As she fiddled with her braid in one hand, Briar Rose watched the news with a frown creasing her forehead. All the news talked about now was the possible ending of the world in an atomic blast; after all the countless predictions, the doomsday experts never suggested it to happen in 2077. The United States had found itself on a precarious footing with countries armed with nuclear missiles: the USSR, China—it sounded like any of them could just turn one day and bomb them.

She lived right outside of Concord, Massachusetts. The media had turned most of their TV shows into 'atomic preparation videos', educational programs of how one could survive fallout. If only one would want to survive such horrors nuclear devastation would bring. Vault-Tec sponsored them; they were also an advertisement for residency in their vaults.

Briar Rose chewed on her braid as she thought; the allure of living out the unknown underground in the safety of a vault became bigger every day. Nate shrugged off the thought every time she suggested it—he always said there was nothing to worry about; those countries liked to flex their muscles but really didn't want to start another war with the U.S.

But they had Shaun to worry about; they had a child to protect. He was only a newborn; he deserved to live and be prosperous. They had to do whatever they could to keep him safe and give him a future. Vault-Tec had vacancy in a vault built near their Sanctuary Hills. Vault 111 was the answer.

"I really wish you would stop that," Nate said as he walked into the living room.

She pulled her hair out of her mouth. "Sorry; it's a habit."

He sat down on a stool at the island she sat at. He gave her his small smile. "I know; it only happens when you're worried." He grabbed the hand that had fidgeted with her dark red hair. "We're going to be fine; I'm not going to let anything happen to you or Shaun."

She looked at him: as ex-military, he could absolutely ensure their safety—her father had taught her how to shoot so she could help—but even as heroic as her husband was, he couldn't stop a bomb from falling.

"I won't let anything happen to you either, but I think the best way for us to do that is by living in the Vault." She touched his face, feeling the smoothness of his morning shave. "Don't you think it'll be wise to take precautions? I'm not trying to insinuate that you can't protect us—I know how macho your ego is." Nate chuckled. "I want to protect you both, and this is how I can. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. This is for Shaun."

He looked at her for a while; eventually he took a big sigh and she could see the resignation in his eyes. "If you think we need to do this, we will."

She felt so relieved; she leaned up to kiss him. "Thank you."

Shaun suddenly started crying in the nursery; Codsworth, their Mr. Handy—a domestic servant robot—flew into the room. He had three robotic arms—all armed with various household tools—three eyestalks, flew around on a jet thruster, and was a shiny chrome. The old-time name fit his proper mannerisms.

"Mr. Nate, my attempts at settling Shaun have been unsuccessful. I believe he requires the paternal affections you are so adapt at."

"Alright, Codsworth." Nate got up and headed down the hallway to the nursery.

Codsworth turned and looked at her. "Good morning, Mrs. Rose. May I fix you some coffee?"

"Good morning, Codsworth, and yes, please."

He floated around the kitchen, starting the coffee pot, retrieving the milk, creamery, and sugar, and grabbing two mugs. Because of his knack with technology, the coffee became ready faster than normal; after doctoring her cup to how she liked it, he set it and a folded newspaper before her.

"There you are, mum: heated to 173.5 degrees Fahrenheit, a teaspoon of cream, and a cube of sugar. And the morning newspaper, just delivered."

She thanked him before taking a sip; Codsworth made the best coffee, much better than that black sludge Nate drank. There were some habits he couldn't break from being in the army; just like her chewing on her hair.

Briar Rose sat drinking her coffee and reading the newspaper; even though it only talked about possible wars and atomic bombings, she wasn't scared anymore. Nate had finally agreed with her and they would go register with Vault-Tec as soon as they could.

The doorbell rung; Codsworth floated out of the kitchen to see who it was.

"It appears to be the Vault-Tec representative at the door; shall I request him to leave?"

She perked up at hearing Vault-Tec; she headed for the door. "No, Codsworth; I've got this one."

A middle-aged man stood on their doorstep, shorter than her, dressed in a fedora and trench coat, wiry-looking, and holding a clipboard. He greeted her with a beaming smile when she opened the door.

"Good morning, ma'am! I am here on behalf of Vault-Tec to enlist citizens to become residents in Vault 111. Because of your husband's service to our country, you have been pre-selected for entrance into the local Vault. Are you aware of the reason Vault-Tec has become a company?"

"Yes; the threat of a nuclear attack. My husband and I have already discussed seeking your company's security, but first, will my family be accepted? We have a newborn baby."

His expression grew into delight. "Of course! Vault-Tec wishes to extend their protection to all who request it. Except for your robot, naturally."

"Then we wish to register."

"Fantastic news!" He handed her the clipboard, and she set to writing down her family's information. When she finished and handed it back to him, it felt like a heavy weight lifted off her chest. They were now guaranteed safety.

"My hopes that we will not experience atomic annihilation, but I am pleased you have decided to accept Vault-Tec into your lives, for the sake of family." He lifted his hat in farewell. "Thanks again, ma'am. Have a good day."

She shut the door and headed down the hallway to check on Nate and Shaun. The small blue nursery only held a sofa, lamp, small table, and Shaun's crib.

"How are my men doing?" She walked up beside Nate at the blue crib. Shaun was bundled up tightly in a blanket and had a stocking cap on his head; even though only a few weeks old, he lit up at recognizing his mother. She scratched his chest to make him giggle.

"Who were you talking to?" Nate asked.

"A Vault-Tec representative. I went ahead and signed us up. Now we don't have to go out and find them."

Nate grunted. "Good timing. I think we should go to the park later today for a breather."

She turned on the mobile hanging over Shaun; the slowly turning rocket ships quickly got him entranced. "I think that's a good idea. Can you believe Halloween's only two days away?"

"No, and Christmas isn't far from that. It's amazing how time flies."

She chuckled at seeing Shaun's eyes sleepily close. "He's going to be the cutest banana I've ever seen."

"And what are we going to do about the candy our banana gets?"

She looked at him with a grin. "You know that candy's for us."

"Mr. Nate! Mrs. Rose! You must see this!" Codsworth called out, uncertainty making his voice waver with fear.

Briar Rose and Nate looked at each other before he turned to go see what had Codsworth worried; she reached into Shaun's crib to pull him out and go look too. She reached the living room to find a stunned Nate staring at the television; on it a reporter sat at his desk and read off a paper.

His voice shook. "...followed by... Yes: followed by flashes; blinding flashes. Sounds of explosions... We are trying to get confirmation... like, we seem to have lost contact with our affiliate stations... We do have coming in that some confirmed reports, repeat, confirmed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania." He rubbed his face. "My God."

Briar Rose stared at the television in disbelief. Blood drained out of her and her body felt weak as fear overtook her. "N-now?"

Shaun began crying, feeling the fear in the air. Nate turned to her. "We have to go to the Vault, now!"

He flung open the door, and they ran out; all of Sanctuary Hills were emptying out of their homes and running toward the hill overlooking their suburb to where Vault 111 was. Most of the women were hysterical, towing their children with them. They passed a couple who had stopped halfway up to the Vault, resigned to their fate because they didn't sign up.

Near the top of the hill, they met a crowd of people held back by a chain fence. Many men were at the front trying to persuade the Vault-Tec representative behind the gate to let their families in. Women held children in their arms, tears streaming down their faces as their husbands pleaded to no avail. Nate pushed his way through the crowd, with Briar Rose right behind him. Standing beside the Vault-Tec representative was a man in an intimidating power suit, armed with a minigun to keep the crowds back.

The Vault-Tec representative who Briar Rose signed up with stood at the gate. "Let me in! I work for Vault-Tec, for Christ's sake!"

The man in the power armor pointed the gun at him in warning. "Back. Off."

The man raised his hands and did as asked. "I will report this!" he said as he turned and ran.

Nate pushed his way to the front. "My wife, child, and I signed up this morning."

The Vault-Tec representative checked his clipboard. With a nod, the gate was opened. "You're cleared; go in. Follow the doctor."

Briar Rose glanced back at her neighbors denied entrance as she ran through. Why couldn't they have pity and let them in too?

A man dressed in a white coat waited for them. Repeating the order to follow him, he turned and led them up the hill. Construction on Vault 111 had just been completed since the heavy machinery to build it was still present. Wind picked up greatly as a vertibird from the army arrived, either bringing reinforcements or as a means of escape.

When the overlook flattened out, a number of people were already gathered on a concrete circle; the doctor instructed them to stand with them. The trees being gold and red in fall made the view overlooking the peaceful Sanctuary Hills picturesque, but the threat pressing down on them made it less attractive. Nate draped his arm around her to hold her close as they waited to be lowered into the Vault.

"We'll make it; we're going to be fine," he encouraged.

She was trying very hard not to lose it; she didn't have the strength to respond, so she just nodded.

He kissed her temple. "I love you."

She looked at him. "I love you too."

They heard the whistling of a falling bomb and quickly looked up to the sky; a resounding boom vibrated the ground, and the horizon exploded into a blinding flash of light. Once they could see again, the telltale mushroom cloud of an atomic bomb grew far in the distance; the powerful shock wave raced toward them.

Nate clutched her to him and kneeled down; he tried to get his body over hers to protect her and Shaun from the blast. Briar Rose shut her eyes and held Shaun closer to her chest. A loud grating sound of metal scraping against concrete suddenly boomed; the circle beneath their feet vibrated, and the elevator descended. The light was cut off just before the deafening roar of the shock wave blasted over them.

Light faded as they descended into the earth; it also grew colder the further down they went. Heavy breathing, people whimpering, and the continuous scraping of metal provided the only sound.

After what felt like forever, light glowed beneath them, and their descent slowed. The elevator settled into a slot behind another metal fence; people stood on the other side of the fence—all in a long-sleeved blue Vault suit or had a white coat over one. When the fence rose, the Vault-Tec workers encouraged them to step out.

The Vault was strange to see: mostly concrete, steel, and many technological machines; it resembled a fortified military bunker. They had to ascend metal steps and cross over a metal catwalk—stretching over a wide gap with tracks in it—to reach the main entrance. This didn't have a safe, welcoming feeling. All of it had Briar Rose shaking in unease.

"What about all those people?" Mr. Able asked.

"Don't worry yourself over them," a Vault-Tec worker said. "You're safe now."

Nate still hung onto her as they followed the line of refugees. They lined up in front of some workers, handing out Vault suits and directing them down the open tunnel. He took hers to hold since her arms were full with Shaun.

They headed down the tunnel to where their group was divided in two so they could go to their own decontamination chamber. The decontamination room held eight large pods, four on each side of a walkway. The Vault-Tec guiding them pointed out the locker room where they could change into their Vault suits; Nate decided to go change first. He came back in the blue suit conforming perfectly to his broad frame—it looked like a second skin. The numbers 111 were in gold in a gear-like circle on his back. He took Shaun so she could go change. She found it to her fit her just as snug too.

"After you get decontaminated and de-pressurized, we'll head deeper into the Vault," the Vault-Tec worker said when she came back.

Others had begun to step into the individual pods; Briar Rose looked at her husband.

"I'll keep Shaun," Nate said.

"I'll be right over there," she told her son before she kissed him, then kissed her husband. She turned and stepped into the pod opposite Nate's. As soon as she sat, the door closed over her, but she could still see her husband through the window. He smiled in encouragement for her not to be scared.

"Resident secured. Occupant vitals: normal. Procedure complete," a female, robotic voice said. "Sequence starting in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..."

The sound of leaking gas sounded all around her and it suddenly grew extremely cold. Her body temperature dropped along with her energy level; her eyes drooped close in sleep.

***

"Manual override initiated. Cryogenic stasis suspended," the robotic voice said.

Briar Rose gradually regained consciousness as the temperature warmed up. The window in front of her was iced over where she couldn't see out. As feeling came back to her numb body and the glass defrosted, she struggled to remember where she was and what had happened.

The ice receded enough to where she could see a metal pod across from her, with Nate behind a window like hers. He looked like he just woke too.

Two forms suddenly came into view: the smaller one in a white hazmat suit and the other a bald man with a metal arm guard. From what she could see, this wasn't a pleasant man. The one in a hazmat suit pointed at Nate's pod.

"This is the one; here." It was a woman.

"Open it," the man said—he had a rough, scratchy sounding voice.

Escaping gas sounded as the door to Nate's pod opened. Exposed to a different temperature, Nate began coughing and Shaun started to cry.

"Is it-is it over? Are we okay?" Nate asked.

"Almost," the man said.

Something seemed wrong with the whole scenario; Briar Rose tried to move, but her senseless body wouldn't respond. The woman began reaching for Shaun; Nate noticed and pulled him back.

"Let me take him for you," she said.

"No."

"Give her the boy," the man ordered.

Nate fought against the woman attempting to take Shaun; he wailed even louder because of the discomforting struggle. "No!"

The man pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Nate. "I'm not going to ask again."

"I'm not giving you Shaun!"

A loud boom echoed as the man shot; Nate jerked back with a bullet in his head and blood splattered behind him. The woman pulled a screaming Shaun from Nate's dead arms; she looked at the man.

"Goddamnit; get the kid out of here." He motioned for her to go. As she scurried out of view with Briar Rose's son, the man turned and looked straight at her in taunt—he had a long scar running down his left eye.

"At least we still have the backup."

He stepped out of view. Nate's pod closed back over him.

"Cryogenic sequence re-initiated," the Vault computer said.

Leaking gas sounded again; the window iced back over and Briar Rose was put back to sleep.