text: [Themes: sci-fi]
  
  Fuck work, the world's about to end soon and you need to prepare yourself for that! You immediately call up the number that the infomercial mentioned. You know the damn thing by heart since you've been watching it night after night. Eventually a chipper female voice picks up on the other end.
  
  "Ground Zero Survival Inc. How may I help you?"
  "Uh, yeah I'd like to buy a bomb shelter."
  "That's wonderful sir! In these uncertain times you can never be too careful and we here at GZS are thrilled that you've chosen to trust us in your continued existence! You and your family's utmost protection is as important to us is it is to you! Our shelters are the best you'll find and, we have many shelters still available at various prices, but really can you put a price on your loved ones protection? Of course not! So I'm sure you'll want one of our top of the line models that are still left! Okay so how many are in your family?"
  "Um, just me."
  "Oh..." the voice suddenly gets less chipper.
  "What?"
  "Sir, don't you have ANY family? Like a wife at least, maybe a cousin?"
  "No, not really."
  "Oh dear..."
  
  "Well sir, its just that, we here at GZS are a family friendly business and we feel that the survival of the human race will best be served by those who have a strong sense of family ties and a respect for the family unit. We aren't in the business of selling shelters to those of low moral fiber sir..."
  "What the fuck?! Just because I'm single I gotta be some sort of low life? I'm not luring fuckin' little girls into my car with lollipops! I have a fucking job and pay my goddamn taxes!"
  "Sir, I don't like you taking that tone with me when there isn't any call for it and I would appreciate it if you didn't blaspheme, I'm a God fearing woman. Now then I understand your frustration, but there's nothing we can do. Our shelters were primarily built for families of at least four. To put singles in them wouldn't be fair to families that have children who shall surely be the ones to rebuild civilization, not to mention it would be a waste of resources. A single person would have an overstock of food and water since as I said we primarily cater to families and stock the shelters with families in mind."
  "I fail to see how me having MORE than enough food and water is a bad thing..."
  "I see sir, so you would be selfish and deprive a possible family of survival?"
  "I didn't say that! And wait a minute; wouldn't I be doing that anyway if I had a family of my own?"
  "Yes, but it would be different."
  "How?"
  "You would have a family sir."
  
  You're about ready to throw the phone against the wall in frustration.
  
  "So basically what you're telling me is you're not selling me a shelter."
  "Ah now I didn't say that sir! Since you're interested in buying our product and by your previous outburst I can tell you ARE a productive member of society. And it is only due to your poor social skills that you have been unable to take the necessary steps to have a family of your own! But never fear, GZS HAS kept your type in mind!"
  "Gee, thanks..."
  "You're quite welcome sir! We have the Community Shelters for singles! It is basically a giant shelter filled with singles such as yourself. You will be given a separate room to live in, but everything else you must share. Don't worry we have stocked these shelters with supplies to last for years! It is our hope that nature will take its course and when it comes time to return to the surface a fully functional tight knit community of families will emerge to rebuild civilization once again!"
  
  Sharing isn't something you're good at. You like your privacy and your space and your solitude. You can't imagine sharing stuff when your very survival is at stake.
  
  "Look, don't you have ANYTHING I can get by myself?" you demand.
  "Are you serious sir? You actually want to be alone?" the voice says as if you must be nuts to ask that kind of question.
  "If possible yeah."
  "Well...I shouldn't really tell you sir, because you snapped at me earlier, but it is my job to make sure any potential customer is serviced to the best of my ability. That and the fact that these other Special Shelters we have are a bit...experimental."
  "Experimental? What do you mean?"
  "Well I don't know too much about these Special Shelters myself sir, all I know is they have been equipped with the latest technology and VERY expensive. Anyone can buy one as long as they have the money to do so."
  "Well how experimental are these things exactly?"
  "As I said sir, I know little about these Special Shelters other than they are equipped with the latest technology. GZS has run tests and they are considered very safe and will protect you in the coming apocalypse, however due to time constraints GZS may have missed a few minor things, and as such we are legally required to warn...er inform potential customers before they buy them."
  
  > buy the Special Shelter
  Experimental or not, it sure sounds better than being crammed into a shelter with a bunch of other people like sardines. At least you don't have to worry about having to share anything, and if something goes wrong well you'll deal with it when the times comes like you normally do.
  
  Or maybe you won't. You aren't going to dwell on it to much.
  
  "Okay I'll take the Special Shelter."
  "You will? I mean, that's wonderful sir! You won't regret this decision! Now I'll need to know some vital information about yourself before I can direct you to our nearest experimental shelter in your area where upon you shall pay the automatic teller just inside the foyer of it so that the main door can open and you will be able to enter your new residence during Armageddon! Okay let's start with your name sir."
  
  You give out your name, address and such. It's all pretty routine stuff.
  
  "Okay well that's about all the information I need. I'll give you the price and the location of the shelter sir."
  
  You are given the location of the shelter which you are surprised to find out is closer then you think, it shouldn't take too long for you drive there. You are then given the price, which is pretty steep, quite frankly its going to break you. However if the world is ending it's not like you're really going to need money anymore. Which makes you wonder why GZS is in business at all. What's the point of going to the trouble of building bomb shelters for Armageddon if all the profit they make is most likely going to be useless in the aftermath?
  
  Oh well that's not your concern, you're just glad you managed to get a shelter. The voice gives you some last minute information.
  
  "Okay sir, you are now in the system and registered. You may move into your shelter at anytime as long you pay the fee required to the automatic teller as previously described to you. If you don't pay, you can't get in obviously. Cash, check, or debit card are acceptable. NO Credit Cards will be accepted! You may take whatever you wish with you into the shelter; it will be your new home after all. There will be an owner's manual provided inside your new shelter. Any problems you encounter you should be able to troubleshoot yourself if you read and follow the manual. I'm sure any problems will not be life threatening sir, and there has been a back up system also installed in the unlikely event of total shelter failure since your survival is our foremost concern at GZS! Now then I trust our transaction has ended. If you have anymore questions please contact our customer service line. Good day sir, may you maintain relatively stable mental health and thank you for choosing Ground Zero Survival!"
  
  That's it, all you have to do is get what stuff you want to take with you and move in. You might as well pack your things now, no sense in waiting until you see the nuclear cloud. You pack up some extra food and water, a repair kit (since it sounds like you'll probably need one) some basic medical supplies, and a few other useful items.
  
  Oh and your pistol.
  
  Still, part of you is reluctant to leave the "real world". You wonder if you shouldn't stick around a bit longer to see if the climate changes...you'd hate to spend your life savings and the world not be bombed into a nuclear wasteland.
  
  > leave immediately
  You leave immediately; things aren't going to get better you know that, in fact you're glad, because in a strange way the idea of not having to live in the world as it exists today anymore is weirdly appealing to you.
  
  After a couple days of driving you finally arrive at the location that you were given. It's in a fairly desolate place with a single solid metal structure with a door standing there. You park your van and enter the structure with the items you brought with you. You're in a small foyer with an elevator door and ATM like machine; you're guessing that's the automatic teller you were told about.
  
  You press some buttons on the machine, where it proceeds to ask your name and how you're going to pay. You type in your name and insert you debit card where upon it completely drains your account.
  
  "You have been allowed entry, the elevator doors will now open, thank you for choosing Ground Zero Survival!" an emotionless electronic voice remarks as the elevator doors open.
  
  You enter with all your belongings and take the long elevator trip down.
  
  When you get to bottom the elevator door opens to a sterile, but obviously large and well equipped living area. As soon as you enter, the elevator doors slam shut and you hear it going back up, you also notice there aren't any buttons to call it back...before you're able to worry about that little detail you're met by another electronic voice...it actually sounds a lot like the female voice you were talking to on the phone...
  
  "Welcome to Ground Zero Survival Shelter Number 23! You will find that this shelter has been equipped to serve your needs in the event of total World destruction! Due to power saving design and money back guarantee concerns, fully functional shelter facilities will not be available until Armageddon occurs. Until then you will find all other doors firmly locked, please do not attempt to open them. I have detected that Armageddon has not yet occurred as 84% of the countries on Earth still maintain a stable centralized government system and 70% of the land surface is still habitable. However the world conflict rate is 92%. Prediction that Armageddon will occur in a month or less. This shelter will become fully functional at that time. In the unlikely event that Armageddon does not occur and the conflict rate drops to an acceptable level, the elevator will return and you will be able to leave this shelter and receive half of your money back from the automatic teller in the foyer on the surface."
  "Wait a minute didn't I talk to you on the phone?" you ask the voice, not really knowing if it's going to answer back.
  "...I don't think so, as far as my databanks are concerned this is the first time I have been in contact with a human since I was built sir. Is it okay if I call you sir?"
  "Sure, go ahead." You answer.
  "Wonderful sir!"
  "Hey, so I can't explore this damn shelter even though I paid for it? I have to stay in this living area?"
  "Not until doomsday sir. As I said this is to conserve my power and also to prevent buyer abuse in case of non-Earth destruction. Do not worry sir; this living area alone can support your needs until the appointed time. There is a basic food and water dispenser on the right wall."
  "Buyer abuse?"
  "Yes, think about it, here you are using up all the wonderful facilities that this shelter has to offer for months on end while the Earth teeters on the brink of destruction then suddenly through a miracle hostilities cease. You then would be able to leave, get half of your money back and go about your life. You think it would be fair to GZS if we let you get away with basically having a luxury vacation on our dime? Just because we are in the business of your survival, does not mean we in the business of being exploited sir"
  "But...I paid for this!"
  "And so you did sir, and you will be able to use ALL the facilities when the time is right, until then you can enjoy the living area, oh and the bathroom sir."
  
  One of the metal doors opens up to reveal a normal (And again sterile) bathroom.
  
  "Gee thanks."
  "You're quite welcome sir! After all I'm here to serve you!"
  "You kept saying I would be able to leave if the world doesn't blow up...can't I just leave at any time?"
  
  The voice doesn't answer for awhile.
  
  "...I'm sorry sir I'm puzzled by your inquiry."
  "Can't I leave anytime I want?"
  "Why would you want to do that sir? I have been designed to keep you safe from harm as soon as you paid and entered the elevator. The current world situation is very grim and most likely terminal sir. Allowing you to leave at this point would be a severe violation in my programming."
  
  You suddenly realize you're here now regardless of whether you're having second thoughts about this situation. You can see why these shelters were "experimental" now. You try not to think about the potential waist high shit you might have gotten yourself into, and instead try to think about how you might've just avoided becoming a statistic in a nuclear exchange. You resign yourself to your current fate and start unpacking your stuff. You could do with a little distraction from your current predicament, so you turn on a TV monitor that has been provided. The fact that the world's situation hasn't gotten any better seems to cheer you up.
  
  You spend most of your time on the couch, watching TV and exploring what you can. You're glad you brought some of your own food, because the dispenser food doesn't taste all that great. You're guessing it's just supposed to keep you alive, nothing more.
  
  As the days blur into the next, the shelter and TV you apprised of the world situation, which is only getting worse. It looks like you've made the right decision...
  
  Monday 8:00 AM
  
  "...BEEEEEEEEEEEEEE..."
  
  You groggily wake up and see a test pattern on TV.
  
  This is it.
  
  Suddenly the TV turns itself off.
  
  "Armageddon has arrived sir! This shelter is now fully functional! Please explore and enjoy all the things this facility has to offer!" the voice beams.
  
  At this point all the previously closed metal doors in the room unlock and open (Except for the elevator ones of course) After taking a quick check, you find you now have a small library, a computer room and a proper bedroom. When you return to the living area the voice chirps up again.
  
  "Sir, I highly recommend that you read the manual to familiarize yourself with everything properly first, so you aren't just fumbling around."
  
  A small panel in the wall opens up to reveal a hefty owner's manual. You were wondering where the hell that thing was, since you were told you were going to be provided with one when you talked to the voice on the phone.
  
  > read the manual
  Maybe it's because you've gotten so used to the idea of being in the living area, you're more willing to lounge about there. You take the manual and start reading. While you're in the middle of it, the voice suddenly pipes up again.
  
  "Sorry to bother your reading sir, but would you like to meet some of your new neighbors?"
  "Neighbors?"
  "Yes sir, I'm sure as you have already read, this shelter is equipped with a very high tech computer with loads of storage, information and..."
  "Yeah, yeah, what does that have to do with this neighbor business?"
  "In an effort to cater to all its customer's needs, GZS is well aware that socialization is vital to human mental health. Studies have shown that humans in long periods of isolation often go mad, so that is why this facility has been linked in communication to other ones within your area. You might think of it as a chatroom type form of communication commonly used on the old world internet! If you wish there is also a camera type device if you wish to show yourself to your new neighbors. We have found humans feel someone is more real to them if they can actually see who they are talking to and thus have a greater connection."
  "So how many people are there?"
  "This shelter merely has been fitted with a basic communication system to other similar shelters, and only then those in your area. For example this is Shelter number 23. Your neighbors are only numbers 20 through 25, those being the closest ones to your location. While obviously there were other shelters of this type built, it was not cost effective to link all the shelters together in such a manner given our timeframe to finish these before Armageddon, so only a few were linked together at a time. Do not worry sir; it has been found that six people are sufficient to sustain enough conversation to prevent mental failure due to isolation."
  "Wonderful, so does this make me the Professor?" you ask rhetorically.
  "Pardon sir?"
  "Nevermind, look I don't have to talk to these people do I?"
  "...well no sir, but I fail to see why you'd intentionally want to stay isolated."
  "Duh, that was kind of the point of buying a shelter for myself."
  "...I see, well I can't force you sir, but I would like you to reconsider...I'm just trying to look out for your physical as well as mental welfare as per my programming..."
  
  If you didn't know better the voice almost sounds a bit hurt by your decision.
  
  "Oh alright, I'll go talk to them. Can't be any worse than the idiots I used argue with on the internet."
  "Wonderful sir! I trust you know your way to the computer room. You will find that a designation name has already been chosen for you."
  
  You make your way to the computer room and take a better look at it this time. It's filled with lots of multi-media entertainment. You're glad they gave you a wide variety of movies to chose from. You sit down in front of a fairly wide computer screen which has already been turned on for you; you guess the Shelter is really keen on the idea of you being social. You don't turn the camera on though, in fact you turn it away from you completely, you're not quite ready for THAT level of socialization yet.
  
  You log on and begin typing.
  
  OmegaMan23: Hello? Is there anyone out there?
  RockerChick20: Hey! I'm here!
  OmegaMan23: Oh. Okay. Hi.
  RockerChick20: Hi yourself! This is just like a chatroom! Isn't this great?
  OmegaMan23: Uh yeah real great.
  Job24: Hey I'm here too; um do you guys have any movies or something?
  OmegaMan23: Yeah I got a shitload of movies, DVDs and VHS. Most of them I even like.
  RockerChick20: That's weird, I don't have too many movies, I have a lot of music CDs though.
  Job24: What kind of music?
  RockerChick20: All types, but I have a lot of them. Why?
  Job24: I don't have any movies except those with Pauly Shore in them! He fucking sucks! And all my music CDs are New Age Yanni type shit! Thank god I have some games to play!
  OmegaMan23: I've got some games too, but for some reason I have nothing but Gangsta Rap and Hair Metal as far as music goes oh wait I also have some Classical. Weird. What the hell I thought these Shelters were all stocked the same?
  MissKitty25: Apparently not, I have nothing but porno and not all of it is regular porno either, some of it is quite...bizarre.
  Job24: Lucky.
  CaseyJones22: Hey guys when do the Shelters become fully functional?
  OmegaMan23: What the hell are you talking about?
  CaseyJones22: I mean when do the rest of the doors to the place open up, besides the bathroom I mean.
  RockerChick20: What do you mean? The doors were all open to begin with.
  Job24: Yeah they were always open.
  MissKitty25: Yeah.
  OmegaMan23: They weren't open for me! I was stuck in the living area until the nukes hit! Wait a minute how are you using the computer if you're stuck in the living area? In fact if the doors were all open for you guys haven't you been in contact with each other before?
  Job24: My computer didn't link up to you guys until just now. I could use it to play games and such, but I couldn't do anything else with it. When I turned it on today I got a message saying that the communications to you guys was operational and it said I could take the opportunity to say hi to my five new neighbors.
  RockerChick20: Sounds like what happened to me.
  MissKitty25: Same here.
  CaseyJones22: Me too. Oh and you guys must have different shelter designs because my computer is in the living area.
  OmegaMan23: The Shelter never told me anything about this stuff and it's been quite talkative since I've been here let me tell you.
  CaseyJones22: The Shelter talks? Now what the hell are you talking about?
  OmegaMan23: I'm talking about the Shelter, you know the overly chipper voice that tries so hard to please you?
  CaseyJones22: You've lost me dude. You been smokin'?
  OmegaMan23: NO! I'm talking about the Shelter voice! It's a computer or something that talks to me! It's always trying to be friendly! Don't you guys hear it?
  RockerChick20: Um, no.
  Job24: No talking computer here.
  MissKitty25: You sure you're feeling okay and aren't imagining things? I mean we all were isolated for a long time before we were able to talk to one another. I know sometimes I would talk to myself, maybe...
  OmegaMan23: Look, I'm not fucking crazy alright?! The damn thing even insisted that I talk to you fuckers!
  CaseyJones22: Okay dude calm down we believe you! Maybe you got some sort of extra special shelter; I mean from the sound of it we all don't have the same things.
  RockerChick20: Hey shouldn't there be one more person here? The message said five new neighbors on my computer; so far I've only met four of you guys.
  OmegaMan23: Yeah we're missing number 21, whatever his or her name is.
  Shadow21: I'm right here; I've just been reading the conversation.
  OmegaMan23: Oh really? Well you mind announcing your presence next time?
  Shadow21: I only speak when necessary, besides if any of you bothered to check you would've seen my name listed on the active list.
  Job24: Hey what kind of movies do you have?
  
  Well you've met your neighbors, the question is if you want to bother talking to them on a regular basis or not. You did find their information interesting though.
  
  > continue to talk to them as frequently as possible
  Your curiosity is peaked and you take the opportunity to talk with the others whenever you can. The Shelter is certainly pleased you are being social. Months pass and you all learn more about each other more or less. (Though only RockerChick has even hinted at turning on the cameras to see each other visually) You have to admit though you're a little more interested in what's going on their shelters.
  
  From what you can tell RockerChick has a shelter similar to yours with just a few differences in equipment. Her personality is damn near as "chipper" as the Shelter. She likes talking with everyone, but seems to like speaking to you a lot more. Must be your "winning" personality.
  
  Job's shelter is a lot like yours too except he's constantly complaining about various things breaking down and he has to fix. Last time he said he damn near got crushed by his own bed when it suddenly rose back up into the wall when he was sleeping. He doesn't have much in entertainment either, so he's always glad to talk with anybody. Mainly to complain.
  
  CaseyJones' Shelter STILL hasn't become fully functional! He's effectively trapped in the living area and bathroom. He has his computer to talk to everyone but little else. He doesn't really seem to care though; apparently he brought a shitload of weed with him and has somehow created a small hydroponics pot farm in his bathtub (He doesn't see the need to bathe since he's not in contact with anyone) He says he plans on spending the Aftermath completely stoned. Job can't understand why Casey isn't freaking out about his situation.
  
  Apparently MissKitty has a more "homey" type shelter. From the description it sounds like it's bigger than any of yours and not quite as "sterile". She has a hot tub in her bathroom and some other luxury type items. MissKitty tends to brag a lot and is rather an uninteresting person other than the weird porn she watches and describes sometimes. Job often complains that it's wasted on her.
  
  As for Shadow, he or she barely ever talks. Shadow makes his presence known, but then just lurks and doesn't say anything. Most of the others forget he's even there, but you always keep it in the back of your mind and will address him when you feel the need. So far the only thing he's mentioned about his shelter is how dim the lighting is.
  
  One thing that you've been tempted to do is use the private feature and talk to one of the others in private. The only ones that interest you are RockerChick and Shadow though. The first because she seems friendly with you. The second because you're kind of suspicious of Shadow and you're hoping to learn more.
  
  > talk more in depth with RockerChick
  No point in spending the Aftermath worrying about shit you can't do anything about, you might as well focus on what little chance you're going to have of female companionship again. You take the opportunity to ask to talk to RockerChick more privately one day, unsurprisingly she agrees.
  
  RockerChick20: Hey! You're the first person to want to talk privately to me!
  OmegaMan23: You're kidding; I would've thought the other guys would've been jumping at the chance to talk to you.
  RockerChick20: Well I see you're the charming type, that's alright though I like that. But sadly no, the other guys haven't. I think Casey's so busy getting stoned most of the time that any extra effort on his part would be too much for him and Job is too busy complaining about his latest shelter problems. And if Shadow is a guy, he's been pretty tight lipped as usual...although MissKitty has been talking with me a lot lately. I get the impression she's been wanting to see a lot more of me if you know what I mean, but she's a bit too self-involved and doesn't seem that interesting. Maybe if I didn't have any other options, she might have a chance.
  OmegaMan23: Wow, I guess it's a good thing I made my move then.
  RockerChick20: Guess so. So! Are you just going to continue being a faceless entity or do I finally get to see you and learn your real name?
  OmegaMan23: Well, okay, but only if you do it too.
  RockerChick20: Well of course, we'll do it together! On the count of three! One, two...
  
  And true to both of your words you turn on your cameras and see each other for the first time. After telling her your name, she tells you her real name is Becky. She certainly is attractive, but she seems a lot younger than you, like barely out of her teens, if that! You wonder how the hell she could afford one these Shelters since you're probably at least ten years older than her and with your salary you could barely afford the damn thing.
  
  OmegaMan23: If you don't mind me asking how old are you?
  RockerChick20: Nineteen! How old are you?
  OmegaMan23: Probably old enough to be considered a pervert to be talking to a girl as young as you. How did you afford one of these shelters, I went broke getting into this thing, not that it matters now.
  RockerChick20: Oh my parents had a lot of money and they gave me a lot of it. I registered about one during one of my spending sprees; I didn't actually expect to ever use it. I even thought it would be a cool place to gather all my friends where we could party one day.
  OmegaMan23: So if you didn't expect to use it, what changed your mind? The slow realization that the world was going to shit on TV?
  RockerChick20: Not really, I barely paid attention to the news. I ended up getting into a fight with my parents and ran away from home for the umpteenth time. I usually didn't go far and stayed with friends, but I really wanted to try to worry them, so I figured I'd use this shelter for a little while! Little did I realize that I'd be trapped down here, I couldn't even get my cell phone to work to call out. After panicking for a few days, I resigned myself to thinking that my parent's might figure out that I came here since they knew I registered for one of these and were pissed off about it. As I watched TV in the passing days that's when I started seeing how bad things were then one day the TV displayed nothing but snow and I knew what had happened. The world blew up. Sometimes I wonder if my parents were still looking for me...
  OmegaMan23: I'm sure they were.
  RockerChick20: Maybe. It got really bad the last time. They were control freaks anyway...they didn't really care about me; they just wanted to run my life. I don't wanna talk about them, so what about you?
  OmegaMan23: What about me what?
  RockerChick20: What's your story silly! Surely being as old as you are, you have some interesting stories to tell! All you old guys do.
  OmegaMan23: Talk to a lot of old guys do you? Is that before or after they buy you candy?
  RockerChick20: Lol. ALWAYS after! I'm not a slut! No, I like older guys they know so much more about everything.
  OmegaMan23: Not really, we can just bullshit better than younger guys.
  RockerChick20 Lol! You're really funny.
  OmegaMan23: See I told you.
  RockerChick20: Ha ha! Okay let's be serious for a moment. Tell me about yourself.
  
  You proceed to give some information about yourself, which probably isn't nearly as interesting as some of the stuff she's told everyone when you were talking with her in the public network. Becky seems to be a bit of a free spirit which doesn't really surprise you and the fact that she's into older guys doesn't really surprise you either as most girls her age go through that phase, and given she didn't really have a good relationship with her parents, she's probably sub-consciously looking for a father figure.
  
  About a month passes and you and Becky get comfortable enough to start having "sex" in a fashion. It's not exactly the same being cyber and all, but you'll take a hot naked chick touching herself and typing dirty words to you over nothing. The Shelter is pleased that you are finding a healthy way of releasing your sexual tension, but it really creeps you out that it keeps track of such things.
  
  A few more months pass and it's obvious to the others what's been going on between the two of you. Casey thinks its "cool". You get the impression MissKitty is a bit jealous, but doesn't really say anything. Job, sensing he missed his chance keeps unsuccessfully directing his attention to MissKitty now, and Shadow actually becomes more talkative in general.
  
  Soon you all learn each others names. Casey's is Paul, Job is Mark, MissKitty is Miranda and Shadow (who you finally find out is male) is Xavier. Everyone actually sees what each other looks like except for you who continue to refuse to show yourself to anyone, but Becky in private and Xavier who's a bit hard to see since his lighting is very dim.
  
  In general things are running smoothly and you and Becky have as close of a relationship as you can over a computer. Even you're surprised that such a thing is possible.
  
  A year passes...
  
  Suddenly you all get a distressing message from Paul. He says his food and water dispensers have ceased working and he can't even get his bathroom facilities to work anymore. He says he knows he doesn't have much time left, so he logged on one last time to tell you all good bye. Xavier states how fucked up that is. Mark naturally freaks out worrying that he'll be next to suffer total shelter failure. Miranda gives her sympathy and you ask if he has any tools to fix the problem, but he says he didn't bring any of that kind of stuff with him and there don't seem to be any tools in his shelter either, at least none that he has access to. This incident gets Becky pretty upset, but more so in private with you. She always liked Paul since he was a cool guy. You do your best to try to comfort her. You however are starting to get paranoid again.
  
  While it's certainly possible Paul's shelter failed on its own, lord knows these things are supposed to be experimental and his wasn't working right from the beginning. However, you're starting to wonder if it's possible for someone to maliciously hack into the other ones. When you first started all this "meet the neighbors" shit, you were wondering if Xavier was up to no good when he was being all silent in the beginning, but maybe he was sizing you all up and is beginning his strike now though.
  
  Picking you off one by one.
  
  > Are being paranoid, forget about it
  You stop yourself from imagining conspiracy theories. There doesn't need to be some mysterious "hacker". Paul's shelter was fucked up from day one from what you know. It's most likely just shoddy GZS workmanship. It's bad what happened, but there's no point in stressing over it. You're just glad you got a good shelter that seems to work properly. Besides your Shelter has a pretty active AI, you're sure that at the first sign of trouble it would warn you verbally.
  
  You continue your life as normal with Becky.
  
  Another year passes...
  
  Mark stops logging on for two months which is strange, because he always made an effort to get online whenever possible even when he was in the middle of fixing something. You know he also thought he was "getting somewhere" with Miranda as well.
  Everyone doesn't say too much about it. While it's possible he's just lost network connection and can't access the rest of you, it's a given that probably the worst has happened. He was also having shelter problems from day one, so again you chalk it up to GZS fuck ups, after all the Shelter did tell you there were budget cut backs in the construction of these things. Again it's bad, but there isn't any point in dwelling over something you can't do anything about. The world technically ended years ago, all that's important is that you get what enjoyment you can out of life and that's what you're doing with Becky.
  
  Life continues as normal, except you notice the Shelter isn't as talkative anymore and then ceases speaking to you at all. You don't think too much about it until a couple months later...
  
  You wake up to an angry female sounding voice and it's definitely not the Shelter and it isn't Becky either.
  
  "Well it took me awhile, but I now have complete access to your systems. Good thing I practiced on Mark and Paul first. You know I didn't believe you had a talking shelter, but I'm glad you did, it gives me a chance to verbally tell you about how you're going to die."
  "Miranda?"
  "Got it one, but then again the choices were pretty limited. Soon after you're out of the way, Xavier will be next and then it'll be just me and Becky. She'll have no choice, but to come to me."
  
  You're so caught off guard that the only reply you can come up with is..."You're fucking nuts."
  
  "Maybe, but I'm not going to be dead and that's the important thing here."
  "Wait! How about I just break up with Becky? I'll be a real dick to her, that way there's no chance she'll want to get back with me...or better yet how about I just disconnect myself from the network?"
  "Sorry, no. I can't take that chance. Even if you disconnected from the system what's stopping you from fixing all the damage I've done so far, fortifying and then reconnecting to get revenge on me later? You gotta die, it's the only way."
  "Wait! If you do have access to all my systems, how about you just bring the elevator down and let me leave the Shelter? I mean I'd have to go outside, I wouldn't be able to do anything to you or Becky then, not to mention topside probably isn't hospitable."
  "Nice try, but no...for all we know life topside could be paradise now. A few years have passed you know, a lot can happen in that time."
  "Oh come on, you don't actually believe that?"
  "Not really, but I just want you to die by my hand...I REALLY don't like you. You stole Becky away from me and now I'm going to get her back. No more talk, goodbye."
  
  All power shuts down in your Shelter leaving you in complete darkness. You fumble around and head towards where your food and water dispensers are and predictably they don't work. You're left to the same agonizing fate that Mark and Paul were. Oddly you don't panic as much as you might think in the face of imminent death. In some ways you had a good run after the world ended. You cheated death for a longer time than most folks did and you got to spend time with a pretty girl at least during most of it. Again, no point in worrying about shit you can't do anything about. Kind of wish you got to say goodbye to Becky, but you can't have everything.
  
  You do have one advantage that Mark and Paul didn't though; you can still choose when to die. You feel around in the darkness back to your bedroom and go into the bag you brought with you when you first got here.
  
  There it is; your pistol.
  
  You position it to your head...