War. War never changes. Before fire rained from the sky on the day the earth was forever changed, your ancestors had the foresight to seal themselves off in Vault 27, deep in the belly of Lead Mountain in the California desert.
Whether it was paranoia or foresight you'll never know, but either way it meant the same thing… survival.
Life in the vault was hard but fair, and at times almost bordered on idyllic. But nothing lasts forever.
A few years back there was an uprising, a revolution spurred on by a man named Billy and his outrageous claims that favoritism and nepotism were rampant in rationing and work assignments.
The vault-dwellers were distraught at this disruption to their paradise, and Billy was cast out of in exile. For a time, things returned to normal…but then the rations started getting smaller. And smaller still. "It's due to the booming population", the Overseer would say, or "we lost a few extra barrels to the tunnel rats this year".
It soon became evident that things were worse than imagined, and there was another revolt. The Overseer was deposed and jailed, and for the first time the general population of Vault 27 saw with their own eyes the ration and supply storehouses… and found them mostly empty. Billy's accusations had been true, the Overseer had favored family and friends at the expense of the rest of the population, and now the Vault was in a dire situation.
A ruling council was quickly elected, and it was determined that Billy the exile must be located, and trade lines with the outside world must be opened at once. All able-bodied adults ages 20-25 were entered into a lottery, and you were the five that were chosen. You did not volunteer, you did not ask for the assignment, you were merely given what sparse supplies could be spared and ushered toward the surface without so much as a goodbye.
For the first time in your life, the large vault door rolled to the side and fresh air blew through your hair. You were quickly and unceremoniously forced out, and the massive steel vault door closed with a resonant boom.
From the alcove in Lead Mountain where the door to Vault 27 lies, natural sunlight warms your skin for the first time. The light stings as your eyes adjust to more light than they've ever had to deal with, and when the world comes into focus you can see that beyond the cave opening lies a vast wasteland. Charred trees, scorched rocks, a broken road, and the desolate remains of a small town a few miles off in the desert are all that greet you.
