Val grew up in Vault 26, a well ordered vault. The entrance had been unlocked for years, but exposure to the outside world was rare, little more than the occasional trader. Rare was the inhabitant who would choose to leave the vault, and few who left were ever heard from again.

Val expected to live her life in the vault. Once old enough, she become trained to maintain the vault's mainframe, joining the crew of techs in charge of the computer systems. She fooled around a bit, as was common in the vault and eventually found herself to be gaining weight as a result. In a way, it would be this pregnancy that would set her on her path.

One day, while getting a check up, there was an accident in the mainframe. A short circuit resulted in an explosion, damaging the computer, and injuring the other technicians. The vault needed the computer to operate properly and time was running out. With everyone else capable of identifying the replacement parts needed stuck in the medical area recovering, only Val was able to go seek out the parts now desperately needed. Nervous but determined, she sets out on her journey, concern for her growing children weighed against concern for the community behind her...