It was silent, except for the occasional drip of water, in the underground settlement of Little Lamplight, when Anastasia opened her eyes. She was met with the dull glow of the kerosene lamp on the other side of the partition, which outlined Charon, who was silently getting dressed. She rolled off the bed and stood up, moving silently to him. She didn't meet his eyes, but instead reached up and helped him strap on the chest plate of his metal armor, then attach the shoulder pieces. He watched her work, contemplating.

"Charon?" she whispered, her voice sounding much louder than it actually was. Their eyes met. "Are we…together now? Like, you know…a couple?" Charon looked away.

"Whatever you wish." Anastasia sighed.

"I hate it when you do that." A little knock came at the door.

"Mommy Ana?" Bumble's voice came through the door, which Anastasia opened to find all the Lamplighters. "Are you leaving?" Anastasia laughed, and nodded.

"I have to go find my daddy now."

Charon stood by, arms crossed, as Anastasia kissed every single Lamplighter. Finally She picked up her bag and turned toward Charon when Bumble ran forward clumsily and threw her arms around his leg, hugging him. He immediately stiffened and a look of extreme concern appeared on Anastasia's face as other kids joined her. Finally, over the din of the kids' voices, she called "Alright, Charon and I have to go now!" and they headed out the front gate as all the kids waved, shouting goodbyes.

Anastasia took his hand after they'd walked a while. "Sorry about that." He grunted.

"'S okay. Kids just…aren't my thing." She smiled.

"You took it well though."

Anastasia saw the building first, and started running, and Charon followed close behind.

"Kid, that's a garage."

"My dad's in a vault under this garage, Charon, I know it!" She burst inside carelessly, and scoured the room. Charon sat on a bench and took potshots at a Rad-roach with a pistol Anastasia had given him to carry for her. Suddenly she grinned and pulled the lever on an electrical box, and the floor swung open to reveal a staircase down. She rushed down the steps and past some generators, hair flying wildly behind her. She picked the lock on a large iron door that opened to reveal a tunnel, and a large, steel vault door at the very end of it.

"Told you so." Anastasia whispered, and Charon could see her fingers shake with anticipation as she typed in the code that would open the vault. She stepped back to stand by Charon and they both drew their guns as the alarm sounded and the vault door screeched back, and rolled to the side.

Anastasia cautiously looked around.

"No blood or mess…" she murmured; it was a good sign. She opened the door and screamed when met face to…brain with a Robo-Brain.

"Welcome!" it chirruped happily in a woman's voice. Anastasia stumbled backward into Charon, heart pounding.

"It's…friendly?!" she exclaimed, looking at Charon, who shrugged. She holstered her assault rifle and stepped toward it, cautiously. It motioned toward a shelf full of vault jumpsuits.

"Please put on your vault suit before entering the tranquility lounger." Anastasia carefully lifted one up and the Robo-Brain moved away, apparently appeased. She held the suit and they began to venture through the vault. It was pristine; everything kept up meticulously by the Robo-Brains, which were, apparently, the sole inhabitants of the vault.

"Where is everyone?" Charon asked as they moved down a hallway, Anastasia looked out a window and gasped.

"I think I just found them."

The tranquility loungers turned out to be bed-like pods, hooked up to a gigantic central machine that, when turned on, let the user experience a different life, controlled by the overseer of the vault from inside. Anastasia and Charon walked around and peered into each pod, looking at the unmoving inhabitants, stepping over thick wires and highlighted cords on the ground.

"They look…dead." Anastasia tapped on the nearest monitor; there was one for each pod. "Their vitals are all fine, but a few of these people's stress levels are through the roof…" She looked old an old woman, twitching in her rest. "She's the most stressed."

"Kid…" Charon murmured, and Anastasia turned to see him looking at one of the pods. She headed over and gasped.

"That's my dad!"