Sorry there was no upload yesterday! It was my own birthday and I decided to take the day off!
Chapter 6 - Watch and See
Marilyn sighed, leaning forward to stretch out her arms across the table. The diner was pretty empty, despite all of the streamers and confetti. It wasn't that she wanted a big party or anything, but it would've been nice if at least one person had come to attend. At least Uncle Kit was there, but then, he worked in the diner anyway.
"Worst birthday party ever," She mumbled as she dropped her head onto the table.
"Cheer up, kiddo," Uncle Kit said from behind the counter, "I'm sure Dick will come around once he's done his shift."
"I know, but…" Marilyn looked over with a frown, "I wish sometimes that I could make some other friends, too."
"You've always got Timbo," Uncle Kit offered.
Marilyn just groaned in response. After a moment, she went to respond but stopped as a shadow loomed over her. Looking up, she clenched her jaw to avoid groaning again.
"Hey, Marilyn," Craig grinned, leaning his boot on the edge of her seat, "Happy birthday."
"…Yeah," She responded warily, glancing away.
"Sorry I can't stay since I'm on duty, but I heard about your little… party," He continued, assessing the barren state of the room, "And I just wanted to stop by, since my patrol passed through here."
"Lucky me," Marilyn grumbled under her breath.
A beat passed in silence and Marilyn shifted uncomfortably, glancing up at Craig to find him staring at her with a brow perked.
"You know, Marilyn," He began, resting his baton against his shoulder, "You can't play hard to get forever."
Marilyn furrowed her brow, a scathing remark already forming on her lips, but Craig continued on.
"It's not like you have any other options," He pointed out, "So whenever you decide to stop acting like you're too good for me, I'll be waiting."
Marilyn bit her lip angrily and Craig just blew her a kiss in response. As infuriating as it was, she begrudgingly had to admit that he had some semblance of a point. Ever since she took the G.O.A.T., her father had been starting to patiently remind her that it was the duty of everyone in the Vault to provide children for the next generation. And lately, it seemed like his patience was running thin. She imagined that would only increase now that she was 18.
"I should get back to my patrol now," Craig announced, breaking her thoughts, "Happy birthday again, Marilyn."
Marilyn huffed, glancing aside as he left. A beat passed before Uncle Kit cleared his throat, making her look up.
"Trouble in paradise?" He chuckled, pausing to flip some things on the grill.
"What? No, we're not–" Marilyn stammered, cheeks going red, "Craig's just…"
"Sure, kid, whatever you say," Uncle Kit laughed, shaking his head, "Don't hurt yourself trippin' over your words, there."
Marilyn frowned, propping her chin up on her palm. The last thing she wanted was for people to start thinking she and Craig were an item. It was already bad enough hearing the rumors about her and Dick being together.
Speak of the devil, Marilyn thought to herself, as Dick entered the diner just moments later. It was as if summoned by her thoughts. He was covered in a thin sheen of sweat and his sleeves rolled up to the elbows, coarse gray heat-resistant gloves on his hands. As Marilyn watched him wipe the sweat from his forehead with the back of his forearm, she noted how large his arms had become in the last few years. Just when did he get so strong, anyway? Maybe it was from hauling all of those heavy bags of garbage to the incinerator.
After greeting his father at the counter, Dick came and stood beside her table.
"Eyy, there she is," He grinned, leaning one of his gloved hands on the table, "The birthday gal!"
"Garbage gloves off the table," Uncle Kit piped up from the kitchen, making Dick flinch his hand back.
"Did I miss the party?" Dick asked, looking around the empty diner.
"Nope," Marilyn answered with a pop of her lips.
"Oof," Dick winced, "Nobody came, eh?"
"Well, I did have one guest," She sighed, continuing when he perked a brow, "Craig came by not long ago."
"Ugh," Dick wrinkled his nose, "You alright? He didn't try nothin' funny, did he?"
"No, thankfully he had to return to his patrol," Marilyn said with a shake of her head, "Still can't believe the G.O.A.T. made a jerk like him become a security officer."
"Well, we both know how accurate that thing really was," Dick snorted with a roll of his eyes.
"I don't know, it seems like a lot of people got the jobs they were hoping for, or at least what they'd be best at. That is, except…"
"Except you."
"Yeah…"
A beat passed as they both recalled that day two years ago. That day had changed everything for Marilyn. Ever since she was passed over to become a Scout, she'd lost most of her interest in the future. She knew every step of how it had to go from here. She'd end up having to give in and marry Craig, because nobody else would be interested. Then she'd have to pump out a couple of his kids, as her duty to the Vault demanded. Then she'd do the Vault's laundry for the next thirty years before retiring, after which she'd spend her days sitting around playing bingo in the retirement center until she died. Knowing all that, what exactly was she supposed to look forward to?
"Hey, knock it off," Dick mumbled, reaching out and poking the spot between her furrowed brows, "You're doing that thing that you do when you're thinkin' too hard about something."
"Sorry," Marilyn frowned, glancing down.
"Hey, lighten up, would ya? It's your birthday, sheesh," Dick chuckled, going to lean on the table again but stopping himself, "Anyway, you think you could abandon your guests for a sec?"
Marilyn looked at him flatly, earning a cheeky grin in response.
"C'mon with me, I got somethin' to show you," He said as he held out a hand to help her up.
Marilyn glanced at his gloved hand, thoroughly unimpressed, and he paused to take off his gloves and shove them into his pocket before offering up his hand once more. This time, she took it.
"Wait and see what I got for your birthday," Dick grinned, "You're gonna love it."
"Yeah?" Marilyn smiled back, letting him help her up.
"Oh yeah," Dick nodded, "Took me months to plan this out."
"Oh did it?" Marilyn perked a brow skeptically.
"Mmhm, you're gonna flip your lid once you see what I got set up for ya."
Marilyn remained skeptical, but Dick's excitement was infectious. But after they stepped into the elevator, Dick turned to her.
"Okay, cover your eyes," He ordered, "I don't want you to know which floor."
Marilyn rolled her eyes with a small smile but obediently brought her hands up to cover her eyes. After a moment, she heard him press a button and the doors rolled closed. As the elevator began to move, she chuckled.
"You know I can tell if it's moving up or down, right?" She said with a broader smile.
"Yeah, well, you still don't know which floor exactly," Dick pointed out, "And you better keep your eyes shut til I say so."
"Yes, sir, Overseer," Marilyn responded stiffly, repressing a giggle when he gave a small sigh.
The two fell to silence as the elevator hummed along. Marilyn began to wonder just how much he'd actually put into… whatever this was. When he'd first said that he'd be giving her a present for her birthday, she'd have expected something like a copy of her favorite film on holotape or maybe a book he'd managed to get ahold of. It didn't sound like either of those things by now, though.
As she continued to wonder about her present, she heard a zipper and instinctively brought her hands down to peer over. Dick was zipping his Vault suit down to the waist, revealing a sliver of the white undershirt underneath. Marilyn gasped upon seeing this, making him quickly scowl over at her.
"Hey! I said to keep your eyes shut," He huffed, reaching out and covering her eyes with his own hand.
Marilyn frowned immensely in response. She wasn't sure if it was because of his warm, calloused palm on her face, or if it was because her brain had gone into a slight panic at the sight of him stripping. Either way, her face had begun to heat up considerably. She was now even more uncertain what he was intending to give her for her birthday. And she was almost afraid to guess.
"Why're you taking off your suit?" She asked quietly, "...Is this part of my present?"
"Part of y—what?" He stammered, quickly removing his hand from her face as though he'd been burned, "No! Sheesh! I'm just unzipping it a bit!"
"Um, why?" She pressed on, shutting her eyes by her own volition.
"Because workin' near the incinerator got me all sweaty," Dick said flatly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
And it probably should've been given how sweaty he'd been when he first entered the diner.
"Sheesh, Mari, what'd you think I was doin' anyway?" Dick mumbled after a moment.
The heat immediately returned to her face, and this time she definitely knew it wasn't because of his hand.
"I-I don't know!" She huffed defensively, shutting her eyes tighter, "What am I supposed to think when I see you unzipping your Vault suit?"
"You're supposed to keep your eyes closed," Dick huffed.
"They are!" Marilyn protested, not liking the whiny edge to her voice.
"Yeah, yeah," Dick chuckled before the silence overtook them both once more.
This time, they didn't speak again until the elevator slowed to a stop. As the doors opened with a ding, she felt Dick's calloused hand envelop hers.
"Okay, here, I'll lead you," He said as he pulled her ahead gently.
As they stepped out of the elevator, Marilyn noticed how chilly she was. There was a familiar briskness to the air. As she let Dick lead her, keeping her eyes closed, she tried to remember why the chill was so familiar.
"Alright, there's a chair here, so siddown," Dick said as he carefully guided her into the seat, before pushing it in.
Marilyn could feel her ribs brush against the edge of something, like a table or desk. Then, curiously, she heard the clicking of keys on a terminal.
"Just so you know," Dick began, the click of the keys pausing.
Marilyn felt the warmth of him lean over by her ear, and then felt his warm breath.
"This was super hard to get together and took months of ration coupons to get rid of everybody," He whispered in her ear, "So you better like it."
Marilyn found herself blushing for some reason, even after she felt Dick move away to stand behind her chain, hands moving to grip the back of the headrest.
"Okay, you can go ahead and look now," He announced, and she could practically hear the grin in his words.
Marilyn fluttered her eyes open, blinking a few times. Sure enough, she was seated at a desk in front of a terminal. Beyond that desk was a window overlooking a large empty room. And at the far end of that room, directly across from her, was the Vault door.
"...Oh," Marilyn breathed out, eyes locked on the giant metal gear, "So that's what it looks like."
"Huh?" Dick glanced up, following her gaze, "Oh, that ain't what we're here for."
He set a warm hand onto the top of her head, tilting it down to make her look at the terminal. Glancing at the screen, she quickly recognized it as a security terminal. It seemed to be where the Vault's camera security system was controlled from. Marilyn paused to look up at Dick with a perked brow.
"So, I come up here sometimes to collect garbage and whatnot," He began, "And sometimes I'll chat with Officer King. This is his station, y'know?"
Marilyn nodded to him, but still didn't really follow what the point of all this was.
"He told me a bit about the security system, and the camera," Dick continued, leaning his forearm onto the back of the chair, "...Did you know some of these cameras are connected to the outside?"
Marilyn's eyes widened upon hearing this, glancing quickly back to the terminal.
"I know it ain't the same as actually going out there and all, but, well…" Dick trailed off, "Hope you like it, Mari."
Marilyn was silent for a moment, a feeling of excitement seeping into her. Soon it became overwhelming and she quickly stood up, startling Dick away from the chair.
"Whoa, what's—" He began, cut off when Marilyn yanked him into a backbreaking hug, "O-Oh, didn't expect that…"
Marilyn squeezed him tightly, not caring how the teeth of his Vault suit's loose zipper dug into her cheek.
"...Thank you," She mumbled, words muffled by his chest, "You're the best."
"Don't I know it," Dick chuckled breathlessly, "Now seriously, c'mon! You ain't even seen this thing yet!"
Marilyn gave him one more fierce squeeze before releasing him, finally allowing him to breathe once more, and then hastily retook her seat. Quickly skimming over the text, she saw that there were four cameras connected to an external view, though the third of which was listed as offline. Practically buzzing excitement, she moved to connect to the first camera.
It took a moment to load before the grainy feed, riddled with glitches, appeared. It was monotone and dim, and appeared to be set staring directly at a wall of rock. The surface was slightly shiny, perhaps damp or slimy. Beyond that, there was nothing of interest.
"I think King said the first two cameras are right outside of the door," Dick added helpfully, returning to leaning onto the back of the chair, "Might be why it's all dark. Try the next one."
Marilyn nodded slowly, moving to switch the feed to the second camera. This one was a bit clearer, though still monotone and there were a few droplets of water on the lens. This camera depicted some sort of tunnel or stone corridor pocked with bits of plant, perhaps algae growths. Everything was damp, and there was a puddle of something, probably water, along the floor of the tunnel.
"There's… a tunnel," Marilyn whispered fervently, "Right outside of the door!"
"Makes sense," Dick chuckled, "The Vault is pretty deep underground. Gotta find a way back to the surface somehow."
"I wonder why it's so wet," Marilyn hummed, "Didn't Mr. Alden say something about the Vault being built near water?"
"Heck if I know," Dick shrugged, "Oh, you should check out the last one. King told me that it's the best one. Best for last, eh?"
Marilyn nodded, switching the feed to the final camera. As soon as she did, she felt the air leave her lungs.
It was very bright, even in grayscale. There were many things that Marilyn only recognized from old movies. Like the smashed and decaying seaside dock on the bottom of the screen. Or the stringy clouds rolling by along the top. Beyond the dock, she could see spiny and sticklike plants, and the very pale white ground must've been sand.
But what Marilyn couldn't tear her eyes from was the rolling black abyss along the right side of the screen. The ocean. She watched the blackness ebb back and forth across the white sand for a long moment before Dick sat up.
"Ah, right, almost forgot," He mumbled, leaning forward over Marilyn.
He tapped something on the console and then there it was. The sound of the ocean. An undulating static, fading in and out. Beyond that, she could hear the ceaseless whispering of unbroken words. Wind, she recalled the name.
It must've been a full minute of Marilyn just sitting and staring at the console, absorbing everything before her. The sights, the sounds.
"...Wonder if the sky's still as blue as in the movies," Dick mumbled, breaking her trance.
She flicked her eyes up towards him, watching the wistful way he stared at the monitor. Though he'd never mentioned it, Marilyn had a feeling that Dick would've liked to become a Scout as much as she had. She couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to wander out there with him at her side. In truth, she could imagine nothing better.
"...What?" Dick shot her an anxious smile, and Marilyn blushed upon realizing she'd been staring.
"Nothing," She chuckled, looking back at the screen, "Thank you for this, Dick. This really was an amazing birthday present."
"Anything for my bestest friend," He grinned, hesitating before adding, "I knew you've been pretty down since the G.O.A.T. so I wanted to do somethin' for you. I know it ain't much, but—"
"It's wonderful, Dick. Really," Marilyn smiled, feeling an overwhelming warmth bloom in her chest.
"Glad you like it, Mari," Dick smiled back before checking his Pip Boy, "And we got about 15 minutes left here, so make it count."
Marilyn nodded, turning back towards the terminal. She could feel that morose miasma that she'd wallowed in for the last two years begin to dissipate. At least, a little bit. Still, now that she'd had a small taste of what it was like on the outside, she wanted more. And as she glanced up towards Dick, the warmth in her chest only growing, she started to realize that maybe there was something else she wanted too.