The Squats
Many experiments were done before the war to halt the aging process so that the wealthy could live forever in youthful bodies. It was such a sought after answer that Vault Tec reserved one of their facilities to study the human genome further and find out if a little tinkering could effectively reverse the damage done by natural aging. Competition between the lead scientists caused corners to be cut however, and the entire population was infected with a modified strain of FEV well before clinical trials had a chance to fully conclude.
The first generation seemed to have few side effects. They no longer aged, felt fatigued, or physically declined in any measurable way. Problems arose however when they began having children. With the infant mortality rate suddenly ten times what it was the year before, panic began to spread throughout the population quite quickly.
Those that did survive showed signs of physical and mental immaturities that left them constantly agitated and with severe disabilities. Without a sustainable cycle of healthy dwellers, the Vault quickly devolved into chaos and failed. The new generations became increasingly more savage and rose up against their elders in a brutal mutiny. Although the major deformities have faded, descendants find themselves trapped in the stunted bodies and minds of children.
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