Chapter Text
Sole rubbed over the symmetrical scars on his forearms, he reached into his night stand taking out a tube of gel that he rubbed into them to ease the pain. Outside the nearby window he could see the neighbor’s daughter, her hair was pinned tightly in a bun in regulation with the rest of her uniform, he watched the Smith’s hug hee goodbye, a few whimpers and sobs were loud enough to be heard before she stepped into the military vertibird before it took off. it was obvious where she was going.
“War never changes…” Sole sighed, caping the tube and putting it back. She had stopped by to ask Sole what it was like joining the super soldier program. Not that he really liked talking about it but the precise scars that the procedure always left was something that told everyone about his past decisions, even the bagging bots at the grocery store's programming forced them to give him a complementary “Thank you for your service!” every goddamn time. The questions probing on the experience was a practice in giving the appropriate answer not the true ones. The true answer to “Is it worth it to become a weapon for our country?” for Sole anyway was "no."
More movement outside caught his eye as he saw a man walking up the driveway of their suburban home. The doorbell rang, he heard the door open. He walked out to the living room doorway to investigate more. His husband had answered. He heard the words vault-tec a few times, which happened to be Acades current employers.
“Daddy, Daddy I’m packed!” An excited voice called from down the hall. He smiled as a little brunette girl ran to him, a pink suitcase rolling behind her.
“All packed up for what? Where are you going sweetheart?”
“It's for our trip to Nuka Cola world! I packed everything, cloths, pajamas, princess sparkle barbie-”
“I’m glad you're so prepared Cleo, but you know princess sparkle barbie might be in there for a while since we're not leaving until next Thursday.”
“Oh… right. Maybe she can stay with me until then.”
“You know, I am excited for Nuka world too, it's the most refreshing place on earth. I almost had our wedding there, though your dad was… less into that idea…”
“That's because I didn’t want to spend the honeymoon funds on dental repairs.” Arcane stood behind them.
"Maybe next wedding." Sole teased.
“Very funny.”
“Who was at the door honey?” Sole asked.
“Just a Vault-tec salesman, since he was in the neighborhood he was told to drop by and get our information. Some kind of company perk to get a spot at the closest vault, ours is 111 or something.”
“Is that what they’ve been doing up the street?”
“Yeah that's it, brand new, close by, and hopefully we’ll never see what's inside."
" alright, the Henders invited us to their barbeque we should head over if you still want to go.”
Later that night the couple was sat in the living room, a dramatic mystery unfolding on the nuclear television. The dark street was quite now, that was the nice part about their little suburb. Arcade rested his head on the other larger man's chest. A commercial jingle started, and Sole sighed, he didn’t want to bring it up while Cleo was here, but the jingle reminded him.
“You know…?”
The other didn’t move and just hummed. “hmm?”
“...you didn’t need to take that job with them. With Vault-tec.”
“Hm, I know, but we have a family now.”
“Ok… but I’ll be starting my first civilian job soon, Its just-I know Vault-tec isn’t what you imagined when we met-”
“Soley, when we met I didn’t imagine being married with a family. I loved what I was doing back then, I loved helping people, but right now I love this and being home at 4:30. Plus we have a mortgage, so the money isn’t bad either.” he gave the other man a kiss. “This is what I imagine now, us in this house watching our little girl grow up. If that's what you imagine too?” Sole kissed him back. “yeah. I do.”
The TV flickered in the dark room, when they looked back a news program had overtaken the screen.
“We interrupt this station for an ah-emergency broadcast… moments ago there was reports of flashes, followed by sounds of explorations and we are trying to get confirmation-ah we seem to have lost contact with our affiliate stations-wait we do have coming in-We do have confirmed reports, I repeat it is confirmed of nuclear detonations in New York, Pennsylvania… my god-"
"No…"
The sound of an air siren fell over the dark neighborhood, all of a sudden that quiet suburb was gone. "We have to get to the vault now! Go get Cleo, I'll grab our things."
Sole rushed out with a sleepy Cleo in his arms. "Daddy what's going on?"
"It's ok Cleo, but we have to hurry. Do you still have everything packed in your suitcase?"
"Yes?"
"Good."
Arcade rushed out still stuffing things into a duffel bag.
"Let's go, we won't have much time." He snapped.
"WAIT!" Sole cried "our photo album, did you grab them?"
"I-uh-couldn't find them, we can't waste time-"
"I put them in the closet in one of the-"
"Sole!!!" he shouted sharply. The other snatched three photos off the walls on his way out in compromise, one smashing to the floor in the midst of their panic.
Neighbors cries were heard down the street, people were rushing over the small bridge to the vault ahead. Cars even sped past, where they were going neither were sure.
"Princess sparkle barbie!!!" Cleo cried, "she's back home, daddy I need her!"
" no you packed her remember, it's ok-"
" no daddy, you told me to take her out so I did, she's on my bed!! Daddy please?!"
"No Cleo, no one is-"
"Real quick, I'll be back-"
"No!" Arcane yelled.
" I'll meet you at the vault, I'll be right back-" Sole took off back to the house, his husband being pushed forward by the flow of panicked Neighbors.
Sole stepped over the broken glass, princess sparkle barbie was resting in cleos bed as he snatched it. The stream of people heading for the vault were gone now. When he made it over the bridge he saw the gate that secured the vault's perimeter and the crowd of people yelling trying to enter. The posted guards shouted for them to stand down, "only those on the list get through" they yelled.
Sole pushed his way through, "I'm on the list-im on the list my family is already here!"
"Sir! Name?"
"Sole Gannon."
"Gannon? Already got an adult male for the Gannon's, now get back! You're not on the list."
"M-my husband, I'm Sole-my husband works for Vault-tec were both on the list I promise!"
"I said get back civilian-"
"He's right." He saw his Neighbor the Smith daughter, turn around "there are two males in the Gannon household. Let him through." He smiled gratefully, giving her a nod.
"Come on, the last group is going down." After he was let through he noticed the gates were locked behind him, the guards now retreating to the vault as well. A few people stood on the platform, though not his husband and daughter who must have already been below.
As the platform started to move that's when the night sky lite up, a mushroom cloud and a sound of destruction. Everyone flinched, but just in time the vault sealed above them.
Sole was still catching his breath, but he swore he heard someone mumble "lucky bastard."
When the platform finished descending the doors loudly parted open. There they were. All of them were safe and underground.
"Daddy and Princess sparkle barbie!" the girl cried as he gave her her doll. Arcade gave him dagger eyes but hugged him anyway. Whispering "you fucking fool." Before kissing his neck.
"I love you too." He whispered back, running his fingers through the scientist's blond hair.
The family was dressed in their new vault attire and preparing to head down deeper to their new lives. It was quiet, almost awfully so, everyone was processing what had just happened to them, that this had even really happened to them. Sole overheard the overseer of the facility speak excitedly to Arcane after learning that he was a member of val tec, when he went over to introduce himself and their daughter as well the overseer's smile seemed to change. It was still a smile, but noticeably different, “I see you’re here with… others. It's best for now that you join them, we are sending all the new residents in together. You should head over soon.” he nodded before leaving, throwing another odd smile as he did so.
Sole watched his husband and daughter be fastened into the pod across from him, these were what was going to take them down further into the Vault and into what would be their new lives. He saw Arcade wave to him before he took one more deep breath as the pods sealed shut and everything drifted away.
The next thing Sole knew, his brain was swimming, it felt like he was waking from a nap that had gone far too long. He felt air gasp into his lungs like he hadn’t had a breath in centuries.
“Looks like we hit the jackpot-look at this. A pre-war Vault Tec scientist, an un-mutated super soldier and plenty more. All right here in one vault waiting for us.”
“I guess this whole trip was actually worth it-”
Sole’s fingers shivered over the frosted glass in front of him as he peered out.
“I told you I can handle a few raiders-that's why the Institute hired me.” There was a man with a long scar carved over his face, he had a particularly good look at it when he turned to look the other square in the eyes. “This ones already awake, you said we’d have more time.”
“Hmm, odd, but it doesn't matter. The pod should keep him secured until we unseal him for transport.” someone in a white mask answered back.
“We’ll deal with him last. Ok big guy?” the man gave an antagonistic smirk and a wink as he turned to the next pod. When Sole saw the face of his husband and daughter his fingers desperately scraped against the glass trying to get to them. He could see Arcane was awake, but his eyes were glassy and he looked disoriented as he was removed from his pod and taken away by the figures in white. Sole tried to whimper something out as they both grew further and further away, that's when he heard someone shout. Then more shouting, and so many other noises he had no hope of guessing.
“It's those damn raiders, they followed us all the way from Diamond city!” Something shook the facility as the noises grew closer.
“I’m setting this place back to deep freeze until the threat is neutralized!”
“Let's get this taken care of.” The man with the scarred face marched toward the chaos, roughly grabbing the still delirious Arcane. “Grab the girl and follow me!” He ordered the lackey next to him.
Sole felt a chill seep back into his bones, he couldn’t take his eyes away from his family, he growled when he saw a red spot oozing from Archade’s blue jumpsuit as he was dragged away. His head throbbed and blotches began to spread throughout his vision.
It felt like an entire earthquake went off when his eyes snapped back open. He was on the floor now, water seeping into his hands and knees on the floor. He let himself settle for a moment before realizing it was quiet… too quiet. He looked the way his family had been dragged off, rising to his feet and placing his hand on the wall of dirt and debris that was locking them away. Damn what the hell happened? He had to get to the other side and save them, with a desperation he had never known he searched and searched some more. Searched for a way out and around what was keeping him from his husband and child. With the passage closed off he found only two rooms were still accessible now and none of them went anywhere useful. The long empty hallway behind him led to a dead end. He had even tried clearing the passage by hand, but it was thick and heavy and more came crashing down the more he tried.
That's when he finally took a hard look around. The few pods on this side of the cave in were empty except for one. Sole helped move the piece of metal keeping it closed, it was a neighbor h3 remembered named Liam that lived alone on their street, he gasped his way back to life.
The two were now sitting and sipping two Nuka colas from a rusted machine in what looked like an administration office.
“So.” Liam took a long sip. “Someone came and took everyone else and crashed the ceiling in?”
Sole was anxiously tapping his finger and drifting in and out of his thoughts, “huh? Yeah… that's what happened, something must have destroyed the ceiling and cut us off from everyone on the other side.”
“Weren’t we supposed to be down in some fancy Vault dwellings?”
“That's what they told us…I don’t think that was actually the plan.” Sole moaned, rubbing his still aching head. “Despite what they were planning, we’re trapped in here.”
“I used to be an admin, let me check the terminal for anything useful.” Liam went over to the dusty terminal in the corner. “Damn… password protected. Lets try P@ssword123” he narrated to himself, before the sound of the terminal unlocked. “Wow…”
“You're in?” Sole asked, nearly amazed.
“Courtesy of the world's laziest admin password.” Liam searched through the files, “what do you know?” Liam looked over to the disheveled brunet man. “Follow me!” he smirked.
Liam took a brisk pace leading them down the long dead end that Sole had discovered before. A small button was now blinking red on one side of the wall. After being pressed a large panel fell away revealing two handle shaped levers and a few stashed tools.
“Its a back way out, when we twist these two handles a set of controlled explosions should take us-”
“Back to the main entrance!?” Sole finished excited.
“Um… the outside actually.” Liam corrected nervously.
“Like, out there, out there?”
“Yeah, we’d have to go in through the front.” Below the two levers was a single revolver and a pip-boy, it seems they didn’t have great hope of more than one person taking this journey.
“Ok then, we go up to the surface then come through the main entrance. Split the gear?” Sole offered.
“Yeah, hope you don’t mind if I snag the gun. I’m definitely gonna need the advantage.” Liam looked up at the others larger frame.
“The Pip-boy is mine then.” They both took their agreed gear, nodding to one another before twisting each lever. An eruption sounded on the other side of the wall, five blasts went off in a sequence and the ground shook. From the sounds of it it had also caused more damage in the collapsed structure behind them as well. That didn’t matter any more though, the blast wall slowly lifted away and a distant light twinkled ahead of them.
When the two lowered back down into the vault Sole plugged in his Pip-boy in to unseal what read as vault 111, he held his breath for what was waiting for them on the other side to discover… no one. No one except the skeletons of what was once the workers of the vault who had sealed them inside their frozen pods.
“We're too late.” Sole despaired, his heart pounding.
“Well, no bodies that we recognize are a good sign, and this thing was sealed up. Looks to me like someone got out and sealed this thing from the outside.”
“than that means they must have left to somewhere...” Sole began to think “He said Diamond city, and something about an Institute. That's what the man that took them said.”
“Yeah, but what even is that?”
“I’ll have to find out.” Sole looked back to the exit, he’d have to go back up there. “The two of us, we can find who took them together."
Liam looked hesitant, “I-ah… I didn’t have any family down here. Not like you Sole.” Sole gave the other a sympathetic look. “I’ve been thinking about it… I need to go back to my family's farm. I don’t know what I’ll find, I just need to go. You go save your family.” The man firmly patted the larger man's shoulder, before snatching another pip-boy from a skeletons arm. “But I’ll wear this, we can share our serial numbers and if any of us run into some big trouble we can call for help from the other, ok?”
“I-ok. That sounds good, thanks Liam.” They smiled, “I couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Dito.”