The Commonwealth is no place to raise a kid.

It’s dangerous out there. The list of things that could send even a well-trained soldier to an early grave just seems to go on and on– Raiders and Super Mutants to wild mongrels and Yao Guai. It’s not much of a stretch to say that living in Vault 81 is infinitely better. Safer.

“Are there going to be other kids to talk to?” Austin really hopes there will be. He’s going to miss Erin and Miss Katy– but most of all, he’ll miss Dr. Penske. She was good to him. “And are the adults there nice? I hope that there’ll be someone that can cook as good as Mrs. Summerset.”

When the secret section of the Vault was discovered, he’d gotten bit by a mole rat. The disease that followed– and the subsequent cure that’d been found by his now-guardian– had been Austin’s first taste of what it was like out there. He’d never experienced anything other than a common cold before.

And now, two years later, he’s actually out here. When Dr. Penske passed, the task of raising him didn’t really have anyone to fall to. The Overseer had to make a decision– and between fears of Austin being contagious again, she’d struck up a deal with their most trusted wastelander.

“Really, what is the food like up here? Is it all mutated and weird?” It feels like they’ve been walking to their new settlement for ages. The Vault grows all their own food, so he’s not sure what it’s actually like. “Does it make people grow extra fingers and get all sick?”

The sun is way brighter than Austin could have ever imagined. When his guardian helped him out of the tunnel to the Vault, they’d shielded his eyes from how bright it was. And even that didn’t seem to help much! Of course, the kid has heard a bunch of stories about what it’s like above ground, but experiencing it is so different. It's a little scary, Austin thinks.