Vault 69/Decon-doctor/Boom/Stay/Orientation

You and Loli enter the room just behind Doctor Romero. The room looks almost like a classroom with twenty desks and a larger desk in front of them. In the back of the room is a standard projector. Doctor Romero goes to the large desk, flips up her lab coat a bit, and sits on the edge of the desk.

"Come sit in front children," she says. "I'll make this as quick as I can."

You both go to the front seats, and Loli lets go of your hand so you can both sit down.

"First there is a short presentation. I know you're both tired, but please try to stay awake for this. I'm only going to dim the lights instead of turning them off. I hope that helps. If you feel yourselves falling asleep feel free to stand up. There is some pretty important information in the presentation." She then dims the lights and starts the projector. You already feel tired, so you stand immediately.

The projector whirs to life and you're presented with a cartoon man and woman barbecuing in the backyard of a house. "Bob and Sue are having a cookout on this great day in America." There is suddenly a mushroom cloud in the distance. "Oh no," says the narrator, "they finally did it. They dropped the bombs." The male cartoon raises his finger and a light bulb appears above his head. "It's a good thing Bob signed up for Vault-Tec's state of the art Twin Vaults; Vault 68 and 69. Best get the wife to the vaults Bob." Bob gives the camera a thumbs up and he and Sue are shown going to the vaults. At the vaults is a friendly looking cartoon protectron sorting other cartoon characters into the two vaults.

"What's this?" asks the narrator. "Why are they separating Bob and Sue?" Bob and Sue shrug their shoulders. "Don't worry you two. It's all part of the adjustment we need to undergo for long-term underground dwelling. Bob is going to Vault 68 and Sue is going to Vault 69. Don't you know their joined in the middle?" They both give the camera a thumbs up, and head for their respective vaults. Inside it shows Sue joining a group of ladies in the vault entry. Oddly it shows only women, no girls. "Well Sue, welcome to the safety of Vault 69," says a female narrator. "First we need to get the outside world off of you. Go on into decontamination." Sue shrugs and goes into the room. "You're going to need to get everything off of you Sue. Nothing from the outside world. Don't be shy, it's just us girls here." Sue shrugs and takes off her clothes. Surprisingly, the cartoon is anatomically correct. "Now, now Sue," says the narrator, "I said everything." Sue holds up her hand showing a wedding band on it. "Don't worry, put your valuables in the bin, and we'll decontaminate them and get them back to you." Sue gives the camera a thumbs up, and puts her ring in a bin labeled 'Sue'.

"Now that you're all contaminant free, why not put on that brand new vault suit?" Sue gives the camera a thumbs up, and slips on a vault suit. "See now, stylish, comfortable, and best of all durable enough to last two hundred years. But now we need to see how life has to change in the Twin Vaults. Take a seat." Sue takes a seat facing away from the camera, then turns around in the seat to wave at the camera. "Now, now Sue, don't wave at them. You have to pay attention now as living in the vault is very different from what you're used to." Sue turns back around. "That's better. Now life in the vaults has to be more regulated than life outside the vaults. First, men and women have to be housed separately. This will reduce sexual tension and the problems it causes." The cartoon shows a man in a mask sneaking behind a woman, then suddenly jumping on her in a cloud of dust.

"To keep those kind of things from happening cohabitation will only occur in the nexus between vaults." The cartoon show couples holding hands and sitting around in a comfortable setting. "See there's Bob now." Sue and Bob see each other and run for an embrace. "We even have special rooms for the two of you for when you are ready to add to the family." Bob and Sue enter a room and put up a 'Do Not Disturb' sign.

"Now that isn't the only thing that has to change. Police officers were just right outside of the vaults; but here in the vaults our security needs a bit more authority to keep everyone safe." The cartoon shows a cartoon police officer changing into a vault security officer. "Vault security has the right to inspect you quarters, belongings or person at any time for any reason. One act of sabotage could mean the end of the human race, so some rights have to be suspended." The cartoon shows vault security searching a man in a mask and pulling a time bomb out of his pocket. "In the event that security needs assistance, we have the help of RobCo's latest in military technology . . . the assaultron robot." It shows a cartoon version of the female looking robots you saw earlier . . . so they're called assaultrons? "Always obey an assaultron's directives. They are there for your safety." The cartoon shows a person arguing with an assaultron, then being disintegrated by a massive laser from it single eye. "Don't worry, assaultrons are under the command of your Security Chief, Overseer, and Vault-Tec directives to keep everyone safe."

"Speaking of the Overseer; here in the vault we don't have the luxury of regular democracy. One of you has been chosen, because of your ability to lead, to be Overseer." The cartoon shows a Vaultboy Being selected and a sash placed around him. "It is a huge responsibility as the well being of everyone in the vault is your responsibility." The cartoon Overseer looks nervous. "The Overseer is the law in the vault. What he says goes." The cartoon shows the Overseer listening to an argument, then making a decision. "Always listen to the Overseer, no matter what. Otherwise there will be consequences." The cartoon shows a Vaultboy ignoring the Overseer and vault security throws him in jail. "Don't worry, the Overseer's decisions are being overlooked by the Vault-Tec anti-tyranny protocols in each assaultron." The cartoon shows an assaultron keeping a flashlight beam from their eye trained on the cartoon Overseer. "If he turns into a tyrant, it will be time for a new Overseer." The cartoon shows The overseer stealing candy from a baby and being incinerated by an assaultron.

"Now everyone in the vault needs to pull their weight." The cartoon shows Bob and Sue nodding at the camera. "The Generalized Occupational Aptitude Test or G.O.A.T. you took when signing up for the vaults as well as your real world experience will determine your assigned work in the vault." It shows Bob getting a wrench and Sue getting a lab coat. "Children will take their G.O.A.T. in the tenth grade." It shows vault children hard at work taking a test with cartoon sweat rolling off their brows. "Make sure you do your duties. Dereliction of duty hurts the whole vault and will not be tolerated." It shows a Vaultboy with a wrench sleeping while a burst pipe floods the vault. He is then locked in jail by vault security.

"Don't worry it's not all work. Everyone gets a personal assistant. Everyone will be equipped with a Vault-Tec Pip-Boy. Pip stands for Personal Information Processor. Your Pip-Boy is your best tool for navigating vault life. It monitors your health, allows interpersonal communication, keeps your schedule, and can even store Aunt Bertha's family recipes." The cartoon shows a montage of a vaultboy and vaultgirl using their Pip-Boy for all of those things. "You can even play games on it." It shows Bob playing a game. "Outside of work Bob." Bob stops and shrugs humbly at the camera. "Children receive their first Pip-Boy when they turn ten." The cartoon shows a vaultchild opening a present and getting excited over the Pip-Boy inside.

"Living in the vault will take some adjustment; but as long as we work together, we can all survive this nuclear devastation . . . as a nation." The cartoon shows vaultboys and girls coming out of the Twin Vaults in front of a waving American flag.

The presentation ends and Doctor Romero turns up the lights. "Sorry about the bit about the nexus. There was no way to edit around that part after we lost it. Are you kids okay?"

"Yeah," says Loli.

"Yeah," you reply.

"Any questions?"

"I don't get a Pip-Boy?" asks Loli.

"Next year, sweetheart. Maybe Tay will let you look at his. Speaking of which . . . " she reaches into a box an pulls out a smaller version of the device on her wrist, "your own, personal Pip-Boy, Tay. Enjoy. We'll be showing you how to use it over the next few weeks. It's pretty user friendly though if you want to learn it on your own in the meantime."

"Thanks," you say as you take it from her. You strap it to your wrist and feel it adjust to fit.

"Any other questions?" When neither of you respond, she continues. "Well that's it then. You're done with orientation. Let's get you to talk to your dad, Tay."

"What about Loli?" you ask.

Doctor Romero is about to say something when Loli preempts her. "I don't have a daddy. I'm a cl-"

"Sweetheart, not now," Doctor Romero interrupts, "Tay needs to talk to his father."

"Yes ma'am. I'm sorry Tay."

"It's alright," you reply. Your curious about what she was going to say, but you are sure the matter is firmly dropped now.

Doctor Romero takes you to an elevator, then down for what feels like forever. When you finally get to the bottom, you exit into what looks like a make-shift containment area. There are lead curtains all around, and radiation suits. Your mother is standing there waiting for you, and pulls you into a hug. Doctor Romero silently gets back on the elevator and leaves.

"Are you okay, Tay?" asks your mother.

"I'll be fine," you say.

"When they told me you were staying to help the people get through processing I didn't know what to think. I was a little angry at first; but then I realized it was the right thing to do. I'm very proud of you, son . . . and so is your father. Are you ready to talk to him?"

"You mean to say goodbye, don't you?"

"We don't know that . . . we could find a way to bridge the vaults again. We have nothing but time down here. Even if the rock strata is permeated with radiation there could still be a way."

"You're right mom," you say, mainly to make her feel better. You are pretty sure bridging the vaults is hopeless from what you overheard of the situation throughout the day.

"Let's get you in a radiation suit so you can talk to your father."

• Talk to your father.