Simon spoke without a trace of humor in his voice for once.  He seemed a little uncertain of himself.  Again, another first.  Simon pointed to the large screen against the wall above the ornate door.  Simon used a finger motion on the seat he was in.  The screen lit up and revealed a large circular symbol, the shape inside resembled the planet Earth.  

"More water, anyone?" Simon was acting as host.

Everyone nodded their heads.

"To call for water from where you are, simply use your finger to trace a plus sign and a water drop."

Slightly confused, everyone did as such.  almost instantly, a hole opened to the left side of the chair and a glass of water appeared.

"Excellent." Simon then turned his attention toward the screen.  "Computer, play the core mission simulator."  Simon spoke confidently.  Everyone's gaze was now fixed upon the large screen, each of them sipping on their water.

A woman, in a very 'corporate' outfit, appeared on screen.  Her demeanor was friendly, yet business oriented.  She began to speak.

"Welcome, Crew Alpha.  You are now aboard the Regenex fallout shelter.  If you're seeing this briefing, this means that life as you remember it, no longer exists.  Utilizing only the latest in technology thanks to our science and tech departments, we were able to crunch data as it related to every significant event happening on earth to provide real-time data on when it would be necessary to activate this shelter.  This shelter was designed to predict, through this data, when the existing Doomsday Clock would effectively hit midnight.  The consequences of this final clock change inevitably meant all-out global thermonuclear war.  While it's possible to calculate who activated their nuclear warheads first.  This information became irrelevant when a near catastrophic devastation obliterated nearly all of humankind, including those who pressed the buttons.  This event culminated in a event that can be summed up as assisted suicide.  The world powers that were, could no longer reach a common ground when every nation only became interested in their own self-preservation, and no longer cared for the interest of their neighbors.  The world's first nuclear winter had been created.  Amidst all the chaos, after the warheads had been activated.  Approximately five minutes was allowed for you chosen five, as a crew, to board the shelter and brace.  The fallout, as you could imagine, was catastrophic.  The outer shell of this shelter was designed explicitly to withstand the blast of multiple warheads being detonated.  Your mission is simple. Survive, scavenge, re-populate, and recreate the framework for a future and continued functional society." 

The video ended with a spinning three-dimensional Regenex symbol.

The room was silent.  The images that appeared on-screen were of government entities, war, famine, poverty.  The blinding flashes of both simulated and live images of the nuclear launches and met targets were beyond words.  Films clips and still images of people experiencing sheer terror upon hearing the news of nuclear launch were sobering.  Films clips of government officials cowardly hiding in their own respective fallout shelters while leaving behind and shooting dead any citizen who tried to follow were palpable.

Everyone in the room was silent.  The attempt to comprehend and process what they had all just seen on screen was near impossible.  While they still couldn't remember much of anything about their lives before waking up in that first dark room, it now occurred to them, there might not be anything left to remember.  Would they even want to know what had been lost to them in the nuclear fallout?  Would they even want to think about friends or loved ones who perished?  Was ignorance, truly, bliss?

Everyone sat in their chairs deep in their own thoughts.  Jim was the first to clear his throat.  He slowly turned in a state of shock to look over at Simon.  In doing so, he couldn't help but notice Connor, Lydia, and Veronica all in varying states of disbelief.  He looked over at Simon who didn't look very surprised or in much shock.  He simply looked disappointed and sad.

"So that's it, then." Jim managed to choke out. "Everyone.  Gone.  Just like that." it was more of a question, but one needing no actual answer because the answer was mostly there.  Simon nodded his head slowly, morbidly.

"I had hoped it wouldn't come to this.  I, like most other people on the planet, had hoped that world leaders could finally come to an agreement.  One of peace, prosperity."  There seemed to be a mild anger in his voice. "People deserved better than what they got, although some would argue that people got exactly what they deserved.  I have a difficult time accepting the latter."

"Got what they deserved?" Connor chimed in.  Connor was obviously displaying anger and confusion.  "Got what they deserved?!"  The anger was fast rising in his voice. "People who wanted nothing more than to live their lives.  People who went about their lives not wanting to hurt anyone.  People who just wanted to exist."  Connor's temper peaked. "And the elected officials, those chosen individuals who were selected, no, trusted by the people.  These cowards couldn't get over their own insecurities, their own selves.  Forsaking anyone and everyone because they couldn't win, they couldn't be number one, numero uno. I hope they all died in the fallout as well.  They all deserved worse!" The anger in Connor was seething and peaking.

Lydia was staring at Connor horrified, but dare not say anything knowing full well he was right.  She knew there was nothing she could add or say that would make any of this better.  There was no real justification of any of it.  She left her seat with an obvious heaviness about her.  She slowly walked over to Connor who was now struggling deeply to calm himself down.  Lydia embraced Connor.  They stood there hugging, Connor's anger quickly melted into tears.  Though he fought the tears, there was no stopping them.

Jim looked over at Veronica who still hadn't said a word.  He couldn't tell if she was still processing what she'd seen, or simply speechless.  She sat there almost emotionless, defeated. She finally turned to look at him, their eyes met.  She had a deep sadness in her eyes, she hid it well.  He also felt her sadness, but something in him told him to be strong.  Whether she needed his strength or not,  Whether she knew she had it or not, she had it.  He felt a strange bond, like there was something between them that both had forgotten with the amnesia, but he had no way of knowing if she also felt this nagging connection.  Now wasn't the time to attempt to explore anything like that.

At least there was some idea of where they were now, but, no one other than perhaps Simon, knew the full extent of where they were and what this Regenex shelter could do or offer.  Jim knew there was more to this shelter.  There had to be.  There had to be something beyond this dome shape of a room.  If these five people were all that remained, surely there were living quarters somewhere.  Surely there had to be at least a restroom somewhere.

"What else can you tell us about the world outside?" Jim asked apprehensively. "Is it at all possible that there were survivors? surely we can't be all that's left of the human race."

Simon looked up at him, he shook his head.

"I can't be sure of anything, Jim." Simon sounded honest.

"But, statistically.  Even after a fallout of that magnitude, there could have maybe, possibly been someone who survived.  Anyone." Jim was getting a little desperate to hear some good news, no matter how bleak.

"Yes, I believe it's possible that other people could have survived.  There's always that possibility.  Finding them though.  Where would you even begin to look?"  Simon had a valid point.

"So, it's possible.  I'll take any glimmer of hope that we aren't the only ones left.  God willingly, somebody still exists out there, maybe there's already a colony out there we know nothing about yet." Jim was reaching for hope.

"Possible, yes.  Likelihood... slim." Simon was trying to be a realist.

"I'll take a one percent chance of life, over a one hundred percent chance of no hope any day of the week." Jim could feel a sense of his own inner strength coming back to him.

Veronica reservedly smiled when she heard Jim being hopeful.  He was happy to notice that.  

  "Your optimism is a welcome change in, so bleak, a present." Simon's sincere voice was somber. "However, the realist approach must be taken into consideration."

"Hope is all we ever truly have.  Faith that someone somewhere was clever and/ or lucky enough to avoid the fallout." Jim was surprised at his own sense of inner-strength.  All Simon could do was smile.  Jim looked over at Connor and Lydia who also happened to be smiling at him.  He had the room.  Jim looked back to Simon.  

"You said this room was just a small part of a much larger entity?"

"Indeed I did." Simon replied with a self-impressed smile.  

Everyone else had seemingly forgotten about this fact after having witnessed the atrocity portrayed by the mission file. Simon began typing on his chair and everyone's beverages retracted downward.

"Are you ready to see the rest of the shelter?" Simon remained self-impressed."

Everyone stood up from their respective chairs.  Simon typed another combination and the chairs retracted back into the floor.  There everyone stood in the dome shaped room, Connor wiping old tears from his face, Lydia followed suit.  Everyone straightened up in a preparatory stance.

Simon walked over to the ornate door.  Both Jim and Connor watched him closely, as they had previously tried no with success to open the same door.  Their senses of curiosity were very strong.  Simon, standing in front of the ornate door, began tracing certain lines of the celtic-symbols with his finger.  Glowing green lines appeared in accordance with his tracing.

"This door has been in a deep sleep state since it detected activity outside.  An extra layer of security to keep us protected from outside interference.  Your safety pods also have a unique security feature to protect you all from the outside elements."

"Our safety pods?" Everyone said almost simultaneously.  Simon chuckled.

"Yes, that's where you all woke up."

"Why was it so dark in there?  and what the hell were the noises?" Connor was point blank in his question.

"The shelter was on protective low power mode.  Only essential lights.  As for the noises, but be outside interference."  Simon took a breath. "How long were you all running for before you saw your exit door?"  They all gave varying answers.  "If not for that unfortunate amnesia, you would have reached the safety shelter in about thirty seconds."

This statement threw everyone off.  Everyone looked at each other highly confused.

"Another one of my security inventions.  The floor you were running on is a sort of false floor.  Designed in such a way to make your destination further away the harder you tried to get there.  It's all a bit technical admittedly.  But now that power is restored, if you were to open those doors again, there would be approximately twelve feet of hallway separating that door from your safety pod.  Feel free to check if you're still in disbelief."  

Without hesitation, Connor walked over to the door he came in through and pressed the button.  The door slid up to reveal a now very bright hallway and just as Simon had stated his own safety pod, was also lit up very brightly.  The gate he walked through was nowhere to be found.  Retracted back inside of the wall was his own best guess.  He looked back at Simon with a dumbfounded sense of wonder.  He pressed the button and the door closed.

"There are many more things that you'll all want to get reacquainted with in our journey throughout the rest of the shelter.  I fear some occasional upkeep may be required, a few system features restored here and there, but I'll help you all get reacquainted with these processes.  Hopefully before too long, your memories will start to come back."  Simon did one final hand gesture pattern on the ornate door that ended with a cross symbol.  Again, the green glow responded to his own tracing fingers. 

The door began to glow a bright blue.  An almost blinding glow came from the outer edges of the door.

"Why is it so bright? Does it do this every time?" Veronica asked what everyone else was thinking.

"No, not every time.  This is a process I activated before the opening combination to break the outer seal.  Another security feature."  This didn't ruin the luminous and wondrous effect it had on everyone. The Blue glow finally began to subside.  The lines in the door turned a bright green like everything else in the room when life had been restored.  The door slid up slowly. "Okay everyone.  Stick close behind me during this first walkthrough.  There's much to explain."  Simon nodded to everyone.

Connor and Lydia looked at each other, as did Jim and Veronica.  They all looked at each other.

"Can we trust him?" Connor asked pointedly, almost whispering.

"Do we have another choice?" Jim responded.

"I don't see why not." Lydia chimed in

"If he was gonna do something to us, he could have done it at any time, he knows this place better than we do.  He built it, apparently." Veronica was trying to be logical.

"Veronica's right." Jim started.  "We'll just have to trust him until he maybe gives us a reason not to.  Just be on your guard." 

Everyone seemed to agree with this plan.  With a gentle nod to each other, they began to approach the door where Simon was waiting, he seemed mildly preoccupied with an electronic map on the wall. Everyone began to step through the ornate doorway.

"Are we ready to begin?" Simon asked proudly.

Veronica flashed Jim a quick smile and walked through the door. Jim walked through last.  The door behind him slid shut.  Before him and every one was a massive room, multiple levels, giant overhead panels of lights, and more stuff than they even knew what was, or what to do with.  They all stared blankly, mouths open in astonishment and wonder.  Simon after taking another look himself, obviously extremely proud to see everyone's reaction, proudly proclaimed.

"Welcome, to the Regenex!"