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First Annual Pod Day
WHERE: Vault 66
WHEN: ???? - Day 1
WHAT: The first pods open
WARNINGS:TBD
You awake laying on your back in an, admittedly comfortable, pod. You can't move anything but your eyes, can't even feel your body yet. How you got here or why is a blank. You may have been in the middle of your day, asleep, or even- for what you remember- should be dead. Then a screen directly in front of your face flickers to life and in crisp, black and white displays: DON'T PANIC. The following video then plays:
The screen flickers again and reads: CONGRATULATIONS ON PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE! WELCOME TO VAULT LIFE, CITIZEN. WELCOME TO YEAR: [ERROR]. YOUR PERSONAL BELONGINGS ARE LOCATED IN [FILE CORRUPTED. SEE SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR]. ENJOY YOUR STAY AND THANK YOU FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT VAULT-TEC.
The pod then unseals and you are able to, unstably at first, climb out of the pod. Your body may feel foreign for a moment- perhaps entirely foreign if you suddenly find yourself a human, ghoul, or super mutant for the first time. But whatever your form, you have two items on: a bright blue jumpsuit with the number 66 in yellow on the back, and a mechanical device known as a Pip-boy sealed onto your arm. If you click on the buttons it takes you to an instruction screen.
You look around to find yourself in a room of other pods. Some are just opening, other people looking as confused as you climbing out. Others remain closed with the status of 'STASIS' on the screens attached to the pods. The rest of the room is less than impressive. Computer systems that seem out of place compared to the technology level of the pods are scattered across the room, apparently running the chambers. Trying to access them, even for the most talented hacker, will simply result in SEE OVERSEER being displayed. There is large metal door leading to the rest of the vault, a lever on the wall next to it that will cause it to open.
Welcome, dweller, to vault 66.
Outside of the pod room, the rest of the vault is limping along on an emergency power supply. The air is stale from lackluster recycling and deep shadows occupy the corners of rooms and edges of hallways as only the pale maintenance lighting flickers from the ceiling. The pip-boy flashlight helps, but can still only light up a small area, casting anything outside of it into even darker shadows.
In those shadows there is skittering. The noise isn't too noticeable when there are groups of people, but get down to one or two and it's impossible to ignore. Venture into an empty room and you’ll spot a small number, maybe even just one, loitering in what, until today, had more or less been their sole domain: radroaches. Giant, mutated cockroaches that have a hunger for fresh food (like say, new vault dwellers) when it’s available.
The majority of roaches, however, seem to have a destination in mind, mostly ignoring characters unless blocked or directly bothered. This hoard, gathering from all over the vault, all move through the shadows and vents to the kitchen. If a character is unthreatening enough, they can follow the trail unmolested by the creatures.
In the kitchen itself is a whole different matter. Even from down the hall, characters can hear a masculine, slightly French-accented voice exclaim:
“Mais! Get out, out you nasty things!”
After a moment, a burst of flame can be seen through the door, followed by the new yet distinctive sound of mandibles ripping at metal. Those that decide to enter will see over a dozen roaches trying to take down a lone, floating robot. Despite the robot occasionally hitting them with a blast of fire from a small flame-throwing on one of its arms, the roaches appear to be winning.
The source of the fight can be seen behind the robot: a counter full of various kinds of packaged foods, some of them newly opened. One roach has managed to make it to the prize, ripping into a things of what seems to be apples with its mandibles.
OOC NOTES
To talk to a specific NPC one-on-one, leave a comment on their thread below. Note an exception is Louis in Radroach Riot, he will pop up on his own in threads related to him.
Looking for loot in a specific area? Looking for a specific item/kinds of item in general? Ask here and we’ll let you know.
If you have any OOC questions, please leave a comment here!
no subject
Even if this person had said "No" what was Sandy gonna do about it? She was barely keeping herself from sinking to the ground in terror and confusion. Every thought she had felt like it was either spinning wildly and bouncing off the inside of her skull or sluggishly dragging itself into existence out of a vat of glue.
But was she ok?
"No, definitely not."
There was nothing about this that was OK but she shrugged in a way that said she really didn't know what to do about that.
"I don't know what's going on." She confessed even though that video had given her some vague idea? But that couldn't have been real could it?
no subject
They will remind her of herself (trapped, used, tortured, and forced down every last path until the end). Her voice is soft like her expression because protectiveness rises up at her.
"No one does but we'll find out, okay? You can join the rest of us in not knowing." They are not alone in this strange situation. Elizabeth doesn't know how much she trusts anyone else but it seems unlikely all of them are a part of this. "It's scary. Right?"
no subject
“Yeah this...is freaky. I was just running, there was a church and...”
Teeth. Claws. Dark slimy goop. She shuddered.
“And now this...this cant be real.” She pinched her wrist and grimaced confirming that it wasn’t a dream.
no subject
This young girl was already caught up in something terrifying before she ended up in this vault underground. She was running. She can see the way she shudders. The world can feel like it's caving in.
"I'm afraid it is real. At least you don't have to run." She winces. "For now."
They have no way of knowing the dangers of this vault. She won't lie about the reality of the situation to protect someone even to someone so young. Besides the girl's smart enough to recognize the danger in this place.
no subject
"Alright...for now. Not a lot of places to hide in here anyway."
She doesn't want to risk crawling back into that pod. Who knows when it might open next? She moves a little closer to Elizabeth, not in arms reach really but just so she doesn't have to raise her voice too loud.
"I've never even heard of Vault-Tec before."
no subject
"No. I wouldn't trust going back into that."
It seems an easier way to be trapped. She lowers her voice too so that those around them cannot hear.
"I haven't either. It seems to have made a name for itself if people would trust it enough to sign up to end up here." There are an infinite number of doors. She thought she'd seen through them all but maybe she only saw through the ones where versions of herself existed. "It's possible this is a different universe than the ones we're from."
no subject
Sandy's eyes widened at the concept. Her father used to tell her stories of heroes and villains and sometimes he'd say stuff like that but she never could wrap her head around it back then...but back then she was just a little kid.
Now she was...well still the smallest person in the room but at least she could maybe figure this out.
"Wait so like...hold on. Do you have a New York City in your world? Or a United States of America?" Some basic things to establish before Sandy could figure out just how different things were.
"How about superheroes?"
no subject
She is now aware there are more than she ever had any idea about. She can only remember pieces and bits from when she was omniscient but no place like this ever existed through any door she ever looked through.
"Those are good questions. You're trying to find the constants and variables. There was a New York City and United States."
Her expression becomes curious.
"No superheroes." No heroes really. "What does being a superhero mean?" Comics were not among the books provided to her in her party. She can guess but she'd rather hear it from someone who has it as their reality.
no subject
"Oh um...well we don't have them anymore but in New York...my New York there used to be people with amazing powers. Magic, mutations, some were just super smart and had high tech stuff. And they would fight bad guys with their powers so they were called superheroes." She wondered if there was a better way to define it.
"My dad used to tell me stories about them. He fought with them a lot and sometimes alongside them. So he knew a lot of them."
no subject
It makes sense to her. She got her own powers for the stupidest reason in the end. Existing in two separate worlds at once because a man could not let go of his need for a Lamb to complete his legacy of destruction.
"He fought alongside them and fought with them?" Her voice is quiet but devoid of any judgement at all. "Sounds complicated."
no subject
Given the situation they were in, she wasn't sure she was too far off there. She glanced around carefully.
"Do you have powers? Maybe we got thrown in here like the superheroes did."
If they did, she was probably never going to see her mother again...but maybe she'd see her dad?
no subject
They seek power over all else regardless of who they step on in the process. They have tantrums with guns and lives in their hands like violence is meaningless. Her gaze is sharp but it is on the rest of the group.
She seeks out any sign of danger before it can reach them.
"I had powers but I lost them before I ended up in that pod." She gave them up would be more accurate. "Do you?"
no subject
Then the next part made her wilt again. She nodded looking guilty just confessing to having powers. "Where I come from it's illegal. If they even think you might be special they take you away." she whispered watching the others nervously.
no subject
"I won't tell anyone," she reassures. "I'm sorry. That's horrible but I understand. People fear what they don't understand."
She was locked in her Tower because of her own powers. They did experiments on her.
"What do they do with those they take away?"
no subject
Plus...she thinks Elizabeth is on the level. As much as her gut is twisting in knots from all this honesty. If she was gonna betray her would she have such cool lines like people fearing what they didn't understand? Probably not. Jerks never had cool lines like that.
"I dunno. Prison I guess? I know that's where Mom said they go and no one ever sees them again. Except right before I woke up here some of them started coming back." She didn't make it sound like that was a good thing.
"If this is prison, it's not like I expected."