Chapter Text
Swing Doors
Matthew’s hand shook as his heart raced in his chest, his breath heavy as he and his peers moved into position. Even for all the training he’d gone through, he could never stop the anxiety from rising during a breach. His mind fixated on each way it could go wrong. Would they become another Enclave squad lost on patrol, forgotten until another squad stumbled on their decaying corpses. He exhaled, collecting himself. Thesquad still needed him. Moss stepped ahead, stopping at the door control followed by Hilman and her glowing plasma pistol taking point.Jericho’s knee made a faint thud sound as he fell on it, rifle ready to blow apart anything that might sneak up on them. He felt Baker tap on his shoulder, letting him know that she was with him for better or for worse. The grip on his AER9 tightened as he crouched, every muscle in his body tensed ready to lunge forward.
Moss reached for the door control,an eternity passed before finally he nodded. Moss flipped the door switch and the door hissed open. He charged in, rifle raised in a move they’ve practiced hundreds of times. Baker took to the left side of the room with his back to the wall, sweeping the area with his rifle ready to bring a quick death to anything that would appear.
Baker’s voice shatters the silence. “Right clear.”
His muscles relax as the tension leaves him. “Left clear, room secured.” Eyes took in the room vision eyes having adjusted to the dim, red emergency lighting in the bunker long ago. It was similar to the standard common area that was popular among the vault-tec line of fallout shelters: a sterile snapshot of a long dead ideal of American comfort. A time of milkshakes and jukeboxes, a cool Nuka-cola at the end of the day. He ran a hand over a table, his fingers becoming coated with three centuries of dust.
“Just like all the others.” Baker slung her rifle making her way deeper into the room as the rest of the squad trickled into the room.
“Ya know, when I enlisted I didn’t exactly have raiding empty fucking vaults in mind.” Moss said, rifle slung over his back as he made his way inside.
“Rather deal with a ghoul infested shithole?” Matthew said.
Moss snorted as he went towards the nearby counter and laid his rifle on it before jumping over it. “I’m just saying there’s gotta be better shit we could be doing than raiding some creepy abandoned vault.”
“I’ll be sure to mention that in the transfer request, for you Moss. I bet the 501st would love to have such a fine trooper like yourself.” Hilman barked as Moss began to rummage at the counter drawers, Jericho snickering as he followed close behind.
“Just saying Sarge.” He replied,placing various snacks on the counter. “You can’t tell me you’re actually enjoying this shit.”
She walked over to the counter picking up a box of Fancy Lad Cakes. “Just be glad that this one isn’t as messed up as some of the others.” She then looked at the Pipboy on her right wrist as a silent agreement passed through the rest of the squad. “We’ll clear the rest in five, if we’re lucky we’ll be back in Gurnee in time for supper.”
Moss waved her off going back to scour the cabinets as Jericho joined Baker in the back by the long abandoned jukebox, she sighed, shaking her head before walking over to the opposite of Matthew’s booth. “Seat taken Corporal?”
He his head while reaching into his pocket. “By all means Sargeant.” He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. “He’s right, you know.” Putting the cigarette in his mouth as he tried to flick his lighter on; an impotent click its only response.
She laughed, reaching for her own. “How am I supposed to trust a Corporal that can’t take care of their own lighter, huh?” She said, igniting it, he leaned forward lighting the cigarette with a grateful nod. Soft music began to play and the two turned, looking back at a cheering Baker and a smiling Jericho, Moss joining with a trio of colas in hand. Hilman snorted smoke leaving from her nostrils. “Fucking boots.”
Matthew chuckled tapping his cigarette causing ash to fall. “I don’t know, I remember a certain grunt th-“
She glared. “You wanna stay breathing Corporal?”
He laughed, lifting his hands up in mock surrender. “Just saying, first stones and all that.”
“How about first drinks, hm?” She said, smirking.
“How about we change the subject.”
“There ya go.” She laughed, a small amicable silence falling between them. “Hopefully they last.”
Matthew simply looked down, glancing at his own scarred hand. This wasn’t his and Hilman’s first rotation. A circumstance rarely by choice in the Enclave. “God willing right?”
“Right.”
He turned, watching the group mingle. “Still… Moss is right.”
She sighed. “Which part? The Goosechase, the better things to do?”
“The empty vault.” He replied.
She scratched at her chin taking the dead cigarette and ensuring its demise on the table top. “Think I don’t know that?”
He turned to face her. “Hill, we’ve cleared the top floor and the living areas and we still haven’t seen a thing .”
Her face became serious as she took out the Pipboy to review the files they’d managed to uncover earlier in their exploration. “Save the fact that it was closed from the inside. Still had food in it.”
“Berthings were stripped clean.” He sat up straight tossing the cigarette to the ground and whispering. “No skeletons.”
“I know that Mat but orders are orders.” She smiled standing. “Besides, if this place is empty just means this’ll be quick.” She turned to the privates. “Look alive, we got two more levels to go through after that it’s back to Gurnee!”
He rolled his eyes grabbing his rifle from the table as the other grabbed their gear, Moss stuffing every piece of food into his pack. The squad quickly assembled towards the hallway in order, Hilman taking the lead once more followed by Matthew, Moss, Baker and Jericho. The sterile gray metallic walls suffocatingly claustrophobic as they made their way down,guided by red emergency lights.
They quickly fell into routine; cataloging anything of value as they went .
They had just breached another sealed door when a black figure chirped past.
“What the shit!” Moss screamed. The crack of his combat rifle deadly and deafening in the metallic confines of the bunker as he fell on his back, bullets clanging against reinforced metallic plate in panic.
Ears ringing, Matthew leveled his laser rifle, his eyes frantically scanning the Atrium for whatever had spooked Moss. “Anyone have eyes on it?”
“The hell was that?”
“I don’t know. It just flew past my fucking head!”
“Shut Up and look for it god damn it!”
“There!” Baker yelled, causing the entirety of the squad to draw their weapons at the table she was pointing at.
It was a small thing, just big enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand, with two spindly legs that it was using to bounce atop the table while pecking at specks of dust . Even in the muckiness of the Vault, Matthew could make out the violets and blue hues of its plumage.
“A bird?” A gorgeous one at that, more at home in the pages of a prewar story book than the harsh irradiated reality of the wasteland. Before he could finish his thought it let out a soft musical chirp beforeaking off once more back to the dark depths from whence it came.
“Everyone saw that shit right?” Moss started.
“Hard not to, idiot.” Replied Jericho.
“Ok but what the fuck? How the hell did it get down here?”
“Maybe it came in after us?” Baker asked.
“How the fuck would that work, in case you don’t remember we haven’t open this door before.”
“Maybe if you all shut up and do your jobs we’ll figure out what just happened.” Hilman said her pistol pointed down the hall, the squad slowly reformed, readying themselves to head down into the maintenance level. Matthew stood staring at the table the small creature had been on before following in step, he could feel his nerves fraying and twisting as they went down the dimly lit metallic corridors leading into the lowest depths of the bunker.
Each step bringing them closer to the crackling sound of the immense generators of the complex, the white arcing flashes momentarily blinding amidst the gloom. It was all so similar to the vault-tec standard, which made the question as to what would require an entire vault’s power all the more odd. Still with the practiced precision befitting members of the Enclave, they made their way through the floor passing the technological marvels of the water purification plant and hydroponic bay. Until finally they came across a corner, He took point once more back against the wall as he rested his rifle against his chest. He’d experienced just how easy one could make a corner into a kill box, either via booby traps or just a determined gunner. A personal nightmare of his, one he’d seen play out in person too many times. He took a breath, closing his eyes and offered a quick prayer, before turning the corner and rushing forward finger on his trigger and scanned the area. It was clear, an empty hallway that led to an opened brightly lit room at its end. “Hallway clear, open room directly ahead.”
Hilman looked at her Pipboy before nodding. “According to the map it should be some sort of observation room.”
“Medical?” Matthew asked.
“Maybe, just be on the lookout for any supplies if it is.”
“Wait, shit what if they caught a bug or something down here?” Moss asked
“Maybe they quarantined themselves and died.” Baker added.
“Could explain the lack of bodies.”
“Ah shit, what if it's FEV?”
“You see any Frankensteins along the way, idiot?” Jericho snapped.
“Fuck man, I’m just saying.”
Hilman sighed, gripping her pistol. “Whatever is in there I’m sure the five of us can handle it, now stop moaning and let’s wrap this up.” She motioned for the squad to fall in after her. “Take point Matty.”
He nodded, shouldering his rifle as they made their way to the observation room. An oddly laid out space all things considered. To the left was a large and brightly lit computer room with glass windows to help view the center of the room, to the right a small makeshift medical station complete with a missing first aid station and medical bed. In front of them were two metal pylons, lights running along them in even intervals. Yet what caught his interest the most was the dark void that evenly stretched between the two, forming a solid inky span of space. In all his years of service to the Enclave he could fully admit to never having seen such a thing in his life.
“The fuck is all this?”
“I don’t know….Baker see what you can dig up in that computer lab, Jeri and Moss scout out the medi station and grab whatever you can from it. Matt you’re with me.” The squad nodded at Hilman and proceeded to follow their orders, Jericho and Moss bickering as they made their way towards the medical station and Baker hers towards the computer lab. “What do you think?” Hilman asked quietly, leaning in.
“Don’t know…never seen anything like it.” He paused looking around. “But if my hunch is right, it’s probably got something to do with that.” He finished pointing at the pylons.
“It’s gotta be important if the lights are still on.”
“Doesn’t mean we know why.”
“Fair.” She replied looking up as the clicking of a speaker was heard.
Baker’s voice then came out from an intercom. “I’m in Sarge, but you’re gonna wanna see this.”
Hilman nodded, turning towards the computer room. “Right, you got this Matty boy?”
He waved her off. “Just hurry up, this place is creepy enough as it is.” She laughed leaving him alone in front of…whatever this was. He heard a crash and turned before letting out a sigh upon realizing it was Jericho and Moss arguing over the medical supplies, he then scratched at his brow, staring into the void. He didn’t understand it, why waste a small town’s worth of power for this? Seemed like a waste. He took a step towards it before stopping and sniffing the air. It was…earthy, and faint as if it’s source was hundreds of miles away. It reminded him of an old pre-war air freshener he smelt once on patrol, pine if he recalled correctly but…different. It lacked that synthetic quality most items from those times had.
He stepped closer to the pylons, the faint hum of an ungodly amount of energy circulating within.He sighed, shaking his head while making his way towards the computer lab before stopping at the sound of faint tapping. Turning to his right he saw the bird from earlier, now pecking at a piece of trash. “Oh, hello again.” He slowly went to a knee, and carefully outstretched a hand towards it. “Where’d you come from, little guy?” For a moment it felt as if an eternity passed as the small avian stared into his eyes, its head tilting as if in contemplation until finally it let out a chirp. Extending its wings again it took flight, causing his heart to race in panic as he stood.
It was flying towards the void.
Time slowed as he watched it fly and disappear, dread filling him as he went to check the back wall expecting to see the beautiful creature dead against it.
His breath caught.
There was nothing there as if the void completely obliterated it.
Yet that didn’t feel correct, so he looked around and grabbed a piece of paper and rolled it up into a tube shape. Standing beside the pylon to get a view of both sides of the void he started his experiment, slowly inserting it in and retrieving it. Completely undamaged, and never once exiting to the other side. “Guys!”
No response. “Guys!”
“What!”
“The fuck you want!” Moss and Jericho yelled at once.
“I think this goes somewhere!”
There was a moment of silence before Moss sighed. “Shit he got baked.”
“Matt, what are you talking about?”
The computer lab hissed open as Hilman and baker noticed the commotion, at which point Matthew retold what he saw and did.
“It…it would explain the files.” Baker stated
“What files?”
Hilman pointed back at the lab nonchalantly. “Some sort of teleportation research, trippy stuff.”
An uproar started at that, with Moss and Jericho demanding answers as Matthew stared at the void.
“The fuck you mean teleportation, this ain’t some god damn comic.”
“I gotta agree with useless here sarge, sounds farfetched.”
“Look, most of the files read like commie speak to me, you wanna figure it out;be my damn guest.”
“I heard rumors that out east people figured it out, so maybe they did here?”
Matthew turned back to the group. “Teleportation to where though?”
The sargeant shrugged as Baker spoke. “They weren’t sure, seemed like they were just researching it’s feasibility. But when the bombs fell…well. Anything’s better than here right?”
The squad stood silently for a moment, glancing at each other before Jericho spoke. “Was it two way?”
“From their calculations, yes.”
“So they left and never came back, explains the lack of bodies and why most of the food and supplies are gone.” Matthew said.
“Looks like it.”
“So, maybe they did find something better?”
“Or all fucking died.”
“Useless does got a point there.”
The squad began to bicker again as Matthew turned back to the…portal? Gate? Whatever it was, that bird seemed healthy enough, and a whole vault dying without a single person running back seems…unlikely. No,there was life on the other side, or at least something better than the Chicago wasteland. “We should go through.”
“The fuck?”
“Matt you can’t be serious.”
“I-I don’t think that’s a good idea, corporal.”
“Why?”
“Because what if we find something better than this shithole? What if this is our ticket to a new home away from the Muties and Brotherhood?” He turned towards the gateway and took a deep breath. “Call it a hunch, but I don’t think I could just walk away now.”
Hilman reached out grabbing his arm. “And if it’s worse than here? All we know is that it could be a portal to China.”
“Hil, this could be the best chance we get to actually rebuild America.” He smirked, flipping the safety of his rifle off. “Besides I’m sure we could handle anything on the other side enough to run back. Worse case I owe you all a drink.”
The two stared at each other until Hilman chuckled letting him go. “Didn’t peg you for an idealist Matty boy, and with our luck we’d be ordered to go through anyway.” He snorted at that nodding.
“Probably.”
“Yea…probably.” She then turned to the rest. “Form up! Let’s show the Enclave why Third Recon is the best squad out there.” She then tapped on Matthew’s shoulder. “You’re on point, time to really earn that promotion.”
“Yes ma’am.” He joked, before taking a deep breath as the squad formed behind him. He exhaled, readying his rifle before taking a step forward, and then another and another. Each one hardening his resolve, until finally he was mere inches away from the gateway.
He’d expected something to happen.
Though perhaps he should have expected the darkness, as they crossed the threshold. He didn’t expect the light at the end, like a guiding beacon as they marched into the unknown. If the squad was silent due to training or some deep primal fear he couldn’t say, but for now all that mattered was the ever growing light at the end. He felt the all too familiar sensation of the kiss of wind against his cheek, the scent of living earth getting stronger, the light brighter until finally they crossed another threshold. From cold industrial steel, to ephemeral nothingness in the gate, to harsh cave stone. Just like any other in the waste, and yet the light of the world remained. Yet another threshold to cross, they did so tentatively. He raised a hand to cover his eyes, behind he heard Baker gasp and Moss cuss in awe. His hand fell away as he felt soft sunlight hit his skin, clean…CLEAN air filled his lungs and he opened his eyes.
He never noticed dropping his rifle, nor the stopping of his lungs.
How could he? When all around him lay a valley filled with healthy trees, the songs of birds and nature for miles around.
A blue and violet bird landed in front of them, and chirped.