, just a bit rough around the edges. It's sunny after all." Shaun tightened his fingers around the grip of his 10mm Pistol, it had been manufactured before the war and seen countless of battles according to his Mother, a claim that Shaun doubted as it was far too shiny and well kept to be that old, a bit like his mother he thought. They wandered down the streets of yore leading out of the ruins of Concord, Shauns gaze moved over the scenic landscape and some part of him would even call it beautiful, maybe this hell on earth wasn't that bad, but he found his eyes wandering to the woman walking before him admiring every curve of her body and he found himself especially fixating on the lower portion of her body.
In the middle of this fascination of his he barely noticed when she raised her rifle to her shoulder and fired into a bush in the distance, blood splattered the green leaves as the silhouette dropped to the ground. His mother shouted something and darted for a tree by the road as bullets whizzed by them, he followed her and hid behind a wrecked car. The next minutes felt like seconds for Shaun, his mother shot several raiders as they closed the distance between them, one after the other the raiders fell before her, but as she was reloading her rifle a attack dog that she had failed to notice charged at her and tackled her to the ground. As Elaine tried to the mangy pup's disease filled jaws from her soft flesh as she was pushed into the dirt by it.

The chaos stopped suddenly when Shaun fired his gun into the hound's right ocular globe, a loud whimper escaped the beast as it was pushed off of Elaine by the kinetic force of the lead projectile. Elaine slumped down on the ground as she panted heavily from the effort of not dying, meanwhile her son tried to see if there was anyone left alive except them, fortunately for them there were none. "Mother are you alright?" He looked down at his mother, her clothing was shredded and her lightly bronze skin was showing in "inappropriate" places, but he payed it no mind. Elaine rose from the ground and dusted herself off without saying a word or replying to her offspring and with a quick motion she picked up her gear and kept walking with her perplexed son following her and trying to reach her, but she just kept walking. The sun was starting to set when Shaun saw a large neon sign in the distance spelling out "Red Rocket".

(Please leave reviews and thoughts and I must apologise for the considerable delay in updates, but school is rather time-consuming as I'm sure you know)