Vault 38

Vault 38's original purpose in the Vault Experiment is unknown, however it more than likely failed when the Slavers and Raiders took control of the Vault and it's population. It is believed that the previous Overseer (Charles Marx) was bribed to open the Vault door many years ago, although the exact date is uncertain and there is no proof to support this story, nor any indication of who started it. One thing is for certain though – the Raiders and Slavers appear to be here for the long haul.

Michelle Marx, the Vault’s appointed Overseer, sat in her office behind the desk, glancing over at the window on the wall. The 10mm pistol, which she carried with her at all times, lay on the desk in front of her, it’s magazine full and unused. There was no danger of running out of ammunition, as the traders that showed up every few days always had some on them. Unfortunately, she was running out of things to trade. Nobody wanted a “Vault-Tec” souvenir anymore. Michelle had resorted to travelling outside often, becoming a scavenger herself so-to-speak. One had to get on their knees to survive, and she wasn’t necessarily thinking about looking for treasure. Being a woman in a hell-hole run by men was not always pleasant, especially if they happened to be rough Slavers.

Her younger sister was a slave, the poor thing. But sacrifices had to be made in order for her to be able to restore the good old days of the Vault, thought Michelle. Her father had apparently started this whole mess, and Michelle had to fix it. Valentina was always too wild, even when they were just kids. The slavery and bondage would do her good, though she had recently discovered that the younger Marx sister had been addicted to Steady for a number of years. Sometimes, Michelle wanted to feel some kind of guilt about it – but she couldn’t.

There was a knock on the door, and Michelle turned to it’s direction. “Come in,” She spoke.

Nathan entered the Overseer's office, after securing the vault door to stay shut until he returned to his post. He had to arrive to speak to her about the recent trade decline with the traders and merchants that came by. He sat down in a chair in front of her and glared at her as he spoke. It wasn't directly at her...it was just whoever was overseer that really pissed him off. And the fact that she was the daughter of the ass that let the guys into the vault...it just made her even worse to him.

"Michelle, we really need to talk about the decline of sales and trades. We're running low on Caps and I've been forced to sell most of my guns and ammo except for my hunting rifle and its ammo. If we keep on resorting to selling our weapons and ammo, who's to say another group of raiders won't come in and take the vault for themselves? We can't keep bringing knives to gun fights. We should seriously talk about relocating everyone in the vault to take them...to the wasteland. We need to find some outside shelter for us to live, that way we'll have easier and quicker access to anything worth trading out there. And we can send small caravans and such to come back and get pure water to take back to the settlement we find as well."

Ah, Vault 38. What a disgusting little pile of bile this place had turned out to be. If it wasn't the raiders constantly attempting to massacre them all in their sleep, led by the previous Overseer no less, and now there were more vicious diseases popping up like pimples on a daily basis. Why she was nice enough to become a damned doctor for this hell hole in the first place made her question her own mental state; Who in their right mind would -ever- willingly allow themselves to go through this kind of crap and actually like it! These were the thoughts that led Lexi as she slid a needle from a small jar of new sterilization fluid on the top of her desk, and then gently poked the plunger of the needle to cause a small amount to drop out.

"Okay Mister Tennant, just extend your arm a little for me. Yep, just there" She spoke, sliding the mans sleeve up and extending his arm to where his vein could easily be seen. Without even needing to look, she pressed the needle into the mans arm and injected the thick fluid which then could be visibly watched as it coursed through the mans veins. "Okay, just press this one it, and I'll see you in a month!" she chimed happily, a faux happiness, as she placed a small cotton bud with medical tape atop the needle mark, nobody could be truly happy in this place.

She saw as she opened her surgery room door the tall, robust man of around her own age give or take a few years as he made his way into the overseers office, which for security purposes was directly opposite to her own door, or at least mostly. She raised an eyebrow, and smirked gently, a new rumour to be spread it seemed; Anyone who knew Lexi knew that despite her renown as a great doctor for her age, she was also a huge gossip, and basically anything fun could be made into a rumour. She shifted her head as she turned and began to pack all the items she needed for the overseer; She had to keep the boss in tip-top shape of course, and it was just an added bonus if she got some great gossip while she was there! She grinned and walked over towards the door, her door closing tight behind her and bag in hand. She knocked the door twice.

[OOC: Post sucks, I know. Sorry]

Michelle listened to his proposition, and his sob-story about having to sell his weapons and running out of caps to pay for anything else. She then grinned at the prospect of moving out of the Vault, which to her, was an idea she didn't like the sound of. "Move out of the Vault? I don't know if you realise this, but when you're not safe in an underground bunker that survived a nuclear war, where exactly can you go?" She was well aware of the facts that her logic didn't quite add up. The solution was that they could lock-up the Vault door and never open it. But then another problem arose that their supplies would eventually run out, and without any source of trade income then they would die.

And opening the door meant opening the door to the world's dangers again. Michelle grabbed the pistol on the desk and placed it in to the holster on her upper thigh, turning once more to the door when it knocked a second time. As it opened, there stood Lexi. “Ah, Miss Carrington. How are we today?” She asked, expecting her to come in and sit in. Michelle was well aware of Lexi’s gossiping nature, although it worked both ways. The Overseer could find out things that she herself usually wouldn’t hear. Lexi had a talent for knowing about the most secretive of conversations spoken by the other Vault Dwellers in private.

Nathan cursed as his proposition was shot down. He knew that they would all die eventually because of the Overseer. With supplies running out, it would be stupid to trade food for protection when they were already running on a limited supply of food anyway. "Dammit...!" He murmured to himself as he stood up. "Mark my words Michelle, the day will come when you're overthrown when all the slaves decide to fight back for their lives." He said before kicking over the chair he was sitting in. Storming out, he brushed his shoulder against Lexi but didn't bother to apologize for it. Returning to his post, he grumbled. 'Hmph...Maybe I should find some muties and lead them here...that'll show her...' He thought in his head. "If things keep up...I'm gonna try and head to Madison Square to see if they'll take me in as a resident." Opening the vault door, he allowed whatever merchants that were waiting to go inside to trade with the trading raiders of Vault 38. Sitting back, his mind was still occupied on how he would live HIS life...not the Vault's life.

Sierra Melgar sighed with boredom as he glanced at the whimpering form of his latest conquest laying on the bed. She looked pathetic compared to the sparkling young girl she had been mere hours ago: tied up, stripped of her clothes, bloodied, gagged, and sobby pathetically as she curled up on her bed. Sierra didn't take pity on her. No, he simply looked at her as a pathetic little girl. However, he was done with her. Gathering up the last of his gear, he slung his rifle over his shoulder, quickly retrieved his knife from his belt, and cut the rope binding her hands together. He was sure that she could quit crying long enough to get the rope around her feet if she really wanted out . . . and knew how to undue a now jammed knot like the one he had tied around her ankles . . . which she probably didn't. Not that Sierra cared.

He never seemed to, from the perspective of many of his fellow bandits.

Leaving the room, he fished a hand-wrapped cigarette from out of one of many pockets on his vest. As he had just stuck it in his mouth and retrieved the lighter, he watched as Nathan walked out of the Overseer's office moments before the Vault's resident doctor went in. With a smile, the Mexican gunman decided that he would pay the Overseer a visit: just a chat. To be honest, the Overseer was probably the only woman that the Mexican was genuinely attracted to. The color of her eyes, the way she dressed her hair, and how she wore her vauilt suit just tight enough to entice the imagination. Not to mention how she so casually threw her sister like a lamb to the slaughter for bandits who had all waited so eagerly for her to do that very thing.

Sierra announced his presence in her office with a small chuckle, not even bothering to knock as he stepped inside and glanced at the doctor. Taking a long drag on the cigarette, he let out a whispy trail of smoke and leaned against a nearby spot of wall as he spoke.

"So." He began, "What was the resident bell-boy talking to you about? Anything . . . interesting."

He didn't bother with any of the "ma'am" honorifics, or other unnecessary pleasentries.

Rayne hated waiting, especially after spending her entire life waiting to see what her fate would be. And from the look of the others that had been sent to escort her out into the wilderness, so did they. For some reason, there was no answer on the comms on the other side of the sealed Vault door, which worried the girl.

It had been a simple trip outside, nothing more than an effort to introduce the newest Slaver to the territorry they 'controlled'. As well as allow her to scavange up some gear for herself instead of drawing more from the Vault's dwindling supplies. An added bonus had been discovered on the trip back however, and the teen had spent much of the prior day practically face down in a puddle playing bait. It had payed off and there were 2 fresh bodies in tow. A young man and a young woman, possibly siblings by their appearance. And had it not been for a quick blast from Rayne's Mesmerizer, the girl would have gotten away... or dead.

She'd earned her keep... yet she wasnt sure how to feel about it. Not at first anyhow. Afterward, on the trip back to the vault with their spoils, when the bottle of vodka started making it's rounds. Then she realized it was either her or the girl, it couldnt be any other way. Several of the leering gazes had already moved on to the prospect of fresh meat, having earned the respect of their owners.

The seal finally hissed as it cracked open, the large door beginning to roll back out of the way to the sound of cheers from several of the raiders. One of them nudged her as she was passed the remains of the bottle. Broken from her thoughts, Rayne blinked a moment before calling out. "Fresh Meat!" It was a signal to let the guards inside know that they'd come back with new slaves. When they realized that they were about to be locked in a Vault, several often got the bright idea to try and run before succumbing to their fate. The announcement allowed those inside to be ready for any possible trouble when the door rolled open.

Her entire life, Rayne had only ever worn a Vault-Tec jumpsuit. As she matured, she'd taken after her mother, selecting one that was too small for her curvy frame. Now it was torn, dirty, and still half damp and clingy from her time in the puddle. The smile she offered Nathan was obviously forced as the dust finally cleared, the two new recruits being escorted inside. Offering him the bottle of Vodka after taking another swig of her own as she lingered a moment, waiting for the merchants to pass.

"Well... I made it back alive, and without a collar on my neck... Surprised?" The haunted look in her eyes could have been the only sign of emotion, or it could simply be the effects of her first bout of minor radiation sickness. It was often hard to tell with the introspective girl.

Watching the vault door open after he programed it to, he watched as Rayne and the others walked in along with the merchants. Looking at the vodka she had offered him, he turned it down. "No thanks. You know I'm not a drinker Rayne." He said before shrugging as he laid back, hunting rifle between his legs lazily as he watched the merchants peddle their wares and trade with the raiders. "Yeah. Glad to see you aren't one of the unfortunate..." He said before looking to her, trying to make her smile...Misery loved company, and he'd be damned if he would let anyone become its victim. "But you know...I bet you would've looked nice with a collar around your neck...like a pre-war dog with a leash and all that." He said teasingly as he winked to her to show he was just fooling around with her. "So how'd the trip go? You were out of the vault for a good while. Thought you went and got yourself killed."

"I'm not a drinker either..." She responded with a shrug as she took another swig from the bottle of vodka, of course given her young age that was rather obvious. Her gaze narrowing a bit at his comment about her looking nice with a collar on. "Oh you'd like that, wouldnt you?" She did however return his grin, kicking his foot playfully.

"Me and maybe my mother too, running around with collars on..." She returned his wink with one of her own as she took another swig from the bottle. They would have been a good match had things turned out differently in their lives... had her grandfather never opened the door all those years ago. Rayne would have been an administrator, preparing to take over for her mother one day, and Nathan would have been her security chief... But fantasizing about what could have been could quickly become distracting, causing her to chug down the remains of the bottle.

Rayne's gaze lingered on the girl as she disappeared from view, a tenseness around her eyes fading. "She might still be free if it werent for me..." The teen mumbled, more to herself than in response to his question. Though she quickly shook off the dark thoughts that had begun to creep up. Crouching down beside Nathan as she shrugged the pack from her shoulder. Rummaging around quick before pulling out an old faded carboard ammo box. "30 ot 6 right?" She asked holding out the nearly full box of rifle ammo to him.

"Hey...don't feel so down about it. It was either you or her...right?" He said as he tried to make Rayne a bit happier. He knew she always felt regrets about her job...but in the world they lived in, there was never any true freedom. What he and she had, what Nathan and Rayne were living in...they were lucky enough to be what they were. Watching her begin to rummage through her pack, he leaned back and pressed the console on the vault control panel to close the vault behind the merchants...Not much trading had gone on. Just some food in exchange for some scrap and a grenade. He sighed before looking over to Rayne as she held the box of ammo for him. "Thanks Rayne." He said as he took it and pocketed it into his own bag that contained his personal belongings.

"I wish I could help you with any ammo problems you got...but all I have are junky broken weapons aside from my rifle. I can't seem to find any parts to fix up the old assault rifle from China that my brother had before...well...before he ran off and got shot down by the raiders in the process. He wasn't lucky enough to be like Nathan and be something more than a slave...and after his brother got shot, Nathan got punishment from the old overseer for letting the poor bastard out...Nathan was the one that had to put the killing blow into his brother.

Shaking his head to get the memories out, he looked to Rayne with a small smile. "Shall we got hit the bar? You look like you're out of vodka." He said chuckling to her. "I'm sure I can sell some scrap I've got in exchange for a bottle of vodka or two. My treat. What do you say Rayne?"

Me or her... "That's what I keep telling myself..." She chuckled a bit ruefully before biting her lip and nudging him with the empty bottle. "Well, lets just say you owe me. Besides, if I need ammo I can just break into my mother's office. She grinned again, a little forced this time as she saw the dark turn his thoughts had taken.

"Why dont you go find a bottle then... you're starting to look like you might join me." She smiled as she stood back up, wincing a bit as she slung the pack back over her shoulder and the strap scraped over the still unhealed tattoo beneath her tattered jumpsuit. "I stink of the wasteland... probably smell like a real slaver. I'm gonna grab a shower."

"You don't stink like the wasteland. You just stink." He said teasingly as he smiled to her. "I already told you I don't drink. I won't go to the bar alone y'know..." He said before standing up to stretch. He looked around before grabbing his bag of ammo and his gun. "Well, if you're heading to take a shower, be my guest. But when you're ready to hit the bar, come and get me in my room alright Rayne?" He patted her shoulder gently before he began to walk away from the vault. Trading hours were done and no more raiders needed to go out or come back in. He was glad he was one of the few who knew how to work the vault door. After leaving her be, he began to walk toward his vault room.

Already having started for the interior of the Vault, Rayne stopped and starred increduously at Nathan's back as he passed her. Her jaw hanging slack in amazement for a moment before snapping closed with an audible click of her teeth. "I give you an obvious invitation to accidentaly catch me in the shower, and you completely ignore it... You really are sleeping with my mother, arent you?" Just another little rumor she'd picked up from Lexi, though this one, she saw, might have some truth to it.

Nathan's eyebrow twitched as he heard the rumor that he was sleeping with her mother. "N-No...Thats not it." He said as he turned around. "One...I'm not sleeping with your mother Rayne." He walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Secondly...You of all people should know I'm not like the other asshole slavers here that would jump to a peep show the first chance they had. And the truth behind that rumor is...well, you stay one night in your mother's chambers for punishment on leaving the vault door open and rumors fly around. It was just her scolding me all night...alright?" Though even he wasn't exactly sure if that was true himself. He didn't really remember much that night...He just remembered he got drunk once one night and lounge around outside the Overseer's office.

It was common for many of the Vault Dwellers to pester Michelle throughout the day, and sometimes the Overseer would mentally scold herself for forgetting to lock the door. “He wants us to abandon the Vault. Thinks we’ll be much safer outside in the wasteland than in here.” She smirked at the thought, clearly being too stubborn to accept any logical solution. It was up to her, and she didn’t want to leave here. Here, she was their leader. But if they left and found a new settlement, then she would no longer have her authority. Unless she allied herself with the strongest people in their group.

“I think he’s a little deluded about the outside world. You don’t find any deathclaws, radscorpions or mirelurks in Vault 38.” She then fixed her hair, continuing her attention on the Mexican. “So what brings you here? Are you here to tell me we should leave as well?”