Please Stand By

Chapter One: The First Day

Charlotte breathed deeply and sighed, worried building in her stomach about what lay ahead of her: the condition of her home and if anyone else had survived. She continued over the bridge and towards Sanctuary. As she got closer to the houses she could hear a faint buzz-saw like sound. Her heart started racing again, excitement coursing through her veins. Once she got to the house on the corner of the road she paused, hesitating. For a brief moment she felt scared; what if whoever was out there wasn't friendly? But what if it was a neighbor who survived? What if it was someone she knew, someone from before the bombs? Charlotte rubbed her eyes. This day was beginning to feel like the longest day of her life. Sighing again, she stood up straight, squared her shoulders and turned the corner. While the buzzing sound continued, she couldn't see anyone. Not a single person in sight and the homes looked like they had been abandoned for a while now, empty and quiet.

Charlotte kept walking towards the buzzing sound. The road was uneven and rubble was everywhere, including mounds of overgrown grass in both the sidewalk and the road. Her home was just a few feet ahead now. Her heart skipped a beat as she walked faster, praying that things were left as they were. From what she could see, her house was still intact. The door was bright and clean, but the windows were covered in a strange brown substance that made it difficult to peer inside.

The buzzing noise abruptly stopped and she was surrounded by the deafening silence again. Pistol at the ready, she took a deep breath to calm her nerves. "Hello? Is someone there?" she called out, pointing the pistol at the front door. There was a rustling sound from inside the house and Charlotte stepped back.

Suddenly the door swung open to reveal Codsworth, her robot butler from before the bombs. He looked a little worn and rusted but otherwise intact. Surprised, her pistol fell out of her hand and clattered to the ground. A million thoughts were going through her brain, but none of the made sense.

"Miss Charlotte?!" Codsworth exclaimed. "I cannot believe it's really you!" He hovered a little closer and his metal eyes squinted at her. "My God it is you. It's really you!" He spun on the spot and dropped the rag from his claw. "Oh how I worried about you and the husband and young Shaun when the sirens rang. You all left so fast... and... well I... I.."

"Codsworth," Charlotte whispered, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry we left you in such a rush. We were in such a hurry and the bombs... the bombs came so fast." She muttered. "I'm so sorry for leaving you behind." She bent down to pick up the pistol.

"Not to worry Mum! Since you've been gone, I've tasked myself with cleaning up the mess that was left behind." Codsworth swung his metal arm out. "I spent the first ten years trying to keep the floors waxed, but nothing gets out nuclear fallout from the vinyl wood. Nothing! And don't get me started about the futility of dusting a collapsed house. And the car! The car! How do you polish rust!?" Even though the robot couldn't cry or show emotions, it was clear he was in a panic. The three eyes were rapidly opening and closing and spinning in all different directions.

"Hey, Codsworth, focus. Focus on me okay? It's fine, you've done a lovely job. A fantastic job in fact. I love it all. You've worked really hard in the last..." Charlotte froze. "How long has it been since the bombs dropped?" She asked, suddenly very cold.

Codsworth hummed, thinking. "Well, a little over 200 years I'd say. Perhaps 210 give or take the Earth's rotation."

Charlotte could feel her heart drop to her feet. 210 years. She had been in the Vault for over 200 years. That meant... well, it meant that Shaun could, or could not be alive. But he had to be. He had to be. Right?

"Miss Charlotte, my, you look distraught. Perhaps sir can offer one of those hugs you humans are so fond of? Speaking of which, where is your better half?" He asked.