Fallout : Nature's revenge

the elected catastrophe

"Good morning residents of vault 99, today is the day we've been waiting on for 70 years, please proceed to the atrium for the election", the overseer said calmly in a soft voice to the speaker. "Justin, it's time to wake up. It's the election".
"Since when are you excited for the election?" Justin said in a tired and half asleep voice.

"Since I want to get out of this hole in the ground, remember?"
"All right, I'm gonna put my suit on and go to the atrium or are you going to come with me?" Justin puts on his blue vault suit with the numbers 99 on the back in a gold-ish colour.
"I'll go with you, give me 5 minutes", Max said enthusiastically while putting on his shoes. "What are you going to do if they call your name Max?" Justin asks in a worried tone. "I don't know yet, there are hundreds of other vault dwellers here so the chance is small".
"But uhm... are you ready to go?"
"Yeah, I just have to put on my last shoe ... and I'm done".

When the door closed behind them they enter the residential hallway with a few people walking to the atrium, after passing a seemingly never ending hallway of residential quarters they enter the grand and flourishing atrium.

It's filled with balloons and a podium right in the middle of the atrium, a crowd of people gather around the podium with a man in his 50s on the top.
"Justin, look, it's the overseer!" He runs towards the overseer and disappears in the huge crowd. "Max! Come back, it's going to begi-"

"Welcome folks, today we're gathered here for a very important reason, the election", The crowd goes wild with an applause that can be heard from across the vault. "Now, the point of the election is that one person from vault 99 ventures out in to the wasteland to see if it's habitable again so that we may settle in the nearby town, then we can rebuild America to it's former glory".
The overseer walks towards a table with a bowl on top, hundreds of names, overseer included all in the bowl.
"It's time," he says with a stressful voice, "time to choose a name".
The crowd goes silent, not even a whisper can be heard, only the breathing of nearby residents.

"The person that has to venture beyond our safe walls is...,"

"Austin Greenberg".
the overseer has a hard time believing his own words when he read the name out loud.

-Austin Greenberg, the overseer's son, there isn't a more fitting candidate in the vault. He is in my class and a real example for everyone.- Justin thought to himself.

The crowd applauds Austin, he steps up to the podium awaiting a loving father covered in joyful tears. "I hope you can be an example out there as you are in here, I hope you return safely".
"dad, do I really have to do this?" Austin said barely breathing.
"You do".

When everyone returns to their chambers Justin and Max go to their quarters and eat dinner.

"Austin is a bit young isn't he? He's only 19", Justin said while pouring water in his glass. "Be glad it wasn't one of us, and honestly,  I don't think he's going to survive it out there anyway".
"Hey Max, show some respect, he might die but he'll be remembered", he said while eating fresh vegetables.
"What's going to happen if he fails to do the mission or dies? Won't they send another person until they succeed?" Max said with a worrying tone in his voice. "I think they'll do that but that's up to the council and overseer", Justin said while putting a piece of salisbury steak in his mouth.
"What do you think will be out there?" Max said curiously.
"Probably a barren wasteland with dangerous creatures and nobody left, places once filled with glory sitting in ruin", Justin speculated.
"and if there are people out there?"
"We'll discuss this later after Austin has returned, he'll answer your questions".