It was the year 2035. Progress had brought the world to a different state.

First, in a supposed effort to live most sustainably humankind had moved underground. The cycle was complete and automated fields grew what was needed, if fields were still needed to substitute the food large labs would create. Work had become unnecessary, since automation had made it possible that the upbringing of the young and their education was done much more efficiently by devices that would display training sequences. In addition, two other events reshaped the circumstances.

The fear of spreading diseases had made human contact unthinkable. People were disgusted when even thinking of leaving their life pods, breathing filtered air and automated skincare.

The lifepods also served two other purposes. Vast screens provides any virtual entertainment thinkable. And of course only machines were watching, so the concept of shame was soon forgotten, making space for a special way of hedonism that today seems unimaginable to us.

The entertainment was rendered in realtime by AI algorithms displaying any thought or theme the user might wish to indulge in. Taking verbal feedback as well as measuring the impact of their messaging by physical sensors all over and sometimes inside the body, the machines were able to come up with unparalleled and continuously satisfying presentations in resemblance to a culture we once knew.

Obviously body shame was also a lost concept because the imagination of a machine is beyond comparison to anything a human body could be shaped like.

The idea of marriage was optional, but sometimes groups formed, connecting their AI training to share the feedback they had given to the devices concerning topics of physical interaction. Soon it was obvious that in this case it was better to connect as many databases as possible.

At the beginning of our story, the unthinkeable happens. A vast storm breaks the solar panels powering the pods of a small group - forcing them to abandon their underground dwellings and try to subsist above ground - knowing that no rescue team will abandon their pods to come out to the rescue they are under daylight again.