Spectrum chapter 1 – Life in the Vault, pt.1

A thick, metallic door opened with a hissing noise as its pneumatic engines worked to move the heavy object. Behind the door stood a man around his mid thirties. He had black hair and a matching thin beard, which despite his relatively young age, was on the verge of turning grey. He had weary brown eyes which implied of the experience of a man three times his age, and both his face and his body had a firm, rough figure that suggested this man did not have an easy life.

He was wearing a white lab coat with the number 101 labeled on its back, on top of a somewhat tight jumpsuit. Aside from a few yellow stripes it was completely blue, with a belt and a device that stretched from behind the man's shoulder and ended on his chest, and a wrist mounted PDA. The room's walls, ceiling and floor were all made of metal, designed to shield its inhabitants from the most devastating scenarios. Inside the room were two beds, a few shelves, a drawer stand and an air conditioner.

On the smaller of the two beds slept a child, who appeared to be around eight years old. He resembled the man in more than one way, but his soft, young features were a major contrast. He was wearing a jumpsuit similar to the man's, minus the coat and the device. He opened his eyes momentarily, and rolled to the other side.

"Good morning, champ." The man said softly, his eyes suddenly showing tenderness that wouldn't seem possible on his harsh features.

An indistinct mumble rose from the bed.

The man took a few steps and sat on the bed. "Wake up. I've got a surprise for you." He reached out, gently shaking the boy's shoulder.

"I don't like surprises.." The boy slurred, pulling the blanket over the top of his head.
The man's eyebrows rose. "Since when? Come on, you're going to love that one." he stood up and walked to the nearby wall, leaning on it with his arms crossed, looking at his son with an expectant gaze.

The boy, knowing that going back to sleep wasn't an option, rose to a sitting position with his legs on the floor, and begun putting on his shoes with a passive expression.

"Come on." The older man nudged gently, and they both walked out of the room and into the metal halls, letting the door automatically close behind them.

Judging by the lack of the usual chatter of people going about their business, the child grouchily realized it was early. It wasn't night anymore, but definitely too early to be up on a school-free day. A glance towards his old man's wrist device confirmed his assumption. It didn't make things any better.

Without showing any change of emotion, he continued walking silently by his father.

They strolled down the metallic, identical corridors known as the vault, passing doors and staircases as they did, until they finally came to a stop near an identical metallic door. They boy, who lived in that underground maze since he can remember, lazily recognized the place as the cafeteria. Yet, he was too grumpy to wonder what in the world could be so special in the dining room, especially at seven thirty AM. Too sleepy to care about all of the whispered indistinct chatter that came from behind the door.

"Now son, close your eyes." The older man looked down, smiling fondly as his kid obeyed with a barely noticeable eye roll, which was equal to a heavy, annoyed sigh from every other normal kid.

The older man then pushed the button, and the chatter stopped completely as the door slipped open with the usual hissing noise.

The child, although his indifferent appearance, was now quite annoyed. He opened his eyes despite his father's instruction, only to find himself dazed by the cafeteria's lights turning on.
A deafening "Surprise!" was heard as the entire population of the room shouted in unison, followed by "Happy birthday Raphael!"

As Raphael's sharp eyes quickly grown accustomed to the light, he found himself looking at about a dozen familiar faces. His father was now standing in front of him, an expression of pure delight on his face. To his side stood Amata, a young girl with two scrunchies holding her black hair in two separate directions. Behind her was Officer Gomez, a cheerful man with a rough figure wearing a bulletproof vest on top of his jumpsuit. Scattered around the room were Miss Palmer, a kind elderly woman with long, wavy hair, and in the corner table sat three kids around Raphael's age, all looking older than him. Except for the children, every person in the room seemed to have a device similar to Raphael's old man on their left forearm.

A wave from Amata caught his eye. The girl poked the edges of her mouth with both forefingers, then pointed up. She had to repeat the gesture twice more before he realized she's telling him he's supposed to smile. He nodded as an awkward smile slowly formed on his features. Maybe not all surprises are so bad.

Raphael's father spoke up. "Happy birthday pal! You're only ten once, so make the most of it." He sighed, and continued with a less joyful, softer tone, "if only your mother-"

The backdoor of the cafeteria opened as another man walked in, holding a wrist device in his palm, in addition to the one he already wore. Alphonse, Amata's father and the overseer of the vault, with already grey hair and an unpleasant serious expression, spoke up, unconcerned with the fact that he was interrupting a special moment. "Congratulations young man! I don't have to tell you how special this day is, do I?" he stopped in front of the boy, looking down at him. "Down here in vault one-o-one, when you turn ten, well, you're ready to take on your first official vault responsibilities. So here you are: as overseer I hereby present you your very own Pip-boy three thousand." his face turned into an even more serious frown as he gave the device to Raphael, which took it hesitatingly. "Get used to it." he then continued in a somewhat more pleasant tone, "You will be getting your very first vault assignment tomorrow!" he chuckled, which made Raphael shiver inside. His hard worked smile vanished, leaving his face passive once again.

The boy looked up at his father. "Go on." The lab-coated man gently laid his hand on the kid's shoulder.

"Well?" the overseer nudged impatiently as Raphael stared at the device with an indifferent expression.

Reluctantly, Raphael took off his left glove, and pulled the edge of his sleeve which detached around the elbow, held it under his armpit, and slid the glove back on along with the gadget, then pocketed the sleeve.

He frowned, or at least made his equivalent of a frown as he felt an obnoxious stinging sensation where the device was now resting on his arm, as it injected several microscopic sensors into his body, which immediately spread around his system to collect information. Another unpleasant sensation sent shivers down his spine as the device released a small dose of a substance that was meant to prevent his body from rejecting the Nanites.

Applause was heard through the room as the gadget's screen lit up, showing a caricature of a boy wearing a jumpsuit similar to his, standing with his arms spread out. "Thank you, Mr. Almodovar." Raphael forced what he thought was a thankful smile to appear on his features, which was actually a small, scared one.

"Don't mention it." The grey haired adult said coolly, and turned to the coated man. "James, a word please."

James sighed, then kneeled down to his son. "I'm going to have to step out for a minute. Go mingle, It's your party." He mussed the boy's hair before leaving with the overseer as chatter quickly filled the room.

He looked at Amata, who smiled at him apologetically. "Sorry about that."

Raphael nodded. She looked somewhat older than him, although the truth was opposite.

"You were surprised, right? It's hard tell with your mask constantly on."

He looked at her, offended. "I don't wear a mask."

She giggled. "No, dumb-dumb. I meant you look like you're wearing a mask."

He looked at her.

"Here, that! That's what I'm talking about. You always do that." she pointed at his face.

He still looked at her.

"You're so weird. Nevermind. So tell me, were you surprised?" she looked at him, eyes full of hope.

He nodded.

The girl, used to her friend's oblivious behavior, carried on. "So, do you want your gift or not?"

His eyes lit up. It was only then he noticed she was standing with a hand behind her back. "You brought me a gift?"

"Uh-huh!" She nodded enthusiastically. It wasn't easy to get a visible reaction from him. "Go on, guess."

He looked at the floor, considering the possibilities. "It's not likely you got me a robot dog.."

"Nope, try again!"

"A laser pistol?" he stared at the floor.

"Don't be silly." She giggled again. "Here's a hint: Something that you really want, and that I can actually get."

He raised his gaze to look at her, resigned. "I really have no Idea."

She rolled her eyes fondly. "Who's you favorite barbarian?" she sing-songed.

He stared at her. "No."

She practically hopped in place. "Yes, Yes!"

"A Grognak Comic book?"

She squealed. "You guessed it!" she pulled her hand to give him an old, yellow tinted comic book with a drawing of a muscular man with long hair, wearing only a loincloth and holding a gigantic sword over his head.

He took the comic without averting his stare from it with a rare, tiny, sincere smile. "Thank you." was all he said as he went through the pages.

"You're welcome!" She hugged him briefly. "Well, I'll better let you get to 'mingling' with your guests." She motioned with her head.

He kept on fiddling with the book. She reached out and snatched it from his hands, making him look at her again. "Hey!"

"It's your birthday party, don't be rude! Go on, talk to your guests." She pushed him towards the tables, where Miss Palmer was sitting. "I'll give it back to you later. Happy birthday."
Raphael, now bookless, reluctantly approached the elderly woman, who was smiling at him warmly. "Are you having a good time, dear? Ten years old. My, my. It seems like it was only yesterday that your daddy came- Goodness! Listen to me ramble. You're waiting for your present, aren't you?"

Raphael, who had no idea what the pause signified and if he should even be concerned, nodded bluntly. "Yes, ma'am."

"Oh! Such manners. Let me tell you young man. Whatever happens to you, no matter how upset you may get, don't lose your manners." The child just nodded. "Ahh, I remember back when I was ten, the vault was practically crowded back then. Not like today, so few young people now.." She stared at some invisible object behind Raphael as she thought of her youth. "Oh, am I babbling again? Here you go, a nice sweet-roll that I baked for you just this morning. And it's all for you!" she took a palm- sized plastic box out from her pocket and gave it to him.

"Thank you, Miss Palmer." The boy took the box with a thankful smile. "Pish-posh. Run along now!" Raphael looked at the table next to the elderly woman, where three children around his age were sitting. He exhaled silently and took a step, when a deep, British voice was heard from behind the counter.

"Attention everyone, it's time to cut the cake!" Said Andy from behind the counter, the Vault's 'Mister handy' robot. His main body was a hovering metal orb, with three small arms attached to it, one in the front, and two at each side. Each had a big, round optic sensor attached to them. From the lower part of the floating orb were three longer, much thicker arms, one under each optic sensor, all on top of a motorized hoop, allowing the robot to position the arm that it needs the most for the moment in his front. Each lower arm had a different device attached to it: a claw, a buzz-saw and a small gas pipe with a lighter in its end. On the bottom of the main body was a hollow tube which let out a constant stream of compressed air, which kept the robot floating in mid-air.

Raphael knew the gas pipe was called a 'Flame thrower', and after seeing it in use once, his curiosity was more than sated.

The robot's arms rotated around him for a moment, coming to a halt with the saw hand in front. The blade spun with a loud buzzing noise, approaching the cake on the counter. Until the boy calculated what a disaster it was going to be it was already too late. The saw had come in contact with the moist delicacy, and splattered most of it to shreds, sending crumbs all over the place.

A few of the guests gasped, and the chatter stopped, leaving the room uncomfortably silent.

The robot's sensors were lowered to look at the floor. "I am mortified by the cake mishap. Simply mortified." He exclaimed in his posh British accent.

One of the three kids, already with a Pip-boy of his own, got up and stood in front of the birthday boy, looking down at him. He was a head taller, with brown, sturdy hair, and a glower that never seemed to leave his face.

Raphael didn't like Butch, especially because he used his more developed body to pick on weaker kids.

"I'm hungry, and that stupid robot destroyed the cake! Gimmie that sweet-roll!" he pushed Raphael's shoulder.

Raphael, with his indistinct expression once again, pocketed the lunchbox with the sweet-roll, and with his gloveless hand took a handful of the cake. "It's still good." he said with a mouthful. "Besides, it's not every day we get cake. It would be a waste not to eat it."

The older-looking kid's pout turned even sourer. "What, you're actually eating that, roach-mouth? Gimmie, that, sweet-roll!"

Raphael looked at him, a hardly noticeable frown formed on his features. He considered his next move very carefully. While he wasn't especially strong or fast to say the least, he wasn't stupid. "It's mine. Go soak your head." He said as a course of action formed in his head.

Butch' eyes widened, and his brows lowered. "What, did you say to me?"

Raphael looked him in the eye. "Go. Soak. Your. Stupid. Looking. Head."

Butch raised his hand, fingers already curled into a fist, but the small framed kid was ready for that. He shoved the remains of the cake in his hand into the bully's face, effectively blocking his sight.

He didn't have to do much more, as Butch stumbled back and tripped on one of the chairs, hitting his head.

Officer Gomez immediately placed himself between the two kids, with his arms spread out. He looked down at the birthday boy with wide eyes. "What do you think you're doing?!"

Raphael looked at the officer, helpless. "I.. he... It's his fault!" he pointed behind the officer's back.

The security officer turned, only to find the older looking child clutching his head, laying on the floor, face full of cake, crying.

He turned back to Raphael. "He.. he tried to hit me! I swear!" Raphael implored.

"Relax, kiddo. I believe you." It was only then Raphael realized the armored man wasn't angry.

He kneeled down to help the crying boy, grabbing him by the arm and helping him up. "Come on, Butch. Let's get you to your quarters." He escorted the child by the arm and left the room.

James, upon seeing this, rushed into the room. "Are you alright?" Raphael nodded. "What happened here?"

Raphael looked at the floor.

The man sighed. "That's alright, you don't have to tell me. I just hope you weren't the one to start it."

"No." Raphael mumbled, still looking at the floor.

James looked around, than back at his son. "Jonas and I have been cooking a little surprise present for you. He's waiting for you at the reactor level. I don't think anyone will mind if you'll slip out for a few minutes."

The boy, still looking at the floor, nodded and walked out of the cafeteria, quickly pacing through then monotonic corridors of the Vault. It wasn't long until he reached a staircase with a sign over it that read "Reactor Level". He dashed down the stairs, trying to vent some of his anger.

He reached the lower floor with a loud thump, coming to a halt inside the small room.
Jonas, a dark skinned scientist and maintenance worker in his early twenties, was examining a huge, sparkling generator that took most of the space of the room. He was neatly shaven, and had dark hair which was cut very close to his skull, making him appear nearly bald. He was wearing a lab coat similar to James, and a pair of glasses.

He turned around as he heard the kid practically land in the room. "What are you doing here, young man? I thought kids weren't allowed down on the reactor level." He crossed his arms over his chest.

Raphael looked up. "Jonas, I just had a fight with Butch. Dad told me you're waiting for me, so if you're using sarcasm or playing some game, please stop."

Jonas, still smiling, raised his eyebrows. "Wow, tough birthday. Um, look. Your father wanted to give you the surprise himself. So if you can wait a minute.."

The kid just nodded indifferently.

"So, I see you have a Pip-boy now.." The man akwardly said.

The kid just nodded indifferently.

Jonas smiled fondly. "Not in the mood to talk?"

The kid shook his head.

The dark skinned scientist went back to tinkering with the generator when footsteps were heard from the staircase.

Raphael, now only being able to think about how badly he wanted to close himself in his room for the rest of the week, looked up to see his dad holding an old rifle made from wood and hardened plastic. Raphael's eyes immediately lit up as he recognized the toy from the commercial posters in children's books.

The older man laughed at the immediate change in the child's mood. "You're old enough to do some work, so I figured you're old enough for this." Raphael carefully took the toy weapon from his father's hands, admiring its worn, battered texture. "It's a little old, but it works perfectly."

That last part made Raphael smile. "Thank you, dad." He turned around, "Thanks uncle Jonas."

"I knew you would love this. Want to give it a try?"

Raphael's smile faded. "I can't shoot down here."

Jonas chuckled. "Smart kid you've got there, Jamey."

James smiled fondly, his rough features softening at the remark. "No, we can't." He walked to the door at the side of the room, and pressed on the console button. The door opened with the usual pneumatic hiss to reveal a long corridor full of big metallic crates which Raphael never seen before. At the edge of the corridor, between two smaller crates were three poles, with a target at the end of each of them. Each pole was welded with two other metal poles, and all three ends were affixed on big, round black objects which Raphael only seen in pictures, mounted on the bottom of cars, called tires. Another curious pre-war item he has never seen in reality.

Raphael excitingly walked to the end of the corridor, examining his new gift thoroughly, then held it at waist level and squeezed the trigger. The pill-looking BB projectile flew past the targets and hit the wall behind, ricocheting back and passing inches near his neck.

"Careful there!" James yelled, his lab coat flailing as he ran to his son's side. "Now, now. first you're going to have to learn how to shoot." The scientist kneeled near the boy, taking the weapons from his arms, and started to explain the various dangers of using such tool, while Jonas raised a camera, documenting the moment: where James fondly looking at his only child, and Raphael with the serious expressions of a working man, focusing their attention only towards each other.

Author notes: That was a really long and exhausting episode to write. Hope you enjoyed it.

Also, English is not my main language, so any grammar mistakes pointed out will be greatly appreciated.

Big shoutout to RiotDragon, which heavily inspired me to write with his own awesome fallout fanfic "Wasteland Waltz". If you liked my story you'll love his. (He's on chapter 26 and counting, as for when this is written. If you're from the future, you're probably enjoying the god-like experience of reading his full story.)

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