Nightshift at the Bunker

Author Note: I published this a minute a too late to be submitted for the Instructions Included challenge. Still pretty proud of it, so I figured I'd publish it anyway and maybe continue with this world building.

Congratulations on your new position as nightshift manager. This is highly sought-after role and assigned to only the most deserving and hard working employees. Your years of service and loyalty have earned you this posting; you should be proud!

There are a few guidelines for you to review before your first shift. Please read carefully, as they are extremely vital in ensuring smooth operations in So Below. We will know if you read thoroughly and paid attention!

One of the MANY perks to this coveted position is that, in addition to your regular rationed staff meals, you are may help yourself to the leftovers from the guests dinner! As you know, our guests were the world’s elite and their contributions funded So Below. As such, we strive to make their experience similar to As Above (we wouldn’t want to deprive them of their familiar luxuries). So now you get to eat like the stars!

1. The position of night manager is much less demanding than that of the day as there is significantly less activity as all of our guests are sleeping. It is your job to supervise the night crew and ensure all operations run smoothly. As such, there is a fair bit of downtime. This is an excellent time to further your knowledge on our guests by researching them. Even though you are on nightshift now, you will still need to interact with guests occasionally. They prefer a much more "human" touch to their conversations; and they love being reminded how important and special they are!

2. Please monitor the security camera feeds regularly. Reminder that there are cameras in the guests room. This is for their safety, please be discreet in how you use this access. Should a safety concern arise in one of their rooms, the motion detection will alert you. So there is no need to monitor their rooms regularly

3. Important: the camera feed glitches every night at exactly 3:33am. DO NOT LOOK AT THE SCREENS WHEN THIS HAPPENS. Avert your eyes or plan to be out of the control room when this happens. We recommend planning your rounds for this time so you don’t even have to worry about it!

- Note: if for some reason you fail to follow this instruction; do not speak to any of your crew immediately afterwards. And do not make eye contact with anyone until the end of your shift, and until after you’ve slept.

4. In addition to monitoring the control room, you must also perform regular rounds of the halls and corridors. If you find any guests wandering, kindly escort them back to their rooms. You may notice a milky glaze over their eyes. Do not worry as this is perfectly normal with sleep deprivation.

5. Never, under any circumstances, ask the janitor his real name. You may make friendly conversation with him (he loves to tell jokes!) and refer to him by the name on his name-tag. But please do not ask him, or any of the staff, personal questions.

6. Check the air filtration system and perform regular maintenance. The instructions are provided on the machines themselves, so please read them carefully. Please remember: failure to maintain and troubleshoot the filtration system regularly will be catastrophic for all of us in So Below as there is no clean air As Above for us to intake. We rely on these systems to make sure all of our guests and staff stay healthy.

If you have any further questions, feel free to ask your night crew; they’ve been working here since you were As Above. So they know everything.

Welcome to the team!