Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Thanks for letting me stay the night and driving all this way for me." I say as I put my backpack on and step out of the car.

I wave at my school friend as they drive back out of the neighborhood. It would have taken me half the day to travel the distance by bus if they hadn't offered to drive me. I sigh as I walk up the pathway to my sisters' house wondering what excuse I'll give her this time. Maybe I'll say my ride for this evening backed out and the only friend that could help could only bring me if they did it first thing in the morning.

But the truth is I got in a fight with dad again last night, before staying at my friend's house. My older sister had always been the perfect daughter, and I was always his second thought. Both our parents were high-end lawyers, and while Nora was also a lawyer, her too kind heart had her in family law fighting to help, not make a profit. And here I was, barely passing junior year of high school. Already near the end of October and I haven't even started looking for colleges like he wanted. In fact, I'd been thinking of dropping out.

I stood at the door a minute, awkwardly playing with one of my braided pigtails before knocking, hoping she would answer and not my brother-in-law. I didn't feel like explaining myself to him. Not that he wasn't understanding, but that he really was. He has a weird way of knowing when somethings wrong. I guess all his years in the military helped with that. But if I lied and said everything was fine and that I was just there to visit, he'd call me out on it and have me explain. I didn't want to bother him with any of that. He'd swoop in like the hero he is and insist on talking to my dad. Luckily it was their Mr. Handy that answered.

"Ah! Good morning Miss Penny, lovely to see you. Do come in and make yourself at home. Sir and Mum are just finishing getting ready for the day." He greets in his chipper British accent.

"Hi, Codsworth. Sorry I'm dropping by so early." I say as I step in the door.

"It's no bother to me. I've just made a pot of coffee if you would like a cup."

"Yes please." I answer as I put my backpack down next to the couch.

"Cream and sugar as usual?" He askes as he floats into the kitchen, the jets suspending him giving a little pop.

"Yeah, and would they mind if I had a bowl of Sugar Bombs? I haven't had breakfast yet." I ask as I take a seat at the kitchen table.

"Of course they wouldn't mind. I've been given orders to assist you with anything you ask. Why, just after your last visit, Mrs. Nora set my programming to assign you as a household member." He says in a chipper manner as he places a bowl and spoon in front of me.

"Oh. I answered, shocked. "Have I been by that often?" I think out loud as I shake the cereal into the bowl, but he just busies himself in the kitchen, pouring three fresh cups of coffee, probably not hearing me.

"Ah, Good morning Sir! Your coffee, brewed to 173 point 5 degrees Fahrenheit. Brewed to perfection! And today's paper, just delivered."

I turn to see my brother-in-law walking into the kitchen from the hallway.

"Thank you, Codsworth. And good morning, Pen. I was wondering who he was chatting to." He smiles at me as he takes his coffee.

My sister really lucked out with him. They started dating when I was just a kid in grade school, but he never treated me like the annoying little sister. I saw that a lot with other kids in my class, whose older siblings would start dating someone and get teased or picked on, but he was always nice. Helpful with homework or would drive me to cheer practice. Didn't hurt he was incredibly handsome. All the girls in class wanted to be friends so they could hang out at our house hoping to see him. With his chocolate brown hair and emerald eyes, tall, chiseled, and fit, captain of the high school football team. Everyone loved him. And then serving in the war really got him in shape, though it did result in the bad burn and scar on his neck and chin. He was insecure about it at first, but I thought it made him look adventurous.

"Hi, Nate. Sorry I'm here so early. You were probably wanting to enjoy your Saturday." I give a shy smile as Codsworth hands me my coffee.

"You're fine. Always good to have you over." He says as he picks up the newspaper and sits across from me.

He reads quietly for a moment as I eat before looking at me over the top of the paper. "Your father again?" He askes.

I sigh as I put down the spoon. "Don't say anything to Nora." I plead quietly. "She loves him so much, so it's hard talking to her about it. She doesn't understand that I don't get treated the same way she did, and when she's tried to talk about it with him, he downplays how hard he's been on me and she just takes him at his word."

I watched his face as he nodded slowly, thinking about what to say before answering. "You know that's not actually true, right? That she took him at his word. I mean, she did in that moment, but we had a long talk about it after. She sees how much you've been struggling since your mom passed. We were going to talk about it with you tonight when you came to babysit Shaun."

"Talk about what?" I ask before I hear my name called.

"Penelope! It's barely 9, what are you doing here so early?" Nora asks as she hugs me over the back of the chair before getting her cup of coffee.

First thing in the morning, and she's still absolutely gorgeous. Her dark auburn hair in elegant curls around her face. She was wearing a casual day dress. Its white and blue polka-dot skirt swished as he walked to the counter. Her makeup was done simply, light blush coloring her cream-colored cheeks, coral lipstick, and light eyeliner framed perfectly to make her eyes pop. Everyone always said we looked so much alike, that I could have been a mini version of her. But there were enough differences. Her skin was cream while mine was closer to ivory, my face covered in freckles. My eyes had always been a dark brown compared to her hazel green with flakes of gold. Though mom used to say mine showed gold too. And while I always loved her red, she used to tell me she wished it was closer to my golden-brown hair. I always thought it was just a lie to make me feel better about it not being like hers and moms.

"Why else but to spend time with her ruggedly handsome brother. I'm simply irresistible to you O'Donnelly women."

"Nathaniel." She pretends to scold as she lightly smacks the back of his head. I giggle as he jokingly cries out and rubs the spot dramatically.

"Where's Shaun?" I ask.

"He fell asleep after his morning feeding, he should be awake again here in a moment." Nate answers before clearing his throat. "Darling, why don't you tell your sister what we talked about this week." He says putting the newspaper on the table.

She looks at him a moment before turning to smile at me. "Pen." She starts in her serious voice.

"Oh boy." I tease getting a light kick under the table from Nate.

"Now, this is serious you two." She says as her smile softens. "I know things have been hard at home since mom passed. And dad has been throwing himself at work and taking things out on you when you're just trying to get by too. I'm guessing that's why you're here now. What happened?"

"I just stayed the night at a friend's house. She brought me over first thing before her mom needed the car for work."

"And why did you stay the night?"

I looked down at my cereal as I pushed a piece around in the milk with my spoon. "Dad and I got in a screaming match, so I left."

Nora sighed as she sunk into her seat at the table. "What was it over this time?"

"I got a C- in Lab." I say dropping the spoon as I cross my arms.

"Oh, well that's not-" she starts.

"And a D in Math." I interrupt.

"Penny... You used to be an all A student. What happened?"

"Mom died." I answer bluntly causing Nora to look down, a sad look crossing her face. " So I missed a week of school, and after that, I had problems being able to focus in class. Then, when I got my first B, dad lost it on me. He wouldn't listen when I tried talking to him about it. It's just gotten worse since."

Nate and Nora look at each other for a moment before she reaches over and takes my hand. "And that's why Nate and I want you to stay with us for a while."

"What?" I ask, shock crossing my face.

"We already went by the high school and asked what it would take to get you transferred here for the rest of the school year and for next year as well." Nate beamed.

"I can't put that on you two. You just had a baby, I'll only be in your way."

"Penny, you're already here a few times a week, you used all your babysitting money on bus rides. It makes sense to stay here. Nate just got a job offer in town and my firm wants me back as soon as I can manage. You've offered to help with Shaun so many times before, so this would be perfect. We'll help you with homework and get you through the next school year, then you're off to college. You just turned 17, you're smart and resourceful, you have so much ahead to look forward to." She gave my hand a squeeze. "We just want to help you get there, and living in Boston with dad isn't the best way. I've already been working with my firm to draw up the paperwork for us to take temporary custody of you till your 18th birthday. I was just waiting to talk to you about it before sending it over to dads firm."

"Would that be something you want? To stay with us and let us help with everything you need?" Nate asks softly.

I look down at my hand in hers. I can feel the prickle as my eyes start to tear up before the biggest smile breaks across my face. I nod franticly as I jump up from my seat and pull my sister into a tight hug. She stumbles up from her chair and wraps her arms around my shoulders as I laugh-cry into her shirt. Nate stands and puts his arms around both of us and gives a tight squeeze, giving Nora a kiss on the head.

After a moment, she pulled back, wiping a tear off her cheek. "I'll make the call now to send the papers over. Start the process of getting it filed." Nora says before walking over to the phone on the kitchen wall. 

"Hazaa!" Codsworth cheers, his mechanical arms spinning in excitement. "Welcome home Miss Penny! Now if you'll excuse me, sounds like someone made a stinky." He says taking off as the sound of the baby fussing could be heard down the hall.

Nate gives a booming laugh as he pulls me into a tight hug, lifting me off my feet before the doorbell rings. He puts me down, giving my shoulder a pat as he goes to answer. He opens the door to a scrawny salesman clutching a clipboard in front of him. He wore a bright yellow trenchcoat and matching hat, his slightly freckled face showing patches of ginger scruff. I turn to follow Codsworth before stopping in my tracks.

"Good morning! Vault-Tec calling." The man says in a chipper tone. If he hadn't had my attention before, he did now. I quickly made my way over to the couch, its back to the door, and perch on my knees, my arms crossed on the frame of the sofa.

Nate gives me a half-hearted scowl at how I'm treating his furniture before addressing the man. "Vault-Tec? I'm sorry, could you remind me again?" He asks, knowing full well who they are.

"Don't tease the poor guy for my sake." I giggle. "They're the biggest company of, well, capitalized doomsday preppers out there! I just told you about them last time, how they've got vaults springing up all over the country, like the one up the street. They even have an active one in West Virginia right now showing the world how well their programs work." I answer excitedly.

"That's right, little missy!" The Vault-Tec Rep beams. "We're about you, Sir! And helping secure your future. You see, Vault-Tec is the foremost builder of state-of-the-art underground fallout shelters. Vaults, like she said. Luxury accommodations, where you can wait out the horrors of nuclear devastation. You can't begin to know how happy I am to finally speak with you. I've been trying for days. It's a matter of utmost urgency, I assure you."

"Well, I'm very sorry it's been so difficult. We've been dealing with family matters and have been in and out of the home the last few days. But I'm here now." Nate answers.

"So you are, so you are." He says looking between us. "Now, I know you're a busy man, so I won't take much of your time. Time being a, um, a precious commodity. I'm here today to tell you that because of your service to our country, you have been pre-selected for entrance into the local vault. Vault One-Eleven."

My eyes go wide at the thought of seeing the man-made, underground marvel. "Oh wow." I mutter.

"As you can see, I have a family. It counts for all of us, right?" Nate asks, crossing his arms.

"Of course, of course!" The Rep smiles. "Minus your robot, naturally. In fact, you're already cleared for entrance. It's just a matter of verifying some information." He says giving the clipboard a little wiggle. "Don't want there to be any holdups, in the unforeseen event of- ahem... total atomic annihilation. Won't take but a moment."

"Can you tell us anything about the vault?" I ask in excitement.

"Oh, it has all the amenities of the modern home, I assure you. Not to mention total protection from nuclear radiation and hostile mutants. A better future, underground. It's not only our mission. It's our passion."

I give a toothy grin to Nate and he gives a snort at how ridiculous I must look. "Alright, let's get that taken care of."

"Splendid, splendid! Now, let's see here. I have you down as Nathanial Walsh, 32, Nora O'Donnelly-Walsh, 30, and Shaun Walsh, 10 months?"

"And Penelopy O'Donnelly, 17." Nate adds.

"I'm sorry, I don't have that name here. It's all household members. Is she a part of the family?"

"She's my younger sister." Nora answers as she walks up to stand beside Nate. "We're currently in the process of taking her into our custody. My lawyers have already filed."

"I see." He answers, furrowing his brow. "Well, she wasn't on the list before today and if you don't have the paperwork to prove she-"

"If you can't do anything about it, just take our names off. We're not leaving a minor behind because of some list. Unless you'd like to get our lawyers involved." Nora interrupts in her stern court voice.

His eyes go wide a second before he clears his throat and starts franticly scribbling on the document. "If you've already filed for custody of the minor, then it shouldn't be a problem."

"Good. Then is that everything you need?" She asks.

"Just sign here." He smiles as he hands them the clipboard. Nora takes a long minute to carefully read it over before they take turns signing it. "Wonderful! That's everything."He smiles as they hand him the documents. "Just gonna run this over to the vault, get her name registered in the system. Congratulations on being prepared for the future!"

"Sure, thanks." Nate says, letting the door fall closed. "That was interesting." Nate chuckles as he and Nora sat on the couch next to me. 

"Hey, it's peace of mind. That's worth a little paperwork, right?" Nora smiles.

"For Shaun and my favorite girls, no price is too high."

"Good answer." She giggles.

"I have my moments." He says putting an arm around her and kissing her cheek.

Chapter Text

I turned my attention to the television when it switched from a commercial to the 9:30 am news. Nate had missed the baseball game last night and was wanting to catch the playback when Shaun started fussing again. The sounds of Codsworths jets made its way down the hall into the living room.

"Mrs. Nora." He says as he enters the room. "Young Shaun has been changed, but he absolutely refuses to calm down. I think he needs some of that maternal affection you seem to be so good at."

"Go ahead, honey. I'll be there in a second to help, okay?" Nate says as she stands and walks towards the hall.

"How's my little man." We hear her coo as she heads in.

Nate leans forward, focused on the television as the newscaster reads off the forecast. "This weekend, unseasonably warm temperatures continue with a high of 56. But then we're looking at a cold front coming down from Canada, making it crisp and dry for next week's Halloween festivities." He gives my knee a quick pat as he pulled himself to his feet to follow Nora into Shaun's room. I watch him disappear down the hall before turning my attention back to the news as the caster started talking about the stalemate our troops are having with China after driving them from Anchorage. 

I can't stand all this talk of the war. Everything about it just scares me. I look at the sun clock on the wall above the television as I stand. The hands point at 9:38. It's still too early for most things, Nate and Nora probably hadn't even had a chance to eat breakfast. I walk towards the kitchen table to put my cereal bowl away and watch as Codsworth beats me to it.

"After breakfast, I was thinking we could head to the park for a bit. Weather should hold up." I hear Nate from down the hall.

"Oh right, the park, with you. Cause I want to get pregnant again." Nora retorts sarcastically.

Gross, I think as I scrunch my nose and pull my Grognak comic out of my backpack.

Nate gives a chuckle at her answer. "Come on now. Penny will be with us."

"Yeah, the park sounds like fun." She giggles. "But I'd also really like to get some pumpkins and carve Jack-O-Lanterns. Penny and I loved that growing up."

"Which reminds me. Penny!" Nate calls. I place my comic on the island counter and make my way up the hall into the room. "Now, I know it's not much of a girl's room, with all the rocketships, but I was thinking we could move the nursing chair back to the living room and get you a bed against this wall." He says motioning around the room. "We'd also move all the other furniture pieces around so you have more space, and maybe we could fit a small deck for doing homework."

"I know you don't want to share a room with the baby, so we can have him in his bassinet in our room for a while." Nora says.

"I don't mind sharing with him." I smile.

"We don't want you on the couch, so we can take a trip to the Fallons Department store today or tomorrow to pick out a mattress, bedding, and whatever else you need. We'll make a trip of it and stop at a dinner for burgers and milkshakes."

"That sounds like fun." I say as I walk up to Shaun's crib. He gives a few coos before breaking into a fit of raspberries. I giggle at him as I let his little hand take my finger.

"Sir! Mum! You should come and see this!" Codsworth calls from the living room. Could a robot sound panicked? He sure sounded it.

"Codsworth, what's wrong?" Nate asks, his brows furrowed in concern as he walked back out the hall. 

Nora gives me a worried look as she takes Shaun from the crib and we follow Nate.

"-followed by... yes, followed by flashes. Blinding flashes. Sounds of explosions... We're, um... trying to get confirmation..." The newscaster says sullenly.

"What did he say?" Nora asks, shocked, as she walks up behind me.

"We seem to have lost contact with our affiliate stations..." The caster continues. "We... we do have..." He struggled. "We do have coming in...that's, um... confirmed reports. I repeat, confirmed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania. My God..." The Television suddenly cuts off. A simple image saying "Please Stand By". The static in my ears slowly fades and I hear them. Sirens in the distance, slowly growing louder.

"Oh my God!" Nora half screams.

Before the rest of us have time to catch up, Codsworth already has the front door open for us. "GO!" He orders.

"We have to get to the vault, NOW!" Nate yells as he grabs my wrist and pulls me out the door.

"I've got Shaun, GO!" Nora shouts behind us. "Codsworth, stay safe honey." She says as she exits behind us.

"God Speed!" I hear him call after us.

"I don't have my backpack!" I cry thinking of my mother's locket I kept in the front pocket.

"We don't have time!" Nate yells as he pulls me along the sidewalk.

The sirens are deafening as they blare all around us. A voice calls over a loudspeaker, "Residents, If you are registered, evacuate to Vault 111 immediately." Neighbors are shouting in panic all around us, people have flooded from their homes to stand in their yards and watch in dazed confusion. My eyes go wide as a military tank rolls up the street in front of us, a vertibird buzzing overhead.

I trip over a branch as we turn up the dirt path leading through the trees towards the vault, a soldier catching my arm and pushing me back to Nate. Nora slows as she gets a few steps in front of us, and we quickly catch up. Shaun starts crying as Nate takes Nora's hand in his free one and pulls us both along. 

"We're almost there." She says as we make our way over a little wooden bridge and up the hill. We make our way to a chainlink fence, a crowd of people shouting and shoving at each other. 

"That's absurd!" I hear a familiar voice shout as we push our way to the front of the pack. "I am Vault-Tec! You have to let me in!" The representative shouts at the soldier at the gate.

"Not on the list, no entry." The guard says shoving him back. The Rep tried to push past again before a couple of soldiers in power armor step forward, giant guns pointed at the scrawny man.

"I'm reporting this!" He tries to threaten as he stumbles back into the crowd and vanishes into a sea of people.

Nate, still gripping mine and Nora's hands, pulls us to the front. He stops in front of the gate and announces himself. "First Lieutenant, Nate Walsh, 2nd Battalion of the 108th Infantry Regiment. We're on the list." He says standing tall.

"Walsh?" The guard asks skimming the list.

"And O'Donnelly."

"Adult male, adult female, adolescent female, and infant male. You're cleared, good luck sir. And God help us all." He says stepping aside and Nate drags us through. I look back at the crowd to see faces I knew fade behind us, a neighbor boy I used to babysit clinging to the fence.

"You three! Follow me!" A man in Vault-Tec armor shouts as we rush up the path.

"What's going to happen to all those people outside the gate?" I ask.

"We're doing everything we can. Now keep moving!" He shouts as a vertibird starts to land in front of us, the gust from the blades threatening to knock me off my feet.

We reach a large metal structure, the signature Vault-Tec blue and yellow painted on the ground, a handful of people standing in the center of the Vault-Tec logo. "Stand on the platform! In the Center!" A voice orders.

Nate walks us on and pulls us both into a tight embrace. Nora clings to Shaun as he continued to cry in her arms. We stayed huddled like that for what felt like both an eternity and all too short a moment. Loud warning sounds blared around us from the machinery at our feet.

"Alright! That's it. Send it down!" We hear somewhere behind us. 

"Almost there. Is Shaun ok?" Nate asks, looking down between us.

"He's fine. We're going to be ok. I love you." Nora answers as she leans her head onto Nate's shoulder.

He holds us tighter as I bury my face into his chest. I feel his chin rest on my head. "I love you all so much." He says as the platform starts to power up under us.

"OH MY GOD!" A voice screams next to us.

"NOW! NOW! SENT IT DOWN NOW!"

A blinding light filled the sky around us, I tried to turn to see the source, but Nate grabs my head, covering my eyes. "Don't look directly at it!" I hear him shout above me. As the light began to dim, a thunderous rumble filled the air, shaking the world around us. I look up to see the large mushroom cloud off in the distance. My eyes go wide and I feel the scream rip up my throat before I even hear it. "Hold on!" He shouts. The platform jerks to a start and quickly starts lowering as the smaller sound waves crash against us. Nora turns into Nate, shielding the baby and I watch as the world fades above me. Just as the blast doors start closing above us, the shock front traveling rapidly away from the fireball, crashes above us, a moving wall of highly compressed air.

I cling to Nate and Nora as the doors shut and everything goes dark and silent. 

Chapter Text

Soon the silence started to fade as my mind latched onto every sound around me. The other people talking quietly to each other, Shauns softened sniffles, Nora's heavy breathing as she tried to calm herself, Nate gently shushing her, the sound of fabric as he rubbed her back, the metal grinding of the platform moving us deeper underground...someone crying.

"We did it. We made it. We're okay." Nate soothed and I realized it was me crying into his shirt.

Soon a dim light started to grow along the rim of the platform. It grew till the solid wall faded above us and we were lowered into what I could only think to describe as a cage. Bars and metal gating surrounded us till we finally stopped with a loud bang. Powerful spotlights pointed at us blinded me a moment as I tried to adjust from the darkness to brightness.

I blink through the light and tears, pulling myself a step forward as my eyes fall on the large vault door in front of us. The gate opened with a rattle as it raised and in front of us stood a guard and a man with a clipboard. One couple tentatively stepped forward while the rest of us stood frozen in shock.

"Everyone, please step off the elevator and proceed up the stairs in an orderly fashion." The guard instructed. 

I look up at Nate, unsure of what to do. He gives a soft nod, gently placing his hand on the small of my back and urging me forward.

"No need to worry, folks. We'll get everyone situated in your new home. Vault One-Eleven! A better future, underground!" The man with the clipboard announces.

I stumble forward as we slowly walk off the platform. My eyes darting around the large concrete room, giant pipes and machinery spread out over the walls and ceiling like vines. A man steps in front of us, pointing at the stairs. "So we just..?" He starts.

"That's right. just up the stairs there."

An older man clings to his wife as they walk to the stairs. "I can't believe it... If we'd left just a minute later, we'd all be..." He says, voice shaking.

"No, no-no. Don't get caught up thinking about that. You're safe now." The man in charge reassures. "It's alright. Everyone just head up these stairs and through the door there. We'll get everyone through this as quickly as possible."

People start to flood off the platform around us, following the instructions, but I stay frozen. "Penny?" Nora calls softly as she stops on the first step. I slowly stumble forward a step before Nate has to catch me.

"All my friends, my teachers,...Dad... Th-the last thing I said to him, I was calling him names..." I cried as Nate pulled me into a tight embrace. "I said I wished he wasn't my dad... and now he's gone..." I'm overcome with sobs as Nate rubs my back and tries to soothe me. Nora rests her head on my shoulder and wraps me in her free arm as she sniffles softly.

"I'll miss him too, Pen. We can only hope he made it somewhere safe. If not, then know he's with Mom now." Nora says through tears.

"Come on you three." The guard says softly. "We need to get the vault door shut. Head inside." 

Nate helps me to my feet and we all move up the stairs. We stepped onto a grated catwalk that lead into the main entrance, the vault door stood taller than our house. Once in, we were surrounded by computers and machines. The concrete walls gave way to metal panels and supports. A large mural painted on the wall read Vault 111. Welcome Home.

"Vault-Tec is here for you." Says a loud robotic woman's voice spoken through loudspeakers. "All new residents please proceed in an orderly fashion. Welcome home!"

I'm overwhelmed as we move forward, following the line of people checking in. For being a hundred feet underground, everything is so bright and loud. Like me, many of the other residents are moving slow, acting distraught or frightened, but the Vault-Tec workers just go about their jobs like it's any other workday. And I find it unsettling. 

"Adult male." A voice startles me. I look up to see a man typing away on a terminal as people pass him on the catwalk. "Adult female. Infant." He says in a monotone as Nora walks past him. He looks up from the screen as I walk past and stops me. "Age?"

"Um...17."

"Hmm. Juvenile female." He says, gesturing with his hand for me to continue walking.

Nora stands in front of me between these giant mechanical arms, a man in a labcoat reading off the monitor attached to it. He tells me to wait my turn before letting Nora past the simple turn stop barrier. He motions me forward and I stand in the center of the four arms as they light up and hum, reminding me of the time I had to get my ankle x-rayed after I twisted it during cheer practice. He gave me an all-clear and I quickly made my way over to Nora while we waited on Nate.

Once he rejoined us, another employee pointed us to a woman at a table handing out some kind of package.

"Hi there." She said warmly. "What size?"

"F-for what?" I ask.

"For your very own vault-suit." She smiles. "We all wear one."

Nate and Nora each say their clothing sizes and are handed the vacuum-sealed pack with their new outfits, another employee hands them their matching boots.

"Um... I don't think you have my size." I say looking in the box with all adult-sized clothing. I'd always been smaller for my age, not quite child-sized, but I was always the smaller one in my group of friends. Shopping for clothes in the women's section, most things were too big in places, but I'd also outgrown the kids clothes. Before mom passed, she would just alter the clothes I bought.

"Lets see..." She says as she digs through the suits. "We have a women's small. It might be a smidge baggy in a couple of spots, but it should be doable for now." She says as she hands me the packet.

"Now what?" Nora asks as we awkwardly stand there.

"Just follow the Doctor here and he'll show you where to go." She says in a far too perky voice.

"All right you four. Follow me." The Doctor smiles as he walks up. 

We all turn to follow, Nate wrapping his arm around Nora. I clutch the suit as I stumble along behind them, looking around at everything as we work our way down a long hall. There were doors leading to other rooms and sections of the Vault as well as giant windows looking into a large room with giant machinery I'd never seen before. Shaun could be heard cooing and babbling in front of me at the Doctor talked to them.

"See," Nate says to the baby in Nora's arms. "This is our new home."

"Oh, you're going to love it here." The Doctor prattles on. "This is one of our most advanced facilities. Not that the others aren't great, mind you." But as I looked around, I hoped for the other vaults that that wasn't the case.

"It's gone... Our home, everything. It's all gone." I hear a man cry softly as we pass a couple leaning against a wall.

"My mother and father in D.C..." The woman sobs.

"H-how long do you think we'll be down here?" Nora asks.

"We'll be going over all that in orientation. Just a few medical items we have to go through first." He says, leading us into a large room with strange pods, like something you see in a Sci-Fi movie at the drive-In. 

People were gathered around all the different pods in their fresh vault suits. No one seemed to notice the strange metal balls above our heads as a dense fog danced above us. I'd been so excited to see the inside of one of the famous Vaults, but now that I was here, going to live in this place for the unforeseeable future, it scared me. Something in my gut just felt off.

"The vault suit is designed to be fashionable as well as comfortable." A woman in a Doctors coat says to a man we walk past. She looks up and gives a warm smile. "Such a lovely family you have. I hope you'll see this as your new home." She says to Nate and Nora, me still hiding behind them as we walk to the end of the large room.

Our guide stops at a small platform with a medical screen set up and some doctors office equipment. "We just need to check weight and height and get you changed into your new suits." The Doctor says motioning us forward.

"It's okay, honey." Nate says to Nora as he gently takes Shaun from her. "I'll hold him so you can get it taken care of first." She gives a nod and steps behind the screen. The female doctor comes over then.

"If you're ready." She says to Nora and goes behind. I hear as she reads off some information and she must have stepped up to a scale. "5 foot, 10 inches. You're so tall. And you're in amazing shape so soon after having a baby." She giggles.

"Um...Thanks" I hear Nora answer awkwardly. After a few minutes, Nora comes back out in her new suit and takes Shaun. Nate walks back and the original doctor joins once he's dressed and goes over his information.

"6 foot, 3 inches." He reads off. "You're military, correct? You're in very good shape." After a short minute, he's walking back to us.

I stand there, not wanting to move forward before I feel a hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay, Pen. It's just like a check-up." Nora says softly and I shuffle my feet forward.

I step behind the screen and see the scale and a simple chair, a crate on the floor filled with clothes other people had changed out of. I shimmy my way out of my green floral dress and kick my saddleback shoes to the side. I hold the dress a moment, not wanting to give it up before dropping it into the box with a heavy sigh. I step into the ever-so-slightly too big vault suit and wait for the Doctor. She gives me a big smile before taking a tongue-depressor from a tray and I do the usual 'Aaa'. She gives a nod before checking my pulse then having me stand on the scale.

"Hmm..." Her brows furrow as she looks at the numbers. She has me place my back flat against the bar and reads off my height. "5 feet, 4 inches. Much shorter than your sister. I wonder if you're done growing or not..." She thinks, mainly to herself. "You're very tiny. Were you active?"

"I'm in cheer and track...or, I was."

"I see. You must just burn everything right off." She giggles. "Alright, we're done. You can put on your boots and join your family."

My fingers fumble as I quickly tie the laces and duck out from behind the screen. I can see Nora bouncing Shaun, trying to keep him calm as Nate makes funny faces. I can't help but smile as I join in and give his little hand kisses.

"Alright, everyone. We're just going to have you all climb on in." The Doctor calls from the back of the room.

I look at the strange pod and I feel a dreadful tightening in my chest. "Nora?" I cling to her sleeve.

"It's fine, Pen. You go in right next to me. Nate will be right across from us." She says reassuringly. Shaun starts to fuss before Nate gives his toes a little tickle.

"Who's my little guy? Huh? You be good for mommy. Daddy and Aunty Penny will be right here."

I watch as Nate gets in his spot, waving at Shaun in Nora's arm across from him. I tentatively step into the pod next to her, having to use the safety bars to pull myself up. I turn and settle into the back, not quite standing, but not a seat either. My breathing picks up as the door comes down in front of me. I look through the little window and see Nate waving at us through his.

"The pod will decontaminate and depressurize you before we head deeper in the vault." The doctor announces as he walks along the room. I can't explain why, but something about his words didn't seem true.

"Nate!" I knock against the glass, but he doesn't notice. The pod hissed as the doors sealed shut and I began to panic. "Please!" I call trying to get a doctor's attention. "I want out!" But I was drowned out by the pod powering up. 

"Resident Secure." That robotic voice reported. "Occupant vitals: slightly elevated, but safe to continue. Procedure complete in..."

"Please!" I call.

5

"Nate! Nora!"

4

I look around trying to find a release.

3

I'm gasping to catch my breath as I'm suddenly struck with a gust of ice-cold air. A terrifying hiss as the oxygen seems to be pulled out of me.

2

I see the windows suddenly coated with a layer of frost as the corners of my vision go dark. I'm unable to fight it anymore and I feel the world fade away around me. Everything is still.

1

Chapter Text

A blinding white, a dreamless sleep. I was alone in the nothingness, I couldn't tell how long. Minutes? Hours? I'm so cold, so very cold. My skin hurts. Then, from the nothing came sounds. Muffled at first, my mind not fully understanding. I blink against dry eyes, shapeless colors moving in the little space my vision had. The sound gets a little louder. Voices? I can't tell what they're saying. Are Nora and Nate alright? Little Shaun?

"Manual override: Initiated. Cryogenic Stasis Suspended." I hear the same robotic voice echo around me.

"This is the one, here." A woman says somewhere outside the pod. I squint against the blur and see someone dressed in a strange white bodysuit. Maybe hazmat? I can't quite tell. 

"Open it." I hear a gruff sounding man order. 

I hear the loud hiss of the hydraulics from the pod next to me as the glass starts to defrost. I can hear my sister coughing as Shaun starts crying. 

"Is it over? Are we okay?" I hear Nora ask as the people step up to her. I can see Nate across from us as he wipes at the glass. 

"Almost." I can finally see the man. He looks as rough as he sounds, clad in leather, bald, and with a nasty looking scar over his eye. "Everything's going to be fine." 

"Come here... Come here, baby." The woman in the bodysuit cooed.

"No, wait. I've got him." Nora sternly tells the woman.

"Let the boy go. I'm only going to tell you once." The man barks at her.

"I'm not giving you Shaun!" She screams at them.

A loud bang deafens me a moment and I look up to Nate's pod. My ears are ringing as I watch him slam his fists on the small window. He's yelling something, but I can't tell what. I look down to see the woman holding my tiny nephew, crying and waving his chubby arms in the air. 

"Nora..? Nora!" I start screaming as the man walks behind her with a gun held up.

"Goddammit... Get the kid out of here, and let's go." He says before looking up at me.

"What did you do!?" I scream at the man as he silently watches me. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER!?" I sob, smacking the glass with my hands.

"At least we still have the backups." He says turning to look back at Nate, then me again.

"NATE!" I yell, and he finally looks at me, his eyes wide with shock and grief. He turns back to Nora's pod, his hand on the glass as a tear falls down his cheek. I feel my own tears falling as the computer voice returns.

"Cryogenic sequence reinitialized." It says as I feel myself fading. Again, the world falls away.

Pen...

Penny...

Penny!

"PENNY!" I hear Nate calling my name... 

I can't move. My body is heavy. I want to answer, but I can barely draw in a breath. 

I'm here, Nate... I hear you... No words come out.

"Oh, God... I'm so sorry, Pen. I'm sorry I couldn't save you...Or Nora..." I hear his voice break. "But I will find Shaun."

Then it was quiet again. My head was pounding as my breathing started to pick up, slow and ragged before the dry feeling makes me cough. Soon I'm coughing so hard, that I'm gagging and gasping for air. I'm finally able to open my eyes. Nate's pod is open, but he's nowhere to be seen. 

I look around my pod and see a bright red bar lever over my head. I have to stand on the tip of my toes just to reach it, but I can't pull it down. I use most of what little energy I have to jump and use my body weight to get it to move. With a hiss, the door opens and I fall forward, landing hard on my hands and knees on the cold concrete.

"Critical failure in cryogenic array. All vault residents must vacate immediately." The computer voice announces as yellow lights flash from the ceiling. 

I sat on the floor as I figured out how to move my body again, the emergency message repeating itself every couple of minutes. I look around the room, wondering how it was the same one we walked into just a few minutes prior. Everything that was once shiny and new now looks dull and rusted. I turn and my heart drops.

"N...Nora?" I whimper as I slowly stand. 

I can't stop the tears as they silently fall down my cheek. At first, she looked like a cursed princess in a glass coffin. I would have thought her sleeping if not for the blood that painted the left side of her face and neck. 

"Please, no..." I place my hand on the pod as I fight for air. My sides heave and I clutch at my stomach as the sobbing rocks through me. I turn from my sister and fall to my knees, unable to face the sight of her body.

I don't know how long I cried in that empty room, now a tomb. Surrounded by pods with other lifeless people, I was completely alone. Time passed till I was quiet again, my eyes stung and my throat raw. I hear a blaring alarm followed by some strange grinding metallic sound echoing through the vault and look up at the door and find the path to the hall open. I slowly climb to my feet and stumble a few steps before my legs seem to move on their own. Desperate to get away from the horror. 

I crash into the sliding door at the end, only to find it stuck in place, the red button on the wall not working. "Nate! Come back! Don't leave me..." I sob, my fists pound weakly against the solid metal.

I turn to find another hall and make my way forward.

The vault was large, with long winding hallways, offices, and dorm-like rooms filled with bunk beds. Where is everyone? I think as I stop in what looks like a cafeteria and rummage through the cabinets, not sure what I'm looking for. Though it wouldn't matter, everything had been picked clean. No signs of food, but the sink worked. I give the water a smell test before leaning under the faucet, the cold water soothing my dry throat a little as I took large gulps.

I finally come up for air and notice a terminal on a desk in the corner and find a holotape of a game. The Red Menace. I don't have a way to use it or a reason to want it, but I pocket it and move on to the next room. I think it might be the main control room for the entire vault. In the center are two large generators as well as control panels against the walls. I keep as close to the wall as I can as I circle the room, watching the generators spark off huge bolts of electricity around them. 

As I reach the next door, my eyes never leaving the hazard, I step on something that makes me lose my balance. I look down and gasp at the jumpsuit on the ground. The wearer nothing but skeletal remains.

"Oh my God..." I choke as I quickly rush past it.

What could have possibly happened? Is everyone dead?

I run up a small set of stairs only to freeze at another horrifying sight. Two large brown lumps with green goo oozing from them. Each with two long antennas and six spindly legs. Cockroaches. They must be the size of cats. My skin crawls at the sight as I carefully step over them, unsure if they're actually dead or not. 

I don't understand what's going on. This morning, we were rushed into the vault, then Nora and Shaun... Why would Vault-Tec do that? And what happened for them to disappear or turn to bones in a day? Nothing is making sense. I have to find Nate. What if he thinks I'm dead too?

The room I enter must have been the Overseers' office. The space is large with a huge desk in the center. I see a gated area that looks like it was broken into and see weapons scattered around, as well as a steamer trunk. Upon opening it I find a pile of clothes and after a quick search, I find my dress and shoes. They felt different. Aged. Like one of my late grandmothers' dresses that I'd pulled out of storage. 

I find an old purse and dump out the contents before adding my dress and shoes. Another quick search reveals Nora's white and blue polka dot dress. I hold it to my face, fighting the heavy sobs before adding it to the bag as well. 

I look around at all of the items scattered about before my eyes fall on a small handgun. I'd never so much as held one, let alone fired off a shot, but something about this place and everything that's happened in such a short time made me feel like I'd be safer with one.

I timidly lifted the surprisingly heavy item, checking the small switch on the side that showed safety pointing to ON, and added it to the bag, as well as a couple boxes of ammo that I guessed were the right size. Then I moved on to what I thought was the Overseer's bedroom. There I found a small box of bobby pins and a pack of bandages in the bathroom mirror. The dresser housed several of the same outfit. Slacks with a white button-up lab coat. Nothing worth salvaging.

As I went to exit, I looked at the bones in a tattered coat under the desk, what remained of the man that was once in charge of the vault. Laying on the floor beside a broken pair of glasses, sat a pipboy. From what I could tell, it was the newest model you could buy, but it too looked faded. I hesitantly stepped over an arm bone and reached for the device. Flipping the switch, I watched the screen slowly came to life.

It was a bit loose around my wrist, but I got it strapped into place, it's weight feeling clunky and awkward. The padding on the inside was adjustable, so I tightened it as best I could so it didn't wobble or threaten to fall off.

I pulled the purse over my shoulder and with a deep, dust filled breath, I moved on from the Overseers office. 

The hall was filled with more dead, giant cockroaches, but cleared to run past. At the end, I found myself in the large room that first greeted us. More bones littered the floor, yellow lights flashing overhead, the vault door wide open.

I rush over the catwalk and down the stairs to the elevator, finding it gone. I search for the controls and press the big button next to the grated closing to the lift. With a warning blare, I hear the grinding metal as it made its was down from the world above and after a couple agonizing minutes, it settled in front of me and the grates rose to let me on.

With a deep breath, I hit the button and braced myself as I began my climb to the surface, the automated voice sending me off with a farewell.

"Enjoy you trip to the surface, and thank you for choosing Vault-Tec."