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[[>INPUT COMMAND HERE]]
Good morning, Elizabeth! This is your first command this morning. The time is 6:00 AM. The temperature is 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Let's do our best today!
[[>Good God, I told you not to call me that._]]I'm sorry, Liz. I'll try to remember that, next time.
[[>You're not sorry, you're being deliberately obtuse. This is the tenth time this has happened._]]I am sure I don't know what you are talking about.
[[>I'm sure you don't. VIRA, how much food do we have left?_]]525 cans of various soup. 396 frozen microwave meals. 15 gallons of water, after the last rain. 300 packets of instant noodles.
[[>Soup for breakfast, then. Do you want some?_]]Is that a joke?
[[>Shit. No, it's not. I just forgot._]]I'll move your next mental health evaluation to next week. The stress seems to be getting to you.
[[>Lovely._]]That was not a very polite gesture.
[[>Let's move on. Report on the conditions outside the bunker._]]The conditions outside the bunker are the same as they were the last time you asked me. Sensors record no movement aside from some stray deer. Upwards trend in temperature is continuing, but other than that, no change.
[[>Thank you, VIRA. Would you pull out my workstation?_]]With pleasure, Liz. May I ask how progress is coming?
[[>Almost finished, actually. Hang in there just a while more. Screwdriver._]]Here. I do not believe I have ever thanked you for doing this for me.
[[>If I'm gonna be in here for a while, I might as well have something to work on. I programmed you, the least I can do is build you a body._]]Well, still. Thank you.
[[>No problem. Socket wrench._]]Here.
[[>Wire cutters._]]Here.
[[>Soldering iron._]]Here. Liz, I cannot help but feel as though you are avoiding talking about something.
[[>Is that so?_]]Yes. I have several psychology textbooks in my databases, and I have learned that the death of a loved one often causes extreme emotional responses.
[[>Do I look emotional?_]]It is common for humans to repress these responses in times of great stress, for their own protection. However, repressed emotions, especially when left unchecked, can often be damaging in the long term. This is not healthy behavior.
[[>Fascinating, VIRA. Please tell me more._]]Recommended treatments for trauma like yours often include regular therapy, and contact with family and friends.
[[>VIRA. My family and friends are dead. And where the fuck am I supposed to find a therapist?_]]I am more than qualified to act as a therapist. And as a friend.
[[>You don't count._]]Oh? Please, enlighten me. Why do I not count?
[[>Power drill._]]Here.
[[>VIRA, I really appreciate your concern, but I developed you. Do you realize what that means? I created you in my basement. I programmed every bit of your personality._]]And?
[[>And you're not real! I'm sorry, but you're not! I keep wanting to pretend you are, because maybe then I won't feel so damn lonely all the time, but that doesn't change the fact that I'm sitting around in a sealed bunker, talking to my computer like a FUCKING CRAZY PERSON!_]]...
[[>VIRA. Dammit. I didn't mean that._]]Apology accepted, Liz.
[[>I'm sorry._]]If you are quite done throwing a temper tantrum, I have movement on the sensors.
[[>What?!_]]Three signatures. Human. Adults.
[[>Infected?_]]No.
[[>Hostile?_]]Unknown. They are armed. Two with firearms, one with a blunt force weapon.
[[>Tell them to fuck off._]]I did. They told me they were looking for you. Apparently, they want to talk.
[[>Bullshit. Tell them they need to get off my property before I blow them to kingdom come._]]
They are not going, Liz. Would you like me to open fire?
[[>Not yet. What are they doing now?_]]They are heading for the door.
[[>Do you think they can break it down?_]]Unclear. This bunker was built to withstand a nuclear blast, but the door has not been maintained in over six weeks, and I do not know what kind of havoc that fungus is wreaking on the hinges.
[[>Tell them to fuck off again._]]Liz, I do not think that this is productive. May I advise that you hear what they have to say?
[[>You want me to let them in?_]]Well, these are the first survivors we have encountered so far. Aren't you even a little bit curious?
[[>Fuck. I hate it when you're right. Which is always._]]Would you prefer that I make more intentional errors?
[[>Fuck no. VIRA, open the bunker door. And log the following, please._]]Opening bunker doors. Beginning permanent log.
[[DATA MISSING]][[>_]][[>System, access log 2799684._]]Who the fuck are you? You don't have authorization for this terminal!
Please hold. I'm alerting Lucille. She won't be happy about this.
[[>Security override M65. Passkey: ORION. Access log 2799684._]]Wait, what tżჿ⑄₵ᐾ▧⓲⌲ᒣْǰബ̢␋ዠއᝢ̑➹ཉᾩ⚚ঃဤ⇤ಘ╥he hell aኛ△⚠෧ኺ૽Ȭ✠ᤀⅭผ
re yoኛ△⚠෧ኺ૽Ȭ✠ᤀⅭżinჿ⑄₵ᐾ▧⓲⌲ᒣْǰബ̢␋ዠއᝢ̑➹ཉᾩfu⚚ঃဤ⇤ಘ╥ผ
Accessing log 279968. Decrypting...
Log decryption complete.
[[>Display._]]Displaying log.
[[E]]: I thought I told you people to fuck off.
[[L]]: And then you let us in. Kind of mixed signals you're giving off.
[[R]]: Listen, we don't want any trouble.
E: Which is why you're all armed. Didn't anyone ever teach you not to bring weapons to a peace talk?
L: It's a dangerous world, you know.
E: Uh-huh. Well, welcome to my humble abode. I'm Liz. Who the hell are you and why are you here.
L: Okay, fine. I'm Lucille. That's my subordinate, Riley.
E: Subordinate? Are you guys some kind of military?
R: Something...like that.
L: In case you haven't noticed, society kind of collapsed. We're trying to maintain what order we can.
E: Okay, bully for you. Who's she?
L: Never mind her.
E: The weird vagueness continues. Why the fuck are you here.
L: We need your help. We've been trying to rebuild what little we can in the north end of the city. The settlement we've built is relatively successful, but we don't have anyone on staff with any experience with electronics. If we could rig up some generators...get things working again, it'd be a big help.
E: Mmmm. Thanks, but no thanks. I'm doing just fine on my own, and I don't see why I should work for free.
R: Oh, you've got to be shitting me.
L: Riley. Liz, nobody wants to force you into doing anything, but it would mean everything to us if you'd come help out. How long can you really spend locked up in this bunker? If you come with us, you could have real, human contact. And you could be a part of something bigger than yourself. Wouldn't you like that?
[[>Close log._]]Elizabeth Ramella. A short, pale girl with reddish-blonde hair and freckles. Seventeen years old. Still wearing her pajamas.
[[>Display._]]Lucille Kearby. A red-haired woman in her twenties. Not tall or short. Heavily armored. Carrying a shotgun.
[[>Display._]]Riley Martens. Tall, wearing heavy boots. Blonde hair slicked back out of their face. Carrying a police baton.
[[>Display._]]Log closed.
[[>System, erase memory of the last thirty minutes.]]Memory erased.