It was the gift of a longer lifespan that prompted the Eight to take the step of lycanthropy. Along with the rejuvenation factor of the Young Again potion that could be made with the potion table, they could extend their life indefinitely so that they could assist in helping rebuild their shattered world. Who else would understand just exactly what they had gone through? Their children would only know the destruction that had once been a thriving civilization: the only epitaphs being the skeletal remains of majestic buildings that had once stood - erroneously thought to withstand the test of time. They would see the dried and dessicated bones of those who had died of radiation poisoning - both animal and human. They would be the ones slated to pick up the pieces - to build, to renew, to correct the mistakes of their progenitors.
The setting sun over the apocalyptic landscape was an ominous yellow-gold matching the sky with its fiery colors. In the wake of the dust kicked up into the atmosphere by multiple nuclear explosions, the light of the setting sun reflected of those dust particles imparting a brilliant display in the sky.
Within the bunker, the plumbots spent time learning about creating nanites and trait chips so that they could create more plumbots if necessary. The defence of the bunker was paramount. Their creators knew that there were gangs of survivors, those who had proven resistant to radiation, roaming the surrounding area looking for a easy mark and if the bunker occupants didn't take steps to protect themselves that they would be picked off. In the new world post-apocalypse, civility was no longer practiced - it was a vicious, cut-throat society where the only rule was only the strong survive.
The darkness settled over the ruins of Sunset Valley...and the remains of the Alto house loomed ominously in the pervading gloom. And the snow fell silently on the remains of the small pond that was at the center of Summerhill Court. Thus was the fickleness of the blast wave. The Alto house still stood, though, a shattered shell of its former grandiose self while not in the direct blast-wave, the Landgraab mansion was razed to the ground.
Both humans and plumbots had tasks; the humans were to learn whatever skills would be deemed necessary to rebuild the world and in doing so - society as a whole. In order to do so, they needed to learn science and skills based tasks. River focussed on science, while others learned the arcane arts. Hildegard, one of the plumbots, was given the trait chips that allowed her to clean, cook and take care of things around the bunker.
And the days passed by as tasks got accomplished, only interspersed by golden sunsets and the intermittent snow. Each day was a repeat of the last. Tasks that seemed unique were slowly becoming monotonous and the only company that they had was themselves and the offspring of the two officially married couples in the bunker. It was evident that cabin fever was taking hold; even the environment suits that they wore to go topside were constrictively confining but they all knew that going topside without those suits was a death sentence.
So they did what they had to do, they did their tasks, no matter how monotonous the tasks were, they took whatever opportunity that they had to get in what recreation that they could and they talked things out whenever things got difficult. It was the only way to keep peace in the bunker.
Each of the bunker occupants knew exactly what they needed to do to survive.
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