The General: Reunions

Chapter 1: War Never Changes

"War never changes," Mason remarked as he picked up his razor. Facial hair was something he didn't enjoy.
"You're gonna knock them dead at the veteran's hall tonight hun," his wife said as she walked up behind him, smiling at him. Mason grinned, the presence of her being enough to put him in a good mood. One thing he always wondered was how he managed to get her to marry him.
"You really think so, Nora?" Mason asked as he put the razor down. All that was left was to brush his hair, then he'd be good for the day.
"Absolutely. Now get ready and stop hogging the mirror," she remarked as he pat the top of her head. His normal way of greeting her at home whether it be morning or night.
"And who's the one who takes an hour to get ready," Mason joked as he grabbed his brush. After brushing it up and to the left, he turned to his wife and kissed her on the forehead. "Your turn, now."
As he left the bathroom, he closed the door and started to head to the kitchen, stopping by a picture of him and his siblings.
"I wonder how Grayson and Mera are doing," Mason pondered aloud. "I should give them a call later."
As he entered the kitchen, the Mr. Handy they had gotten less than a year ago greeted him.
"Good morning, sir! Your coffee. 173.5 degrees Fahrenheit. Brewed to perfection!"
"Thanks, Codsworth," Mason said as he picked up the cup. After sitting down at the counter, he picked up the newspaper on the counter and was about to start reading it before he heard Shaun crying. He was about to get up before Codsworth beat him to the punch.
"Ah! Sounds like someone made a stinky. I shall attend to young Shaun," he remarks as he jets out of the room. Mason was about to go back to reading his paper before realizing Nora had come in and picked up to read herself.
"You know, I was nervous at first, but Codsworth's really good with Shaun," she stated as she read the paper.
"He's like family at this point," Mason remarked before laughing. "You know, I was about to read that."
"Guess I beat you to it," she shot back with a smirk, making him roll his eyes with a grin.
"I guess," Mason said as he stood up to go sit on the couch, before seeing a salesman coming up to their house. Setting his coffee down, he went to the door to greet the man. As he walked to the door, he noticed the army was abnormally busy today, and he could hear vertibirds flying in the distance.
After straightening his shirt, Mason opened the door and the man stepped up to him, a smile wide on his face.
"Good morning," the man exclaimed as Mason stepped outside. "Vault-Tec calling!" Looking him over, Mason saw he was wearing a tan coat and a trilby hat.
Sporting a grin he had been told was contagious, Mason greeted the man. "Good morning."
"Isn't it. Just look at that sky out there," the man said before he cleared his throat. "You can't begin to know how happy I am to finally speak with you. I've been trying for days. It's a matter of utmost urgency, I assure you."
He'd heard of Vault-Tec, hard not when they built the vaults that were all over the U.S. And his siblings also told him how they had each gotten a spot in one.
"Then I'm glad you caught up with me," Mason remarked as the man looked up at him. One thing he had to be wary of was hitting his head on door frames, especially when he was wearing his boots.
"Oh, me too! You have no idea..." the representative said, trailing off at the end. "Now I know you're a busy fellow, so I won't take up much of your time. Time being a, um, a precious commodity. I'm here today to tell you that because of your family's service to our country, you have been pre-selected for entrance into the local vault," the representative said, making a wide gesture with his hands that made Mason look at him in confusion. "Vault One-Eleven!"
"There's room for my entire family, right?" Mason questioned. He didn't have much here in Massachusetts, and he wanted to be sure at least his family would be safe.
"Of course, of course. Minus your robot, naturally."
Mason had to agree with him on that. Codsworth wouldn't be affected by the radiation, and he could take more than a few hits.
"In fact, you're already cleared for entrance," the representative told Mason. "It's just a matter of verifying some information. Don't want there to be any holdups in the unforeseen event of... ahem... total atomic annihilation. Won't take but a moment."
"Pass me the clipboard," Mason remarked, not letting his grin leave his face.
"Splendid, splendid! Now let's see..." the representative said as he handed the clipboard to Mason. He had to fill it out with his full name as well as what the army and apparently Vault-Tec as well was called SPECIAL Stats, something they used for evaluating people.
Full Name: Mason Griffith Black
His strength was at a five, which wasn't surprising given his genetics. It was a bit surprising that his perception was a six considering his near-sightedness. His endurance and charisma were both fives as well, his charisma being due to his looks, and his endurance due to the runs he goes on in the mornings. His intelligence was a three, which didn't surprise many as he was a fairly simple person. His agility was a three, which was mainly due to all the fighting he does for exercise. His worst stat had always been his luck, which was a one. It's why he avoids casinos.
"Wonderful, that's everything," the representative said as Mason handed the clipboard back to him. "Uh... Just gonna walk this over to the vault. Congratulations on being prepared for the future!"
After the man backed down the driveway, Mason shut the door and turned to his wife. After smiling, Masin spoke. "I don't know why, but I feel like I should call Grayson or Mera later. Think we'll have time before the speech?"
"Go ahead and do it," Nora responded. "Better now than later."
"Thanks. It won't be long," Mason told her as he walked to their phone. After dialing a number, he picked it up and waited for a response. Mason got one after hearing a click.
"Hello?" a male voice like Mason's rang through.
"Hey, Grayson. It's Mason."
"Oh, hey man. It's been a while. What's going on over there? Also, are you paying for the call?"
"Yeah," Mason responded as he sat on a stool. "And nothing much, but I did get preselected for a vault. Vault One-Eleven. What was the one you got into again?"
"Vault Twenty-One. And it's perfect for me, worst case for you. It's like a casino!"
"Glad to hear you like it. I don't even know what ours is like."
After laughing, Grayson responded. "Seriously though, is everything alright? You seem sad about something."
"Nothings wrong," Mason responded, making sure to use a more upbeat tone. "I just wanted to call and catch up with you. I was gonna call Mera next. Anyway, have you found anyone over there?"
"You know me, Mason. I'm a hard man to ask for a date. Even harder to tie down."
"Well, let's hope you find someone. Mom and dad would have wanted you to have kids of your own."
"And I want them one day. But I ain't ready for it. I'm not like you. You've always had a cool head. Me, I'm not. Anyway, We're probably racking up a good bit of money on this call, so I'm gonna hang up. You call Mera now."
"Will do," Mason responded. "Talk to you later, Grayson."
After hearing the dial tone, Mason put the phone down and sighed.
"Is everything alright," Nora questioned as she hugged him from behind. "You seem bothered by something. What's on your mind?"
Mason was about to respond before Nora cut him off. "Don't try to say nothing. I know you better than you think. Don't lie to me."
"It just seems like something's about to happen. Something big. And it doesn't feel like it'll be good."
"Well, maybe you'll feel better after calling Mera. You know she can calm your nerves better than I can."
"Yeah," Mason said as he put her number in. "Hopefully. Usually I can shake off these feelings, but there's something... different, about this one."
As Nora went back to reading the paper, Mason heard a click and a female answered.
"Dang it, Mason. You beat me to the call today," the lady remarked. "What are you calling for anyway?"
"Pleasure to hear from you too, Mera," Mason said. "How'd you know it was me?"
"No one else would call me this early in the morning. Besides, I've been wondering how the Goliath is doing."
"Well, like I told Grayson, I did get preselected for a vault. What was the one you got into again?"
"Vault Seventy-Six. Just graduated college and got handpicked for it. Always telling people to aim for the top, and they just settled. Let me tell you, some people don't understand you need to aim for the top to succeed. So, how are Nora and Shaun?"
"They're doing good," Mason responded, a grin forming on his face. Just the way his sister acted was enough to put him in a better mood. It was rather amusing. "Shaun misses you, and Nora misses your conversations."
"Who wouldn't," Mera laughed. "Well, I gotta go. Something just came on the television. Smell ya later."
Mason put the phone down and sighed in relief. That helped his nerves calm down and after a minute, he grinned. He was about to go sit by Nora when Codsworth came hovering into the room, and he heard Shaun crying. "Mister Black, Shaun has been changed, but he absolutely refuses to calm down. I think he needs some of that 'Paternal affection' you seem to be so good at."
"I can take care of it if you want," Nora offered, before seeing his smile.
"I'll be fine," Mason remarked as he patted her shoulder. "I'll go calm him down."
He made his way to Shaun's room and found him writhing and wriggling in his blankets. Mason smiled as he reached into the crib to rub Shaun's stomach, taking note that he had inherited his eyes while getting his mother's prominent nose. "Everything's alright, bud," Mason spoke softly, calming Shaun down. Mason noticed him reaching to the mobile and got an idea. "You love your mobile, don't you," he remarked as he spun it for him.
"How are the two most important men of my life doing," Mason heard Nora say, and he turned to see her leaning on the door frame. "Listen, after breakfast, I was thinking we could head to the park for a bit. Weather should hold up."
"Sounds perfect," Mason said as he stood up.
"Sir! Mum! I think you should see this!" he heard Codsworth yell, his voice anxious and worried. As if the temperature dropped a few degrees, Mason's horrible feeling from earlier came crashing into him.
"Please let this be good news," Mason remarked as he picked up Shaun, holding him carefully as he walked to the living room, Nora following him. As he nears the living room, he can hear sirens in the distance, vertibirds flying overhead. Not only that, but why were people shouting and screaming. As he entered the living room, Mason saw the news reporter on the television, with confirmation of flashes and explosions, and now they had lost contact with stations and outposts. "...We do have confirmed reports of nuclear detonations in New York and Pennsylvania... My God..." The man's voice cuts off as the screen turns blank, the signal disappearing. Mason's heart starts beating rapidly, and he turns to Nora. "We... We need to get to the Vault. Now!"
They rush out the door, Shaun in Mason's arms. As they ran by, he could see how frantic his neighbors were, a majority running to the vault, while others were hugging. The army was blocking the entrance to Sanctuary, directing everyone through the forest leading to the vault. He and Nora follow the path, overtaking their neighbors, breathing heavily as they get to the bridge. At the entrance, they see a whole crowd trying to get in, everyone screaming and crying. "We have to get in!" one lady wailed.\
"Oh my god, oh my god," one man repeated over and over, rocking himself as if trying to wake from a nightmare.
As they shoulder through the crowd, Mason notices the representative from earlier trying to get in. "This is absurd! I am Vault-Tec!"
"If your name isn't on the list, you aren't going in," the officer in the gateway yelled angrily. Mason couldn't believe they wouldn't have a place for their own employee. What sort of company was Vault-Tec?
The representative puffed out his chest. "I am going in – you can't stop me!"
A soldier in power armor started to fire up his minigun, making the rep step back real quick. As he runs up, Mason yells, "We need to get in! We're on the list!"
The officer checked his clipboard, looking over at them. "Infant, adult male, adult female... okay, go ahead."
"Thank you!" Nora says as we go through the gate. As they were going through, Mason couldn't believe the absurdity of the description. That could have fit anyone there!
"What's going to happen to everyone outside the gate," Nora asked as they ran to the entrance.
"We're doing everything we can, now get moving!" the soldier yelled.
"Stand on the platform in the center," another yells as they step onto the giant gear on the ground. At least that's what it looked like to Mason. Staring out over Sanctuary, Mason understood why he had a feeling of dread. He'd never see his siblings again. Those phone calls would be the last time he heard them speak. Looking over the landscape, Mason understood he'd never see the world the same way again. Looking over at Nora, Mason takes her hand in his, reassuring himself more than her that this was actually happening.
"We're gonna be okay," Mason said, panting as he looked at her and Shaun. "I love you. Both of you."
"We love you too," Nora manages to say before a thunderous roar tore through the sky. Then the sky seemed to split- The orange and grey of the explosion, a stark contrast to the blue sky. In that minute, Mason pulled Nora down as his vision turned white, holding Shaun closer to his chest.
As the cloud is nearing them, Nora yells"Oh my god!"
Mason was thankful when the lift started moving because when the cloud hit the edge of the compound, it had just gotten them lowered to the point it wouldn't incinerate them. As they sank into the ground, he understood one thing. The world above would never be the same after today.
As the lift lowered, Shaun cried, both from the sounds of the bombs, and the gears grinding. Mason began patting his back, whispering sweet nothings into his ear. As they reached the bottom, Mason turned to Nora, who was looking at Shaun in worry before she saw he had calmed down. While not relieved exactly, she did feel a bit better since he was doing better.
Once the gate had opened, they got a look into the vault they'd be spending the rest of their lives in. It was a good thing Mason liked blue, otherwise, he would've gotten sick of all of it. Looking in front of them, Mason sees a man in a guard uniform and a man in a form-fitting suit. Was he really going to have to wear one of those?
"No need to worry folks," the man in the suit said, Mason questioning the false smile on his face. Why was he smiling when the bombs just dropped? "We'll get everyone situated in your new home, Vault 111! A better future underground..."
Mason didn't believe the man. No one should be smiling after what happened.
"Is everything alright, hon?" Nora asked him as they headed up the stairs.
"My brother and sister... If I hadn't called them," Mason remarked, a hint of sorrow in his voice. As they walk, he notes that despite the lights, the vault is still a bit dark. Everywhere he looked, he saw metal flooring and walls, thinking this wasn't a place to raise a child. He hoped Shaun would turn out alright. As they step off the walkway into the vault, they walk up to a woman passing out vault suits and wait for their turn. As Mason gets his suit, he continues holding Shaun, tucking the suit under his arm to keep a hold onto him.
"Thanks. What do we do now?" Mason asked as the woman handed Nora her suit.
"Just follow the doctor here," the lady instructed them. "He'll show you where to go."
"Alright you three," a doctor, who had a worse smile than Mason's mother when she heard of his engagement, said. "Follow me."
Walking down the corridor, Mason's uncertain and wary of the space. He wasn't sure if it was just him, but he could hear dripping water, as well as the footsteps and voices of everyone. The voices and footsteps were definitely real, but why was water dripping?
"Don't worry bud," Mason told Shaun as they walked. "This is our new home." Shaun wasn't crying, and Mason knew why. He understood this was their new home.
"Oh, you'll love it here," the doctor told them as they walked. "This is one of the most advanced vaults – not that the others aren't great, mind you."
Mason didn't care too much for the doctor's words. He was getting an uneasy feeling about the place. Something telling him it'd be a bad idea to get into one of the pods there. As they got to the end of the pods, the doctor turned to them.
"Just step in here and put your vault suit on," the doctor told them, gesturing to a pod beside Mason. Shaun starts crying, and Nora looks worried for a minute before Mason starts calming him down.
"Don't worry bud. Just have a few more things to do before we can put you down for a nap," Mason tells him as he pats his back. As Nora changes into her vault suit, he works on keeping Shaun calm, while also looking at his wife. He didn't know how he'd get by without her. When she was done, he handed Shaun over to her and stripped down. After putting on his vault suit, he picked up his pants and took his wallet out of it, and put it in a pocket on the jumpsuit. He was about to step into the pod when he gets this feeling to talk to Nora real quick.
"Hey, hon." Mason says as he steps up to her. "You've got Shaun, right?"
"Of course, don't worry," Nora reassures him. "It's my turn now, big guy. Just go get in your pod now."
"Of course," Mason says as he leans down and kisses her forehead. "I'll be right over there if you need me. I love you."
"If you keep saying that, it might start to lose its meaning," Nora jokes. Mason grinned as he turned around to get into his pod. After stepping in and getting situated he sighs before tensing up as it closes. Something was wrong. Everything in him was telling him to get out of this. Don't trust these people.
"The pod will decontaminate and depressurize you before we head deeper into the vault. Just relax," one of the doctors stated as the door sealed. Mason still didn't understand what was happening. Why did they need to depressurize? As he looks across at Nora, he puts his hand on the glass, his ring clinking against it as he does. He sees her dark eyes one last time before sighing.
"Time for a whole new life."
"Resident: secure. Occupant vitals: normal," a voice resonates in the chamber, registering his bodily processes and heartbeat. "Procedure complete. In..."
Cold air starts hissing in from all sides, causing Mason to flinch. He didn't fight it, but what did this have to do with depressurizing him? Suddenly he starts breathing heavily. It feels like it's freezing and burning him at the same time, making him gasp as it drops below zero in less than five seconds.
"Three...two...one..."
His eyes close, his breathing slows, and he drifts into somewhere unknown.
Mason's not aware of much, just that he was cold, his breathing uneven. It feels like it's been a long time. How long had he been out for?
"This is the one," a woman, who Mason notices is wearing a hazmat suit, says as she enters his field of vision, pointing at Nora's pod. He starts banging, trying to get their attention. Either they don't notice him, or they don't care. They don't take notice of him as they step up to Nora's vault. A man with a black leather jacket and a metal brace of sorts steps up to the pod, assessing it as he holds a revolver in his hand. Mason began beating on the window, trying to get out. Every fiber of his being was telling him to get out, to get over to Nora. Something was telling him he needed to protect her.
"Open it," the man said as he stepped back, taking no notice of Mason's pounding.
The woman presses the button, doing what she's told. There's hissing at the door, and it slides open, Nora leans forward, holding Shaun, coughing in fresh air. Mason bangs harder, to the point he's started to feel pain. It doesn't matter. To him, he needed to get to Nora, to get in front of her and keep her safe! Why wasn't this damn door opening?
Shaun starts crying as he feels the temperate air, and hazmat reaches forward for Shaun. When Mason sees Nora hold onto him, he starts banging harder, trying to get out. It feels like a bone has cracked now, and he keeps banging, having seen a situation like this years ago.
"No – I've got him!" Nora tells them, Mason frantically trying to break out. He wants the people to leave them alone. They hadn't done anything, why are they trying to take Shaun.
"Let the boy go," the man says, aiming his revolver at Nora, sending fear down Mason's back, leading to him hitting the glass as hard as he can. The pain in his hand is throbbing, though he ignores it as he tries to break the window. Tears of frustration start to form in his eyes, knowing what's about to happen. "I'm only going to tell you once."
"I'm not giving you Shaun!" Nora yells as she holds on to Shaun.
Mason keeps banging, tears falling down-
BANG!
The banging stops and Mason can't help but stare in disbelief. He watches as she slumps back, and the woman takes Shaun. His kid. That's his son! His mind goes from grief to anger, and he begins doing what he can to get out, banging the window with both hands.
"Better get out of here. Let's go," and before the man walks away, he walks up to Mason, who glares at him, making the man step back a bit.
"At least we still have the back up," the man says, smirking as he walks away.
Mason begins banging again before the cold hit him. He can't go back to sleep. He has to kill that bastard!