Vault 1531
Cenral Spain: A few miles south of Valladolid near the junction of the Rio Duero and Rio Pisuerga.
In the accounts that were later written by the survivors of the world’s near end, the vaults were referred to as havens, the safe places in the world when it had all but failed. These vaults were the supposed rule of order and a place where all who lived could share in one another’s labors. These were of course exaggerations and half-truths. The rules of the older society riddled with prejudice and malice still existed, and not all of the vaults were places of safety. Some, like vault 1531, had fallen in to chaos much as the rest of world.
The power struggle continued on in the depths of the earth and those whom had been or at least felt oppressed rose up against their slave masters and took the power for themselves. The struggle only continued as the supplies were claimed by the various leaders of the resistance who looked the populace of the vault for more power by manipulating them with the goods they had acquired in the takeover. The leaders turned on one another when they each felt they must control everything or they must kill those do. A mob rule took over and wars and alliances were drawn between the various clans, much like the mob wars in the Untied States during the 1920’s and 1930’s. The people became the pawns of the struggle and few were left uninvolved. Of those few in vault 1531 were two Pacifists, Naberic Goth and Ashley Duchovny.
How they survived this without an official aliment seemed to be pure luck. 1531 was being used as a holding prison because the other facilities around the area were filled. Ashley and Naberic were two of those prisoners, arrested for aiding an unlawful public gathering when they actively participated in organizing a small antiwar protest. They just happen to be in the same cell as self-proclaimed anarchist, George Onwhite, arrested for endangering a public official at a huge riot in a local town. In the few hours that these three were in the cell before the bombs dropped, they had talked a little and found that they agreed more than they could ever believe. Their main difference was the methods they used to obtain the desired results. Onwhite thought that violence could be used down turn the current state of things and Ashley and Naberic thought that peace and logic were the keys. Nevertheless, Onwhite took a liking to the two.
When the bombs dropped the power the had to be switched over to the main vault generator, cause all power secondary power functions, including the forcefeilds on the cells to fail for about 40 seconds (at the time the vault was still using the same power source as the outer city). The prisoners, except Ashley and Naberic, used this opportunity to storm the guards, kill them, and take their weapons. They then went to the overseer and demanded that they be allowed to be normal free citizens. She refused and a fire fight broke out resulting in the deaths of all the vault guards and the overseer and many of the prisoners. After the prisoners had killed the vault guards and overseer they took it upon themselves to be the new ruling class of 1531. But the new rule was unstable and each leader wanted it all.
A sort of mob rule erupted and the people of the vault were forced to pick a side. They split into five faction each of which controlled some important part of the vault. Onwhite was the leader who gained control of the central computer making him the most power of all the leaders. Naberic and Ashley had stayed in their cell for the duration of these events living off of the small amount of food they had on hand. No more than a week had passed before that food was gone and they had to find some here on their own. Fortunately Onwhite allowed them to work for him, his allies, and even his rivals to acquire what they needed. Otherwise the two were left alone by all of the factions free to live away from the flock on the first level, thought they often had their lives threatened. This was the life they lived for two years, but that life was about to change.
*Big flashing red lights follow by an electronic voice saying in Spanish followed by English* Automatic vault unsealing in progress….. outside conditions stable……Attention vault citizens, it has been determined that it is safe to go into the outside world again. You may do so when ready.
“What did that thing just say, Nab?”
Naberic replied without even looking up from his book, “It said that we can leave now.”
“So why the hell aren’t you packing?”
“Because I want to finish this chapter first.”
“Fine, but I’m getting ready to go. Don’t you think that you should too?.”
“I’m all packed up,” Naberic patted his backpack again without looking up from the page.
“Hey, hit that switch so I can tell George we’re leaving now.”
“Like I can’t tell him myself?”
“I thought you needed to pack?”
“I do.”
“So you want to pack and deal with the formalities associated with us leaving?”
“No, I just want you to get up and do something.”
Naberic finished his page and placed the book back into his pack. He then got up and pressed the small red switch on the northern wall on the room. It was something both him and Ashley had done many times before but this time it felt a little different. George, Ashley, and himself had become a friends despite their differences, and many people thought that it was this relationship that cooled George down enough to actually consider being civil to the other factions in the vault. Things were almost stable at this point, but there was still the threat of aggression which often turned into small, short gunfights that injured a person or two. There was a degree of tranquility but it was only small and was no place for someone as idealistic as these two to stay for a prolonged period of time. There were those who wanted the wars and to remove those who opposed them by any means.
* George over the intercom* “Hey Naberic, Ashley, What can we do for you today?”
Naberic spoke back into the mic, “Hey George, I am just calling to say that we are leaving now that the doors have been unsealed.”
“Okay hang on, I want to come up and say my goodbyes in person,” responded George
“Okay, but we are heading out in twenty minute,” said Naberic.
“Fine I’ll be there.”
George knew that the day would come when the two idiotic pacifists would leave, but he didn’t expect to actually care about it, and if he did certainly not this much. He had learned thought watching them that all things, even chaos, had a curtain amount of order to them. Anarchy was a sort of disillusion that he had taught himself through order. His thinking had changed from total disorder to selected disorder, keeping curtain things ordered and others in chaos. He kept his own in chaos but expected a curtain amount of order form the other factions. Who knows if this really had any affect of the status of the violence levels of the vault or not though. It is quite possible that many of the people just came to see a greater need for cooperation than struggle. Despite the slight stability, violence was still a constant factor of life even if some people wanted to work together for their futures.
George met Naberic and Ashley out in the hall; somehow being in a room with bed didn’t sit quite right with Ashley. George had made frequent passes and suggestions indicating his personal sexual desires for her and she really didn’t like the idea. Nonetheless they were friends of a sort and Ashley felt inclined to say her goodbyes.
“So you two really were serious about leaving as soon as this place opened up?” asked George.
“Yeah,” replied Naberic
“So I guess this it then?” asked George.
“Yep,” replied Ashley.
Naberic put out his hand in front of George. “Til next time then?”
“You’re never coming back here and you know it,” said George “, but I’ll forgive you. Hell, I’ll even give you a going away present.” Onwhite pulled out a small first aid kit containing a needle and thread, some bandages, and disinfectants and handed it to Naberic.
Naberic took the small box. “Thanks, I guess the only thing can give in return the wish that everyone here will be all right.”
“Oh? I can think of one thing that Ashley could give me return and so does she,” replied George. Ashley just acted like she didn’t hear his comment and polite shook his hand as a goodbye.
“What not even a hug?” Asked George still being ignored by Ashley.
“You never learn do you?” asked Nab.
“Hell, no.” Naberic laughed at his friend’s blatant ignorance.
“I hope you will one day.” And with that the two walked down to the corridor and to the control panel for the door.
