Where MilCorp died loudly in the 2060 war, VitaCorp died quietly — but did not die. Their deep-bunker research labs were built precisely for societal collapse. They sealed in. Generations later they would still be there: bio-augmented operators, in-house genealogy, still chasing the same dream. The 2120 nomad-caravan elder who said she had seen 'pale priests' under a Bavarian hill was probably the first survivor to encounter them. The crew did not believe her at the time.
Two years alone. The lab generators hold. The dust gets into everything. I keep the design folder open on three screens, one for each work-bench. I talk out loud to nobody for the first six months and…