"I don't know Al, I think you might just be crazy."
"We're three grown ass men crammed in a toilet stall, pretty sure we're all crazy."
It was an odd scene to be sure there in one of the public bathrooms of Vault 13. Three men, all clad in the blue, form fitting suits that were supplied to every inhabitant of the great underground vault, all looking down at an open toilet. There was Melvin, a rather round man who manned the Vault's very own radio station, Carl, the skinniest of the trio and head writer for the Vault Times magazine, and Albert, both the youngest and the leader of the strange expedition.
Albert was something of an oddity there in the Vault. While it's inhabitants took up all manner of vocations ranging from the aforementioned journalism and entertainment sections, there were of course also maintenance workers for the systems that kept the Vault running both big and small, Farmers for the hydro-farms found on the lower levels of the vault, custodians who kept the Vault clean from the occasional litter and spills, and other vocations that the Vault needed to continue to be the self sufficient haven of safety that it had always been. Albert's role in the Vault had very little to do with the Vault itself however, instead his job involved the people within it. With several hundred people all crammed into one space there had to be someone who kept arguments and disagreements from escalating into all out brawls, and that's where Albert came in. Working hand in hand with the Vault security team Albert was the settler of many disputes over his short career, making him a staple of the community within Vault 13. Today however he seemed to be stirring up trouble instead of calming it down.
"How can you not see it? Do I have to point it out to you?" Asked Albert, "Alright look, You can still kinda see it on this one. There, where the water used to be." He said, now squatting down in front of the remarkably clean toilet. "The water level used to go up to there, now it's down there."
"So fucking flush the damn thing. Jesus." Mel said, annoyed with the entire situation.
"I did. It's like that with all of them, Mel. Go look." Albert motioned down to the other stalls.
"It was burrito night. I wouldn't go sticking my head down any shitters if I was either of you." Carl said as he watched the others.
"Look if it bothers you that much then go and complain to maintenance about it." Argued Mel as he stepped out from the stall
"And it's not just the toilets either. Shower pressure is down too." Albert said as he rose to his feet.
"So go to maintenance!" Mel and Carl exclaimed together.
"Seriously, the fuck you want us to do about it?" Asked Carl, as he pulled out a cigarette and fumbled with his lighter.
"Look, I went to them already alright? And you know what they told me? They said I was crazy." Said Albert.
"Yeah, cause you are." Mel chuckled as he watched the flame of Carl's lighter.
"Nah, he's not crazy." Carl said before taking a smoke from his now lit cigarette. "He's always finding shit like this. Every time you turn around this asshole's pulling up people's secrets left and right. Like he's some kinda fucking mutant psychic or something."
"I'm not psychic you ass. I just pay attention unlike everyone else in this hole." Albert said with a sigh. "You know you two shitheads whine and cry that I don't come to you with any new juice I find, and the one fucking time I do I get this." Albert said as he pushed his way between the two to start up the faucet to wash his hands. The three of them had been friends for far too long for something like this to actually cause any real anger towards each other. All the swearing and insults the three shared were always good natured.
"No. we just want the good shit." Mel said with a laugh. "You know, the big shake ups in the Vault, not you moaning about some petty shit like this. Making me think of Grandma Erna over here. Help help! There's two less inches of water in my toilet bowl!" Mel teased as he opened the bathroom door that led out into the Vault's halls
"Fuck you."
"Oh please mister plumber! Taking a shit just doesn't feel right if the water doesn't splash back up on my ass!" Carl added to the teasing, putting on a falsetto voice just to add to the insult.
"And fuck you too!" Albert called out, throwing the bar of soap at Carl who jumped out of the way, letting the bar fly out into the hall.
"Whoa hey! Watch it! You know that stuff's hard to make." Mel said. Laughing the whole time as he went to retrieve the improvised missile.
"Yeah I know, they suck the fat out of your ass to make it!" Albert retorted as he wiped his hands dry.
"Hey now show some respect!" Carl said, pointing a finger at Albert. "Just because his wife volunteers to suck the shit from his ass doesn't mean-" His words were cut short as Melvin gave his retort in the form of a perfect pitch of the retrieved bar.
"Motherfucker!" With a clatter the bar of soap was launched at Carl's head, this time making contacts and sending the man hobbling away from further assaults.
"You're an asshole Carl!" Albert said as he walked out from the bathroom, watching as the two other men acted like children as Mel chased Carl down the hall. Only to be stopped by the barking of a member of security.
"Hey! Cut that shit out and get that soap off the floor!" Yelled the guard, an armored vest worn over his vault-suit, face-shield, and holstered weapon was the unmistakable sign of his role there in the Vault.
"Yeah sorry sir, Mel here's just a fan of dropping the soap if ya know what I mean." Carl said, out of breath from his laughter and the sprint down the hall.
"And put that cigarette out! No smoking out in the halls!" The guard yelled out as he walked by.
"No smoke.. No smoking in the halls huh? Then why're you out here smoking my ass huh? You like the smell of it or something asshole?" Carl yelled out. "Who're you? Doug? That you Doug? Yeah that's you. Hey your sister sucked my nuts to get her picture on the front page last month. Thinking I might give her a visit later! See what she has to say about her fuck head of a brother!"
"Just ignore him Doug, he hasn't had his nap today." Albert called out to the guard.
"Then get his ass in bed before it gets stomped in." Doug growled as he made his way past.
"We'll get on it, have a good one." Albert said with a nod, watching as the guard finally turned a corner and moved out of sight.
"Fucking asshole. You'd think we're a bunch of children from the way he treats us." Carl said, grinning at the irony as he wiped a stray bubble of soap from his suit.
"Hasn't he always?" Albert said with a smirk.
"It's almost like the man's our fucking babysitter or something." Mel retorted. "He's gonna throw us in the jail one of these days."
"Yeah then we'll have to get this asshole to get us out." Carl said as he made his way back over
"Fuck that, we'd never hear the end of it." Said Mel as he glanced down at the wrist mounted computer that all denizens of the Vault had. The Pip-Boy was a miracle of technology, the convenience of a personal computer on a five by three inch screen mounted right onto your wrist.
"What makes you think I'm not the reason you haven't already had the book thrown at you? Perks of working with security so much. I can get them to overlook your bullshit." Albert said with a grin.
"Yeah, speaking of bullshit. My lunch is over." Mel grumbled with irritation. "Need to be heading back. Some of us actually work for a living, you know."
"Ah shit is it that time already?" Carl asked, glancing down at his own pip-boy to see the time.
"I don't know what you're talking about Mel. I'm working right now." Albert said defensively. "Finding evidence for a case is an incredibly important part of my job, you know."
"Yeah yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night." Carl said as he started back down the hall. Giving a wave to the others as he returned to his work station.
"Anyways, you didn't hear this from me." Mel said suddenly in a low voice. "Ben, down in water treatment's been pulling double shifts for the past few weeks. I'm not saying you're onto anything here but if there's a reason for it. He might know."
"Well that explains why I haven't been able to find him." Albert said, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
"Yeah, check the cafeteria around eleven at night. He can usually be found face down in one of the corners. Don't think the guy's had a good night's sleep all month. Poor guy asked me to play some slower stuff around that time so he can get a nap in." Mel explained.
"Alright. Guess I'll pay him a visit then. See? Knew one of you could help me with this." Albert said with a grin, giving Mel a pat on the shoulder as he started down the hall. "And mom told me I'd never get anywhere with friends like you."
"Well I sure as hell didn't!" Mel fired back only to earn a middle finger from Albert as he turned around the corner and out of view.
The Vault was a labyrinth of metal walls and floors. The pale blue paint that was inescapable lined nearly every inch of their home. A home that they could never leave. For nearly eighty years the great doors had been shut and the inhabitants of Vault thirteen had never known sunshine nor rain. They had never felt the wind on their faces or the chill of snow, but they were safe. Safe from the nuclear destruction that lay just beyond the walls.
Albert Cole had spent all of his young life within the confines of the Vault. Only ever hearing stories of the outside from the elders who survived The Great War and what was shown on the old holotapes and movies. Stories told and read about the times before the man made calamity that destroyed the world above.
As he made his way through the Vault's many halls he was greeted by those that passed by with a wave or a hello. With only a few hundred people living within the Vault everyone was bound to know everyone, but Albert's face was one that everyone immediately recognized.
The tall, well built, and dark haired man wasn't just known for his winning smile and smooth voice. Although Thirteen's great mediator could have fit in perfectly on the old silver screens of Hollywood, he would have found himself better suited for the courtrooms of old instead. Though they weren't always happy to see him, at some point everyone had needed him. And soon the Vault would need him more than ever.
Having yet to take his lunch, Albert's journey led him to the Vault's cafeteria. The food within was all home grown from the hydro farms found on the lowest levels. The cooks were all well trained and masters of their craft, providing the inhabitants a balanced and nutritional diet that was as tasty as it was healthy. But in the small sea of blue vault suits Albert saw something more mouth watering than any meal that could be crafted by man.
Albert was sure that the head honcho's of Vault-Tech could see the future. Not only did they know of the nuclear catastrophe that doomed the earth, but in their great wisdom they knew that one day Patty Delaney's curves would be pressed against the form fitting material of their Vault Suits. With her shoulder length curls of red and a body built like a pre-war pinup, Patty was one bombshell that the Vault couldn't protect anyone from.
Stopping to look into a nearby mirror, Albert ran his fingers through his hair to quickly restyle his hair and wipe off a stray soap sud that had clung to his clean shaved chin. A strong jaw, dimpled chin, and deep blue eyes had made him the source of many schoolgirl crushes during his youth, But Patty had always ignored him. She had spent more time in her books and studies than letting the destructive teenage hormones do most of the thinking for her. There was a reason why she was one of the top doctors they had in years.
Albert may have been given the gift of the gab, but Patty had earned the gift of intellect and could make anyone look like some dumb, hairless monkey when compared to her. She made Albert feel like the dumbest man in the world and he couldn't get enough of it to save his life. He had had a few girlfriends over the years but he could never help himself, his eyes always went back to Patty.
On the menu today it was egg sandwiches, made with real chicken eggs. Albert had been down to the farms before and always felt bad for the poor schmucks that were stuck down there in those cramped spaces. Both the animals and the people watching over them, but then no one in the Vault was living a free range life so to speak.
Getting his food and an ice cold Nuka-Cola, Albert took a seat nearby so he could get a better view of the red headed bombshell. She was sitting with one of her co-workers named Jean. Jean was a dark haired woman in her mid forties that worked within the Vault's medical facility. A kind and motherly sort of woman even when she was younger, always managing to sneak a sweet treat to any kids that had gone in for a check up.
"The problem is we have more of them than we can feasibly store." Patty said in her breathy tone of voice. "I've set aside a few more shelves but once they're full we may have to start stacking them on the floor and we're already in short supply of leg room."
"I've asked manufacturing and they don't know why the order was pushed through. Susan thinks it was an error in one of the computers." Jean said with a shrug.
"Least on the bright side we're stocked on IV's for the next few years." Patty said, taking a sip from her drink.
While the news that the Vault's pharmacy was being flooded with IV's that no one had asked for was a curious thing, Albert was focused on other things at the moment. Two things in particular really. A side effect of the form fitting vault-suits was a level of discomfort for some of the more endowed members of the vault. Patty in particular had been plagued with her suit being far too tight across her ample chest, resulting in her leaving the top unzipped a ways down revealing her milky white skin beneath and a generous amount of cleavage for the vault's viewing pleasure. The best view in the vault for a red blooded man like Albert, a view that was rudely interrupted by a shout from the other side of the cafeteria.
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANOTHER WORD!" Came the shrill and nearly ever present anger from Erna Winston. "There are only three tomato slices on this sandwich. That is unacceptable!" The old bat had a complaint about everything these days. One of the first generation of Vault children, Erna had an inflated sense of her own self worth and was a self proclaimed living monument of old fashioned American values. "This is what we get for letting the colored into the Vault. You're kind should have all been left out to burn!"
Albert was up and out of his seat. Thoughts of what lay beneath Patty's suit left behind him as he rushed the rescue of Vault's relative peace. "Heeey Mrs Winston!" He called out in a cheerful voice. "Come on now you know that sorta talk doesn't fly in here. The last of humanity's gotta stick together right? Now what's the problem."
"The problem is she's a fucking cu-"
"I got it Chico thank you." Albert said, shooting a look over at the server in question. He had built a rapport with Chico over the years, never failing to have the back of the somewhat scrawny cook of Vault 13. Based beneath Mt. Whitney in what used to be southern California, Vault 13 had a wide and diverse assortment of families from many different cultures that had taken shelter there during the great war. Erna Winston came from a culture that found that mixing quite reprehensible.
"The problem is we've just let anyone handle our food. That's the problem!" Erna shrieked. "They only put three tomato slices on my sandwich! How is that at all acceptable?
"Well, did you ask for more?" Albert asked empathetically, or at least trying to sound like he had any for the old bitch.
"I shouldn't have to! They should know that this isn't acceptable!"
"Well mistakes happen, Here. Give me your plate. I'll get it fixed for you alright? Just go take a seat and let me take care of it okay?" Albert asked, trying his hardest to avoid a repeat of the last time she had an outburst like this.
With her plate in hand, Albert carried the offending kitchen sandwich back around the counters and into the kitchen where an irate Chico was waiting for him.
"I'm gonna fucking kill that bitch." Chico growled angrily.
"Do mind your language sir." Chastised the posh robotic voice of one of the Mister Handies that helped around the kitchen. The nuclear powered robot's build was a simple one, a floating dome jet propelled several feet off the ground with three arms and three independently moving eye stalks attached to the large dome frame. Each arm came equipped with a tool designed to help with the most basic of household tasks found in the pre-war homes of yesteryear. A pincer to grasp and hold things, a titanium saw to help with the yardwork, and an industrial flamethrower for an assortment of tasks.
"Howabout you mind your own fucking business Scrap?" Chico yelled out, certainly loud enough to be overheard back in the seating area.
"Hey hey, calm down. I know. Her choking on this would be the best thing that's happened here in years." Albert said, having his own issues with the entitled woman. "But last thing you need is security coming down on you again. You know they don't like it when you abuse the elderly. "
"She tripped her own damn self."
"I don't doubt it. Where are the tomatoes?" Albert said with a chuckle.
"On the tray over there. Oughta piss all over em and shove em down that shithole she calls a mouth. " The chief said as he leaned against the wall of the kitchen.
"Yeah can't do that. You know we have to keep things sanitary." Albert said, ushering Chico over. "Here, spit." Albert said as he took the top bun off of Erna's sandwich.
Chico was all too happy to oblige. The large glob of bubbly saliva hit the sandwich and splattered against the toppings, the evidence covered by a handful of sliced tomatoes being dropped onto the sandwich before the bun covered them and held them in place.
"There we go. What you get for pissing off the food staff, am I right?" Albert said with a smirk as he gave Chico a pat on the shoulder.
"Not the worst thing I've done to her shit." Chico scoffed. "Oh hey! Before you go. Thanks for getting Max to help me out with my workout. I knew the dude was jacked but damn he knows what he's doing in the gym."
"Oh it's no problem, I get help from him all the time. Just uhh... Just keep reminding him to go easy on you. He'll forget... a lot." Albert said as he moved to the kitchen door that led back out to the cafeteria.
"Yeah learned that one the hard way. " Chico chuckled. "Couldn't feel my arms for days after my first session with him."
"Same champ, same." Albert laughed as he walked back out into the cafeteria and made his way over to where Erma had taken a seat.
"Well that took you long enough." She barked at him without any sort of gratitude. "It's probably cold now." She said as she took her plate back.
"You can also microwave it if it is." Albert said, trying his best to keep a smile as he watched the old bitch count out each slice of tomato.
"I don't like the microwaves. And there's too many slices on here now."
"Better too many than not enough though right?"
"Don't get smart with me. You can go back to whatever it was you were doing. Can't imagine it was anything important though." She said with a dismissive wave of the hand before she took the top bun off and started pulling some of the slices off.
Albert's eye twitched, his fingers hurt from being balled into a fist. She had an assortment of utensils all laid out in front of her. He wanted to grab the knife and drag it across her veiny throat and listen to her gasp and gurgle out her life's blood. She was old, she couldn't stop him from taking her fork and ramming it into her eye socket and bursting her dull drown orb. He wanted to drag her to the floor and crush her skull beneath his boot, stomping her head into the pale blue floor for the Mr Handy's to clean up. He'd be doing the Vault a favor. She couldn't work, all she did was take up space and irritate everyone with her pure hatefulness.
But it would still be murder, and sometimes that reminder was enough to keep him from losing control. Despite the cheerful exterior, Albert had his limits, and the crusty old bitch had long past crossed them.
With his moment of rage passing, he took in a breath and gave her a forced smile before stepping away to find that Patty and Jean were making their way out back into the halls. Leaving him to his lunch with the lackluster view of the Cafeteria walls and Vault unity posters.
"How is this already soggy?" Came the inevitable complaining of Erma. That at least put a smile on Albert's face.
The rest of the day had gone smoothly and quietly. With most of the Vault's population living in peace, Albert rarely had much to do on a day to day basis. He was often the target for many slung insults from the busy bodies of the Vault, irritated that they never saw him do any manual labor like the rest of them. They usually quieted when Albert mentioned that the Vault's security team were guilty of the same thing. Though still technically a member of the security force, Albert was rarely treated as such due to his lack of vest signaling his status. At one point he had even overheard his own parents talking about his apparent laziness, but they were all too happy to go on about how proud they were of him whenever he was called upon to settle a dispute. In truth it didn't bother Albert too much these days, he knew his worth and what he brought to the Vault. Some days it felt like most of the inhabitants would have butchered each other in their beds without him there to stop all the bickering and arguing.
With the hour drawing late and the hall lights dimming to maintain some semblance of a night and day cycle for the Vault dwellers, Albert made his way back to the cafeteria and took a seat at one of the chairs to wait on Ben's appearance if Mel's info was any good. He had brought a book with him to pass the time, an old favorite he was revisiting. It was science fiction nonsense that was ancient even before the Great War, but even so the tale of a desert planet and a young boy who would become an emperor was still an old favorite of his.
About an hour later, Ben finally arrived in the cafeteria looking as though the poor man hadn't seen a pillow in weeks. Marking his place Albert watched as Ben went up to the Mr Handy on duty and ordered the largest, strongest cup of coffee that could be made with a dangerous number of extra shots of espresso added in.
"Prepping for a long night there Ben?" Albert called out with a smile though received no response. After putting in his order Ben simply slumped into the closest seat and seemed to stare ahead blankly, teetering side to side, forward and back.
"Double shifts my ass." Albert said softly as he rose from his chair, it looked more like Ben hadn't stopped working all week, let alone all day. "Hey Ben, you doing okay there?" He asked as he got nearer, sitting down on the opposite side of the table to face the exhausted water worker. Messy, greasy black hair and glassy green eyes told a tale of how worn out the young man was. It even looked as though he hadn't been eating properly either as his face seemed sunken in slightly.
For a brief moment Albert wasn't sure if that would get a response at all until Ben seemed to snap back into reality and his eyes slowly moved over to Albert. "Oh hey. Was this seat taken?" He asked in a dazed voice.
"Holy shit Ben. Are you okay?" Albert asked despite knowing the answer.
"Peachy." Ben lied through his teeth. "No, that's a lie, I'm miserable." He corrected himself with the same dazed tone of voice.
Well this will make things a little easier, Albert thought to himself as Ben's coffee was brought to him by the Mr. Handy.
"Here you are sir. Your espresso with a touch of coffee, haha." The robot said in a cheery voice despite the danger it had just presented to the man.
"Don't you think you should take it easy with the caffeine there?" Albert said in a concerned tone.
"Doesn't matter what kills me, we're all fucked anyways." Ben responded in an uncharacteristically grim way. Ben was always an optimist, even though he spent many of his days locked up with the water treatment machines he still was one of the friendliest people in the vault despite the additional plumbing duties he occasionally had to perform.
"What do you mean?" Albert asked, now very concerned for the young man. "Hey what's wrong?"
That simple question broke him. The young man's fist slammed onto the table and any attempt at hiding the grim situation went out of the proverbial window. "We're fucked!... we're fucked, we're fucked we're so fucked!" Ben broke, like a dam the water began to pour from his eyes as he fell apart there in front of Albert. "We're gonna die. We're all gonna die and it's my FUCKING FAULT!"
"Ben hey!" Albert said, quickly moving from his seat to hold onto the now violently shaking Ben who curled into himself as he rocked back and forth in his chair.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I can't find it. I can't find it. I'm trying. I'm trying but I can't. I've looked everywhere. I'm pulling up tiles, ripping open walls and I can't find it. Oh God why? Why can't I find it?" The tears came harder as he broke into sobs.
"No no no. Hey what can't you find? Come on, what is it?" Albert said, a hand holding Ben's shoulder while his other held the man's face, gently trying to coax him to look up at Albert. "Hey I'll help you find it alright? Whatever it is, just let me know and we'll get to work on it pronto yeah?"
"No. No no you're not supposed to know. You can't know. Can't tell anyone. The Overseer said-"
"Hey fuck what he said alright? Look at yourself, you haven't slept in days and you're falling apart at the seams. Come on now. We're here, we're in this now and I'm here to help. What is it?" Albert asked, his voice low and gentle.
"You can't... You can't tell anyone okay? Promise. Promise right now Al." Ben managed to say between hiccups and sobs, his hands reaching out and grasping hold of Albert's suit.
"I promise. Look, Scout's honor." Albert said, raising his right hand up. "I won't tell a soul."
"Okay." Ben sobbed, taking in deep breaths to control himself. "The... We're... Oh God.. We're running out of water."
Albert could hardly comprehend what Ben had just told him. His mind went blank from the news as a sort of shock ran through his body. "We're... We're what?"
"The water chip broke. It controls the entire system. Without it the purifiers can't run and we can't.. we can't recycle our water." Ben explained, tears still running down his face as he finally shared his burden.
He didn't need the explanation. Every child in the vault was given tours through all the systems and jobs within, and every one that went through the water maintenance room knew just how vital the water chip was to the entire vault. "Ben.. Ben look at me." Albert said, taking a hold of Ben's shoulders and forcing the young man to meet his gaze. "Why hasn't it been replaced?"
"I... I can't find it. The Overseer has me working nonstop, tearing through everywhere to try and find it but.. but I can't." Ben said, the sobs starting once again. "I'm pulling up floor panels and wall tiles but I can't find it anywhere! And I can't look everywhere because the Overseer doesn't want anyone else to know so I'm only allowed to look in certain places at certain times and.. and... Where are you going?"
Albert had already risen from his chair before Ben had finished. "Gonna have a talk with the Overseer." He said with a wave. It didn't make any sense. Things broke down in the vault quite often but were either fixed or repaired quickly. There was no reason for Ben to have been pushed so hard to find the replacement. And for the Overseer to purposely handicapped him? That only brought up even more questions, but they were questions that Albert didn't intent to let go unanswered.
Jacoren had been the overseer for nearly thirty years now. The elderly, square headed, and grey bearded man was in charge of the Vault and its population. He cared greatly for the inhabitants and did all that he could for their security and happiness. His methods and occasionally condescending manner put him at odds with some of the other more opinionated dwellers of the vault, Albert in particular. The two had often quarreled about their decisions and way of handling things. Jacoren was never fond of the way Albert went about his business but couldn't deny the service that his silver tongue provided, even so he often debated on whether or not he should replace Albert with someone who would see things from his perspective.
Despite the late hour the Overseer's office was still open to the public, something that Albert was about to take full advantage of. The door slid open with the unignorable hiss of the door's hydraulics. Stepping inside, Albert found the Overseer seated at his desk, resting his cheek in his hand as he stared at his terminal's screen. He didn't so much as glance up when Albert walked further into the room, not even as Albert slammed both hands down onto the desk and shot daggers at the old man with his eyes.
"So when were you going to tell us all about the water situation?"
Jacoren closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. "It's being handled." He said still not looking up at Albert, making it plainly obvious that he had been watching Ben and Albert through the vault's many security cameras.
"Handled by one guy who's about to topple over from sleep deprivation."
"Ben is performing his duty with the determination that is-"
"Ben's nothing more than a nervous wreck right now!" Albert interrupted with a yell. "Come on. He's been pushing himself for weeks now, why can't he find the chip?"
"Perhaps he's just looking in the wrong places, I don't know Albert." Jacoren said, finally looking up from the screen.
"That might have something to do with you not letting him look in the right places. Honestly, why are you barring him from certain areas?" Albert asked, finding that fact a ridiculous one if the situation was so dire.
"I don't want there to be a fuss." Jacoren answered after too long of a pause. He was rather fond of those. His way of controlling the conversation when his words alone wouldn't allow.
"A fuss? We're about to run out of water and you're worried about people causing a fuss? Call all hands on deck and let's find this thing!" Albert suggested. It was such a simple solution and the most obvious one after all.
"That would only cause more problems, Albert."
"How? We'd find it quicker. I mean hell we have pieces, parts, and copies of everything by the dozens in here. We could make a hundred printing presses if we wanted to. We just have to find where Vault-tech put the damn thing and we're set. Crisis averted."
"Albert.. no." Jacoren said, his frustration mounting. "It's not.. it's not that simple.
"What do you mean it's not that simple?" Albert asked, utterly perplexed as to why the overseer was being so difficult about this. It was a simple solution, why fight it? "What do you mean... it's not that simple?" He asked again, slowly.
"Damn it boy, it's being handled as best we can right now. Now do as you're told!" The Overseer ordered, and showed his tell. Boy. Jacoren always tried to remain professional even when in a heated discussion, but calling Albert boy and ordering him like he would a child. That was always a clear sign that the Overseer had his back to the wall. There was only one reason for that now. The Overseer of the vault knew everything about it, every person and piece of equipment within the halls were all readily available knowledge to Jacoren. He knew exactly where the waterchips would be, but most importantly he knew where they weren't.
"Oh... fuck."
Realization showed in the Overseer's eyes. "Albert wait."
It was already too late, Albert was always a perceptive one. He saw through the Overseer, he knew how dire the situation truly was.
"There isn't another chip." He said as the realization crashed into him, nearly taking his breath away.
"Albert.. no one else can know."
"Why don't we have another chip?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know? How can you not know? Did we use the replacement already? Were they all broken? Why don't we have a replacement?" Albert demanded to know, his voice full of desperation. Surely Vault-tech hadn't given 13 a singular water-chip, something had to have happened to the others.
"No." Said Jacoren. "In our inventory there... there's never been any mention of another water-chip." He answered, the defeat evident in his voice. Vault-Tech, their great saviors, had failed them.
"So what... What are we supposed to do? Can't we just make another one?"
"We don't have the blueprints for one. And we could damage what we have by taking it out and trying to figure out how it's made." Jacoren answered, looking down at his hands. "The truth is... I don't know what we're going to do, Albert, or if there's anything we can do."
