Raymond "Ray" Shannon

It has been 204 years after a devastating nuclear war between the United States and China, known as the Great War. This war had caused mass radiation to settle across the United States, which radiated and evolved creatures at a rapid rate and making a lot of the land unlivable. The setting is based on 1950s sci-fi pulp fiction. The Soviet Union still exists in 2277, and the United States has been unified into 13 super-states called commonwealths. Vault 33 is a Vault in what was once Los Angeles. Its entrance is located shortly south of the Santa Monica Pier. Along with Vaults 31 and 32, it is one of the "Three Vaults" linked by a triangle of tunnels. An experimental Vault built in California, Vault 33 is unique in that it forms a part of a network of Vaults; it is connected directly to its sister Vaults: Vault 31 and Vault 32. To prevent the spread of threats (e.g., infectious disease), the three Vaults are isolated from one another, except for periodic trade (happening every three years, known as the Triennial Trade) and situations where the Vaults come to each other's aid. The Vault functions as a democracy like its sister Vaults, with the overseer chosen by the community in popular elections for four-year terms, advised by a Vault council. Its dwellers are told that the surface is unfit for recolonization due to radiation levels and instead encouraged to bond with each other and the other two Vaults. The layout of the vaults are very similar. Located next to the Pacific Ocean, the Vault is almost entirely underground, with the only above structure a reinforced concrete bunker housing the main Vault door, sitting atop a shaft extending down through the bedrock. To protect against coastal erosion, the bunker complex is surrounded by concrete seawalls, particularly the most vulnerable area outside the Vault door (a significant part of the Santa Monica's beachfront was torn down to make way for the Vault). The outer concrete walls extend to the top of the bunker and have proved stable enough to hold out against erosion for over two centuries. The main shaft connects all 12 levels of the Vault (including the surface) through the main lift. The main feature of the Vault is a large atrium stretching down through three levels (underground levels 5, 6, and 7), which simulates the outdoors: The blank walls act as screens for a Telesonic projector, showing images of the Nebraskan countryside. The atrium serves multiple duties, including being a space for exercise, for social gatherings, and as farmland: Vault-Tec combined artificial lighting, irrigation, and natural soil to allow the dwellers to raise crops. The primary crop is maize, although tatos, sunflowers, cucumbers, beans, potatoes, and peaches are also cultivated. The Vault can also produce animal or animal-like products, enabling the Vault to provide a varied diet and even luxury foodstuffs like jello or cake (typically reserved for celebrations, such as the election of a new overseer or a wedding). Fertilizer is provided by composting organic waste in room 214, including human bodies. Water is provided by a filtration system controlled by a standard Vault-Tec water chip. Living quarters are organized into discrete apartments for families. Unmarried Vault dwellers stay with their families in the apartment, with couples moving into a new space on their wedding day. Each apartment is small, but furnished with all modern amenities, including a bathroom with a shower, a living room with a kitchen annex and refrigerator, and a bed for the couple, with a small patio in the adjoining room that simulates the outdoors. Each room is identified with a number, but variations are possible. Common spaces are used as necessary and can be repurposed in need. The nexus of control is the overseer's office, overlooking the atrium, though the Vault council convenes in a separate council room. The neighboring Vaults 31 and 32 are accessible by inter-vault passageways, though standard Vault doors limit access. Designated gatekeepers are responsible for handling door operations and are instructed to keep the doors closed, except for the Triennial Trade between Vaults 32 and 33 or personnel transfers from 31 to 33. The intervault spaces, such as the Vault 33 fencing club, are otherwise used for community activities. Only Vaults 32 and 33 have direct access to each other. Vault 31 can only be opened by its overseer. In fact, dwellers cannot contact each other and only the overseers remain in contact through their terminals, giving them the ability to exchange text messages (called "telegrams") and even engage in instant messaging.