Vault 8, Level 3: Computer Hardware and Easy Listening
"So, what can you tell me about Vault City?" Sativa asked as they approached the lift.
"Vault City? Well, actually, there's not much to say. I mean, I've been a Citizen all my life... but there's not much to do in Vault City," she admitted. "At all."
"It seems a shame that a beautiful young woman such as yourself can't find something to do in Vault City," said Sativa.
Phyllis blushed slightly and jabbed the call button, answering, "Look, I know you're a new Citizen and all, and I don't mean to throw a damper on your Citizenship, but this City can be VERY dull at times."
The place makes me want to claw my skin off. "Dull? How so?"
"I mean, have you noticed how similar everyone is? And OLD? Most of the seminars and extracurricular activities are geared towards octogenarians. I'm barely twenty-five, and this city makes me feel like I'm fifty."
"Uh... octo-genarians? You mean the guards?" The door opened and they stepped into the elevator.
"Uh no, 'octogenarian' is an adjective that refers to a person who is eighty years old," Phyllis explained with a small laugh, pressing the button for Level 3.
"Oh. Speaking of old, I noticed there aren't any children in the city," she mentioned as the doors closed and the lift descended, indicator beginning its journey from one end of the gauge to the other.
"Well... yes," Phyllis nodded. "Actually, there aren't. Yet. I don't know if anyone told you yet, Vault City is a planned community. We're not due for another pregnancy cycle until a few years from now."
Confused Sativa was confused. "Uh... a pregnancy cycle?"
"Yes. Pregnancies are permitted only during certain years established by the Council."
"What if you get pregnant anyway?" She asked as the the lift came to a halt with a sharp 'Ding!"
This time it was Phyllis who was puzzled. "How would that happen?"
"Uh, last I heard, SEX can make someone pregnant." She never had medical training on par with Vault City standards, but she figured that would be pretty common knowledge.
"Oh, you mean intercourse? Intercourse is still allowed outside of pregnancy cycles," the Resident Medical Assistant explained while they strode down the corridor.
"Doesn't... that... make people pregnant?"
"Oh, no, no..." Phyllis shook her head. "You see, our pregnancies don't result from intercourse."
"...I'm afraid to ask. But I will anyway."
"Male Citizens... 'donate' to the Auto-Doc here in the Vault and the most favorable matches are chosen by the computer. Then the appropriate female Citizen is seeded by the Auto-Doc. Central computer's to the left," she said as they came to a junction.
Sativa grimaced at hearing of such a clinical process. "Don't people still get pregnant from intercourse? What about accidental pregnancies?"
"Well, actually..." Phyllis frowned contemplatively. "You see, this is something I've been thinking about recently, but Citizens don't seem to have accidental pregnancies. The only successful pregnancies have been facilitated by the Auto-Doc."
"Maybe it's just because they don't have much real sex around here," Sativa suggested with a shrug, eager to change the subject. "Anyway, you were talking about how similar everyone is?"
"It's like they're all..." She struggled for the right word to describe them. "...Clones. They all dress alike, act alike, and the worst part is that everybody seems happy with it. I..." She sighed, "Well, sometimes I worry that I'll end up being just like them. That probably sounds silly, huh?"
Sativa shook her head "Not at all. Pressure to conform must be pretty rough around here, especially considering how... insular a community Vault City is."
"Yeah, it can get kind of overwhelming at times. But here I am, bringing down your opinion of Vault City. Don't misunderstand me. It's a great place to live."
She had to laugh at this. Really. "Just a suggestion, but you might want to travel a little outside of Vault City. Even speak to some of the merchants in the Courtyard. They might be able to broaden your horizons a little."
Phyllis gave this some thought. "Well, I've been tempted to go outside the gate, but the other Citizens have warned me against it..."
"That's just another reason to do it," the Tribal goaded, "You don't want to do what the other Citizens do, do you? They're all set in their ways."
"You know, you're right," Phyllis decided. "Maybe I will step outside the gate when I get the chance. I'd like to know more about the outside world."
"It'll be good for you." Unless she gets eaten alive, or worse. Well, what can you do? "Is this it?" She asked as they came to a bank of terminals.
"This is the Central Computer. You can access it from any one of the terminals here," Phyllis indicated.
"Right. Um, I'm not all that good with computers. Do you think you can give me a hand?"
"Well, all right," the nurse relented. "I'll help you get started, but then I need to return to my post. There's also some learning terminals down here, I'd take some time with those as well if I were you. Now, these all run on a Unified Operating System, so it's pretty straightforward..."
"...Bum-ba-bum-ba... Maaaay-beeee..."
Sativa had lost track of the time she'd spent at the learning terminal tucked away in the corner of the third subfloor when she heard this truly angelic voice.
"Yoooou'll think of meee... when you are alllll alone..."
She rubbed her eyes, blinking away the afterimage of countless pages of incomprehensible information and got up from her chair at the terminal to look for the source of the singing.
"Maaaay-beeee... the one whooo... is waaaaa-ting for yooou...
...will prove un-truuuuuue...
...then what will yooou dooooo?"
She left the room and followed the voice down the corridor to the space outside what was once the Overseers's office where she found a slack-jawed man in a servant's uniform, pushing a broom and singing to an unseen audience.
He didn't notice her approach as he pantomimed the clapping and roaring of a crowd. "Th-th-thank you, th-th-thank you...yuh-yuh-you're a wonderful audience. An enh-encore? Ouh-okay!" His singing voice was better than his speaking voice, that was certain. As was his screaming voice, as she found out when she came up behind him and said hello. "Wh-?! Aighhh!"
"Whoa, easy there!" she held up her hands, trying to calm him down.
"Yuh-yuh-you nearly sc-scairt the life uh-outta me," he exclaimed, clutching at his chest.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."
"Th-that's okay. It's juhst nuh-not muh-many people come inta the Vault."
"Who are you?" She asked. "What is it you do here?" Besides push dust around and croon to an imaginary audience.
"Juhst keep an uh-uh-eye on things in stuh-storage down here. Muh-Muh-Make shure all the doors stay luh-luh-locked."
"Do you have a key?" It couldn't hurt to ask, could it?
He shook his head. "Uh-uh. Dozn't mattuh, cuz muh-muh-most doors are juh-juh-jammed shu-shut anyway."
She looked around. "What do you store down here?"
"Spuh-spuh-spare parts...suh-suh-supplies...and uh-uh-ore..."
She patiently waited for him to reach the end of his sentence. "Ore?"
"Uh-uh-ore from Ruh-Ruh-Redding...nuh-nuh-not so muh-muh-much any-more."
"Not much ore from Redding? Why not?"
"Duh-duh-don't know. Mic-Clure's really wuh-wuh-worried 'bout it."
"Oh. Thanks anyway." She was sure this would all be interesting to know to someone who actually cared. Feeling like being supportive, she told him, "You have a great singing voice. You should keep practicing."
He smiled. "Th-th-thanks! That's n-nice of you to say."
She left him to his work and headed for the elevator, humming the song as she went.
"Vault City? Well, actually, there's not much to say. I mean, I've been a Citizen all my life... but there's not much to do in Vault City," she admitted. "At all."
"It seems a shame that a beautiful young woman such as yourself can't find something to do in Vault City," said Sativa.
Phyllis blushed slightly and jabbed the call button, answering, "Look, I know you're a new Citizen and all, and I don't mean to throw a damper on your Citizenship, but this City can be VERY dull at times."
The place makes me want to claw my skin off. "Dull? How so?"
"I mean, have you noticed how similar everyone is? And OLD? Most of the seminars and extracurricular activities are geared towards octogenarians. I'm barely twenty-five, and this city makes me feel like I'm fifty."
"Uh... octo-genarians? You mean the guards?" The door opened and they stepped into the elevator.
"Uh no, 'octogenarian' is an adjective that refers to a person who is eighty years old," Phyllis explained with a small laugh, pressing the button for Level 3.
"Oh. Speaking of old, I noticed there aren't any children in the city," she mentioned as the doors closed and the lift descended, indicator beginning its journey from one end of the gauge to the other.
"Well... yes," Phyllis nodded. "Actually, there aren't. Yet. I don't know if anyone told you yet, Vault City is a planned community. We're not due for another pregnancy cycle until a few years from now."
Confused Sativa was confused. "Uh... a pregnancy cycle?"
"Yes. Pregnancies are permitted only during certain years established by the Council."
"What if you get pregnant anyway?" She asked as the the lift came to a halt with a sharp 'Ding!"
This time it was Phyllis who was puzzled. "How would that happen?"
"Uh, last I heard, SEX can make someone pregnant." She never had medical training on par with Vault City standards, but she figured that would be pretty common knowledge.
"Oh, you mean intercourse? Intercourse is still allowed outside of pregnancy cycles," the Resident Medical Assistant explained while they strode down the corridor.
"Doesn't... that... make people pregnant?"
"Oh, no, no..." Phyllis shook her head. "You see, our pregnancies don't result from intercourse."
"...I'm afraid to ask. But I will anyway."
"Male Citizens... 'donate' to the Auto-Doc here in the Vault and the most favorable matches are chosen by the computer. Then the appropriate female Citizen is seeded by the Auto-Doc. Central computer's to the left," she said as they came to a junction.
Sativa grimaced at hearing of such a clinical process. "Don't people still get pregnant from intercourse? What about accidental pregnancies?"
"Well, actually..." Phyllis frowned contemplatively. "You see, this is something I've been thinking about recently, but Citizens don't seem to have accidental pregnancies. The only successful pregnancies have been facilitated by the Auto-Doc."
"Maybe it's just because they don't have much real sex around here," Sativa suggested with a shrug, eager to change the subject. "Anyway, you were talking about how similar everyone is?"
"It's like they're all..." She struggled for the right word to describe them. "...Clones. They all dress alike, act alike, and the worst part is that everybody seems happy with it. I..." She sighed, "Well, sometimes I worry that I'll end up being just like them. That probably sounds silly, huh?"
Sativa shook her head "Not at all. Pressure to conform must be pretty rough around here, especially considering how... insular a community Vault City is."
"Yeah, it can get kind of overwhelming at times. But here I am, bringing down your opinion of Vault City. Don't misunderstand me. It's a great place to live."
She had to laugh at this. Really. "Just a suggestion, but you might want to travel a little outside of Vault City. Even speak to some of the merchants in the Courtyard. They might be able to broaden your horizons a little."
Phyllis gave this some thought. "Well, I've been tempted to go outside the gate, but the other Citizens have warned me against it..."
"That's just another reason to do it," the Tribal goaded, "You don't want to do what the other Citizens do, do you? They're all set in their ways."
"You know, you're right," Phyllis decided. "Maybe I will step outside the gate when I get the chance. I'd like to know more about the outside world."
"It'll be good for you." Unless she gets eaten alive, or worse. Well, what can you do? "Is this it?" She asked as they came to a bank of terminals.
"This is the Central Computer. You can access it from any one of the terminals here," Phyllis indicated.
"Right. Um, I'm not all that good with computers. Do you think you can give me a hand?"
"Well, all right," the nurse relented. "I'll help you get started, but then I need to return to my post. There's also some learning terminals down here, I'd take some time with those as well if I were you. Now, these all run on a Unified Operating System, so it's pretty straightforward..."
"...Bum-ba-bum-ba... Maaaay-beeee..."
Sativa had lost track of the time she'd spent at the learning terminal tucked away in the corner of the third subfloor when she heard this truly angelic voice.
"Yoooou'll think of meee... when you are alllll alone..."
She rubbed her eyes, blinking away the afterimage of countless pages of incomprehensible information and got up from her chair at the terminal to look for the source of the singing.
"Maaaay-beeee... the one whooo... is waaaaa-ting for yooou...
...will prove un-truuuuuue...
...then what will yooou dooooo?"
She left the room and followed the voice down the corridor to the space outside what was once the Overseers's office where she found a slack-jawed man in a servant's uniform, pushing a broom and singing to an unseen audience.
He didn't notice her approach as he pantomimed the clapping and roaring of a crowd. "Th-th-thank you, th-th-thank you...yuh-yuh-you're a wonderful audience. An enh-encore? Ouh-okay!" His singing voice was better than his speaking voice, that was certain. As was his screaming voice, as she found out when she came up behind him and said hello. "Wh-?! Aighhh!"
"Whoa, easy there!" she held up her hands, trying to calm him down.
"Yuh-yuh-you nearly sc-scairt the life uh-outta me," he exclaimed, clutching at his chest.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you."
"Th-that's okay. It's juhst nuh-not muh-many people come inta the Vault."
"Who are you?" She asked. "What is it you do here?" Besides push dust around and croon to an imaginary audience.
"Juhst keep an uh-uh-eye on things in stuh-storage down here. Muh-Muh-Make shure all the doors stay luh-luh-locked."
"Do you have a key?" It couldn't hurt to ask, could it?
He shook his head. "Uh-uh. Dozn't mattuh, cuz muh-muh-most doors are juh-juh-jammed shu-shut anyway."
She looked around. "What do you store down here?"
"Spuh-spuh-spare parts...suh-suh-supplies...and uh-uh-ore..."
She patiently waited for him to reach the end of his sentence. "Ore?"
"Uh-uh-ore from Ruh-Ruh-Redding...nuh-nuh-not so muh-muh-much any-more."
"Not much ore from Redding? Why not?"
"Duh-duh-don't know. Mic-Clure's really wuh-wuh-worried 'bout it."
"Oh. Thanks anyway." She was sure this would all be interesting to know to someone who actually cared. Feeling like being supportive, she told him, "You have a great singing voice. You should keep practicing."
He smiled. "Th-th-thanks! That's n-nice of you to say."
She left him to his work and headed for the elevator, humming the song as she went.