The voices around him seemed to be imaginary. He couldn't understand them, yet they were all talking to him at once. He instantly lost sight of what he had been doing, and the white flash of light had almost blinded him. Matthew looked down to the ground, rubbing his eyes hard against the stabbing pain that filled his head. He felt as though he was going to pass out again, but he fought the feeling. He looked up to a group of Vault dwellers in party hats, and streamers and balloons decorated the diner in which they stood. He then worked out what they were saying to him.
"Surprise!" the group yelled in unison as the lights flicked on.
"Stanley, you turned the lights on too fast, you blinded the poor kid!" someone exclaimed, but Matt couldn't see who past his father, Amata and the Overseer standing in front of him, all clapping in congratulatory celebration to his aging.
Matthew's father stood in front of him, his arms crossed over his chest, smiling at his son. He wore his usual lab coat over his blue and yellow Vault 101 jumpsuit that everyone wore, and his beard had been shaved shorter since that morning. His hair was slightly graying, but he was only 35. The Overseer was 39, and he looked at the young child in front of him and spoke up.
"Can you believe it? He is growing up so fast!" Matthew heard Old Lady Palmer say to somebody nearby.
James stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his son, who was quite tall for his age.
"Happy birthday, pal! I can't believe you're already 10. I'm so proud of you. If only your mother..."
"Congratulations, young man!" the Overseer interrupted, stepping towards Matt. "I don't have to tell you how special this day is, do I?"
He put his hand behind his back, and Matt knew what was coming next. James moved back out of the way for the Overseer to move closer to him. Matt prepared himself for the speech that he had heard a thousand times before. He was the youngest child in the Vault, whether it be by years or just because he was born on December 15th, and everyone was born before that, and he had heard the "Pip-Boy Speech" so many times already. That didn't stop the Overseer though.
"Down here in Vault 101, when you turn 10, well, you're ready to take on your first official Vault responsibilities. So here you are! As Overseer, I hereby present to you your very own Pip-Boy 3000! Get used to it. You'll be getting your first work assignment tomorrow!"
The Overseer laughed at his joke as he held out the Pip-Boy to Matt to see, then handed it to James to help put on his son. James grabbed the Pip-Boy fingerless glove each wore underneath their devices, and slipped it over Matt's wrist. He then opened the Pip-Boy, placing it over Matt's wrist, but he stopped before he closed it.
"Now, this might hurt just a little bit. The device has to fuse to your arm, and to your veins. It becomes literally a part of you. Don't worry, it's just a little sting." James reassured his son, "Ready?"
Matt nodded, and James clipped the device down. Matt yelped in pain as the sharp needle-like part of the Pip-Boy penetrated his skin, and dove deep into his arm. His arm felt as thought it were on fire, as the wires and particles fused into his body. James stood with his hand on Matt's shoulder until the pain subsided, leaving in its absence a dull ache that resonated up his arm into his shoulder.
"Are you alright?" James asked his son, who just nodded, "Well, better be on your way then. I'm sure there's plenty of guests waiting to wish you a happy birthday."
Matt nodded and watched James walk over to the bar in the diner, sitting on a stool, and Amata made her way over to Matt. Amata was only a few months older than Matt, and already had her own Pip-Boy, and she could see the uneasy look on her friend's face.
