it runs in the family

White noise and static filled the world around her as the black and white simulation faded away. After a few brief seconds of nothingness, Jay could feel herself mildly panicking— what if the program had done her father and herself in as well? What if that damned pre-war shit bag of a scientist had terminated them out of pettiness? The questions began to pile up in her head, swimming in a sea as chaotic as the static around her. Suddenly, it stopped, all at once. The feeling of the program shutting down and transitioning back to just a screen directly in front of her face almost gave her whiplash as she felt her head jolt downward into a leather cushion. Another wave of panic settled in her chest as she noticed how shallow her respiration had become while stuck in the stasis pod. This time, Jay willed herself to stay calm. The door would release her soon and she would be able see her father again.

Her panic soon turned to anxiousness at the thought of seeing her father. She briefly wondered what he would say to her— how he would react to seeing her outside of the vault. Jay quietly prepared herself for the confrontation to come while waiting for the machinery to let her out.

Soon enough, the air hissed as the mechanics in the stasis pod released, freeing Jay from its confines. A small pop indicated that the door to the pod was undone from the rest of the machine. Without hesitation, the Lone Wanderer pushed the piece of metal open with more force than necessary; the hinges almost giving in right then and there.

After sucking in a much-needed lungful of air, her eyes blinked wildly, desperately readjusting to the light of the real world as quickly as she was able to. Her entire body snapped upward, the sides of the stasis pod almost crushed in her vice grip. Dark eyes scanned the room as everything started to blur into focus. Finally, her gaze landed on the pod one over from her own as it released a hiss just like hers had done.

“Dad!” Jay breathed out, her voice croaking ever so slightly— almost as if from a lack of use. She briefly pondered just how long she had really been in that simulation. The thought was pushed away quickly, however, as she approached her father’s pod. She had lifted the hatch open for him, her sight never leaving the tired-looking man that had raised her for nineteen years as he weakly pushed himself up into a sitting position.

He grumbled as he took his time reorienting himself, rubbing absentmindedly at his face. Jay could see him attempting to force his eyes to focus on his surroundings. For what felt like an eternity to Jay, his sight remained forward— prompting the girl to worry that her father had possibly gone blind. Her worries her put to rest as his head then turned to look down at her.

Jay’s father stared at her for a moment, not uttering a word; it was almost as if he didn't believe she was standing in front of him. It made the anxiety in Jay’s chest bubble back up to the surface. She needed to say something to break the nerve-wracking silence. Before she could even think of what to say, her father’s low tenor cut through the air.

“Sweetheart, what happened to your glasses?” his voice sounded even more pathetic than her own, scratchy and cracking. Blinking a few times at him, she reached up and remembered that she still had her cracked glasses perched on the bridge of her nose. Jay quickly pushed the distorting frame back up her face and just continued to stare at her father, thinking about how the state of her glasses was the first thing he would comment on. At least one thing was for certain; the simulation hadn’t scrambled his brain at all.

Suddenly feeling too many emotions at once, she stomped them back down forcefully and kept her gaze just out of focus. She wanted to say something— give him a direct answer at least, but words failed her as she felt that wall she built up crumble just a bit.

Instead of talking, she let out a short breath and wrapped her arms around her father’s neck. It was a miracle that she was able to keep any tears at bay as her father returned her hug. Two months of fighting and tracking and sleepless nights had led up to this moment and she felt the weight of it all press into her all the while she tightened her embrace. She shrugged it off as best as she could— it had all been worth it.

It almost felt like all of it would dissolve as she felt her father pat her back gently. Almost.

“Thank you for getting me out of there, Jay. God knows how long I would’ve been a dog if you hadn’t come along. Speaking of which…” He broke away from her enough to look her in the face, her eyes twitching to retain a calm exterior. “What are you doing out of the vault? I told you to stay,” he had taken a hold of her shoulders, his face dimming.

Jay was unable to keep her eyes wandering from everywhere from her father as she spoke meekly. She had to take a moment to properly get the words out without stuttering. “I couldn’t stay, dad. The Overseer he almost had me killed.”

The man in front of her was taken aback by both her news and steady words. He had mirrored her own mannerisms, muttering something along the lines of ‘ I should have seen this coming’ under his breath before looking back to her. “I’m-I’m sorry I put you through that, honey, but I had to come back out here—”

“Project Purity. Yeah, I’ve heard about it here and there,” Jay quickly cut her father off. Both of them were slightly shocked from her sudden boldness. It was rather rude to cut off her father, she berated herself and shook her head slightly. Her voice was softer as she continued. “Your tapes; I found a few of them. I want to help you.”

James stopped and stared at her for a second, brows creased slightly, the wrinkles resting on the sides of his eyes standing out to her. She felt him analyzing her and the words she had said. He looked as if he didn’t believe her. She looked back at him in kind; she had nothing to hide.

After a beat, he spoke again. “Let’s talk about this further outside, Blue Jay.”

Jay followed him outside once more, the walk reminded her of the first time she had stepped outside of their own vault. At least she was there with him this time.

 

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"Grab your hankies, children, cause I've got a heart-warming tale to tell. It's about a little girl's search for her… for her daddy. Waaaahh! You see, the kid from Vault 101 has been looking for her dad, a very nice man named James, who left his daughter behind in the Vault when he took off. What kind of dad leaves his kid in an underground bunker? Children, I just don't know. It ain't for Three Dog to judge, and you shouldn't either. But none of that matters now! Father and daughter were spotted walkin' and talkin' together out there in the Wastes. Here's hoping they can hold onto each other this time around."