The Last Haven

My name is Amy Tunder and I often lay at night remembering what the world was like before the bombs fell. So much promise, so much technological advancement and yet we were fools to think ourselves as invincible. We were destroyed by our own arrogance and complacency as a virus was able to infect our cyber security and launch the worlds nukes. The virus made our systems believe we were under attack and thus so we paid the price. I live in Helianthus the last known city in this desert wasteland a.k.a the world. Helianthus is encased in a large dome which protects us from the ferocious storms that were intensified by the radiation from the bombs. Half the city has been rebuilt and is home to most of the population while the other half is still under reconstruction and ruin consisting of poverty and crime as police do not really exist in that sector. The dome, robot servants and the reconstruction are thanks to my husband, James Tunder, and his company The Tunder Corporation.

I'm awoken to sunlight shining through my bedroom window as I wake from a long nights rest. I wipe my eyes and let out a deep yawn as I see my husband enter the room with a dinner tray as it appears he has made me breakfast.

"Good morning my little flower, or should I say good afternoon since you wanted to sleep so long today" he laughs as he lays down the tray in my lap .

"Very funny! Why did you make me breakfast?" I ask while looking at him with confusion.

"What? I can't make my wife breakfast out of the kindest of my heart?" he says laughing again.

"Is that what this is?" I say while still not fully believing him.

"Okay okay you got me. Today is a special day"

"How so?" I take a bite of the pancakes he made me and await his answer.

"Well last night somebody wondered into the dome from the wasteland as well as we are announcing a railway so there will be a train in the city to get around a little bit quicker" he lays his hand on my forearm.

"What?! Somebody came in from the wasteland? This is great news this means that it's possible there's others out there" I'm excited at this possibility not only for the possibility of survivors but a new face as everybody knows everybody in Helianthus so a new face would be refreshing and I have so many questions about the outside.

"I know you probably have a ton of questions but I'll fill you in as soon as I know more, until then I have the reveal to make so I got to go and get prepared so enjoy your breakfast and I love you" he leans in and gives me a kiss goodbye.

"Okay love you too and be careful and do good!"

I continue to eat my breakfast and than I get a phone call from my friend Cassandra.

"Hey Amy! I was thinking of going out to the bar later around five with Brittany so do you want to join us?"

"Yeah I'll come, we riding together or meeting there?"

"We will pick you up"

"Okay sounds like a fun night can't wait" I hang up the phone and continue to finish my breakfast.

It's five and I'm awaiting my friends arrival while watching our robot servant clean house. You know sometimes I feel like these things are smarter than they let on based on how they observe things, but what do I know my husband is the genius not me but I still can't help but wonder though. My friends pull up and we head off to the bar.

I down a shot of tequila and look over to see my friends do theirs and laugh as I see Brittany making a disgusted face after she down her drink. Apparently girl can't hold her liquor despite talking a big game. My husbands reveal appears on the TV so I ask the bartender to turn it up.

"Today I'm proud to announce the new form of transportation in our fine haven of Helianthus. Times have always been tough given our circumstances but let this be yet another small stepping stone in rebuilding humanity. Ladies and gentlemen I give to you the Tunder Railway. The railway connects all the city to one another giving everyone a safe method of travel to and from home. So with that said if you will please excuse me, I have a train to catch." James steps into the train as it leaves for the first time.

The girls drop me back off at my house around 10:30pm and James hasn't returned from work yet so I'm assuming he was working late. I turn my favorite song, "Can't Help Falling In Love" by Elvis Presley, on to listen to while I take a shower and call it a night. Whilst in the shower I hear a knock on our front door so I call for our robot to answer.

"Hey AWB! Can you get that I'm in the shower and I'll be out in a second?" I call out from the shower while I get ready to get out and greet the guest.

"Certainly madam it will be my pleasure." The robot answers the door to a police officer.

"Is Amy Tunder present?"

"Yes come in one moment she is getting out the shower" The robot lets in the officer and sets him down in the living room.

I get dressed and head into my living room to find AWB and an officer. I begin to wonder if something has happened to Cassandra and Brittany since they dropped me off, I mean we all did have quite a bit to drink so now I'm worried.

"Hello officer I'm Amy Tunder" I shake his hand and sit down.

"Hello Amy, I'm officer Stevenson and I'm afraid I have bad news and I hate to be the one to tell you" he says while laying his hand on my shoulder which only causes me to internally panic and my heart to start racing.

"Your husband James was killed later tonight after his big reveal." I break down in disbelief with tears flowing out like a river whose dam just broke.

"What happened?" I scream in tears

"We found footage of a hooded figure killing your husband . I'm so very sorry Amy. Do you know by chance who would have wanted you husband gone?"

"I have no idea I mean he was the biggest innovator to the last city on earth who would want to hinder that? He did mention an outsider coming through the dome last night, does that ring a bell?" I ask.

"Wait! Somebody came though the dome?!" he says with a confused look.

"He told me this morning someone did but he didn't give me any other information other than its an adult male" I take a deep breath "I'm sorry I don't have more on this person officer but he had to leave to go prepare for the reveal so he didn't have much time to talk".

"We'll be in contact miss" he leaves.

Later in the night I hear a noise to find a hooded person in the living room. They notice me and lunge.

"Your husband's work is an abomination!" shouts the figure.

AWB strikes them on the head causing them to fall. They dropped a heart shaped locket, which I got him on our 10th anniversary, and a remote with a single button. This may be the outsider but why? I press the button and the floor opens to a secret railway that James must have built without me knowing. I get in and it sets off to a underground lab outside the city.

I step out the railcar into the lab getting a weird feeling of Deja vu as if I've been here before but I do not recognize it. I come to a center console which has a heart indent almost like a key so I insert the locket thinking maybe it's for the locket. It fits perfectly. A hologram of my husband appears.

"Amy if you're seeing this than I'm dead and you have found the locket and the lab. I never wished to tell you this secret seeing how you were happy but since I'm gone its best that you know. I was working late alone in this lab when you visited to bring me dinner and that was when the bombs fell. Because we were underground you and I were the only survivors. The people you have known since the collapse are highly advanced androids I built to make life not so lonely. You took a blow to the head putting you in a coma for years which luckily we were in a state of the art facility so I could keep you alive. While you slept I constructed the dome and the androids to make what life anew and I created them in such a way with personalities and even some criminal traits to make it more realistic and more believable. Cassandra and Brittany were created specifically for you based on the characteristics of past friends of yours so that you weren't alone and could occupy your days and nights. I implanted memories in your head so that waking up wouldn't be such a shock. I'm so sorry I've kept this secret from you my flower but it was easier for me knowing you lived peacefully. Under the table is the key to the locket and inside is the codes to the entire android factory and their systems. You now are in control of the last city my darling. Until I see again my flower I love you and I will miss you, goodbye." The transmissions ends and sure enough I open the locket to a password, "sunshine", for the Tunder database. I guess the outsider found out and didn't like the idea of androids being the dominant species left on earth.

"I will reshape Helianthus in your honor James and I will search the wasteland for any more survivors and bring them to the Last Haven so that we may thrive once more!".