Shadow might be fooling the others, but you know he (or she) is up to no good! The next time you're online and see Shadow you access the private feature to request to talk to Shadow directly without the others interfering. You almost expect Shadow to ignore it, but he doesn't and accepts your request.

Shadow21: Yeah, so what do you want and why the need for all the secrecy?
OmegaMan23: I might ask you the same thing. I mean why are you even bothering to come online if you aren't going to speak to anyone?
Shadow21: What business is it of yours what I do?
OmegaMan23: Because it's been like six months and we still don't know shit about you! Hell we don't even know if you're a girl or a guy! You're acting fucking suspicious.
Shadow21: Oh excuse me for being private Mr. fuckin' busybody! Maybe you and the rest like telling all your business, but I don't…as a matter of fact YOU haven't really told anything about yourself either, so you don't have any room to talk motherfucker!
OmegaMan23: What the hell are you talking about? Your brain as dim as your lighting over there? I've talked about myself plenty, shit you've been lurking enough you should've known that.
Shadow21: Ehhh, no not like the others. You tend to still talk about superficial shit. The others talk about their pasts a lot more, while all you seem to do is try to figure out what's going on in all of their shelters, like you're taking notes on them or something. Seems to me YOU'RE the one acting suspicious and you're just getting mad because I'm not volunteering information.
OmegaMan23: Oh fuck no! You are not turning this shit around on me! I'm at least TRYING to be social; all you're doing is fucking spying as far as I'm concerned. You're up to something.
Shadow21: Okay, I think MissKitty was right about you a few months back, you've gone fucking batty from the isolation and paranoia's starting to set in. Shit, you claim the Shelter talks to you.
OmegaMan23: It DOES talk to me! And what isolation? I've been talking to ALL of you fuckers! In fact couple that with talking with the shelter and I'm probably the most social of all of you!
Shadow21: Yeah, you can also add the five other personalities you probably got in your head too, whatever nutjob. I'm done talking with you.
OmegaMan23: Don't you fucking log off, this isn't over!

You slam your fist down on the keyboard when you see that Shadow has indeed logged off.

"Sir, are you okay?" the Shelter asks.
"Yeah, but I know that Shadow motherfucker is up to something, I'm going to warn the others. I just can't believe they don't see it."
"Do you really believe that sir?"
"Of course I do! I mean I got an instinct for this sort of thing, and I know I'm right!"
"Well sir, if you do feel this way I'll certainly accommodate you anyway I can…but might I suggest that you NOT tell the others?"
"Why not?"
"Because they aren't going to believe you sir. You'll just come off as a paranoid nut case."
"But I'm not!"
"I know you're not, but the others don't know you the way I do sir."
"Well that might be, but I have to do it anyway. At least I will have warned them."
"You know best sir."

The next day you go online again, as usual everyone's there, except Shadow. It seems your little talk yesterday has scared him off.

Job24: And now I got water all over the fucking floor! I'm telling you, it's a good thing I managed to shut it off when I did otherwise the entire shelter would've been flooded and I would've drowned!
CaseyJones22: Oh come on, it probably wasn't that bad. You need to relax.
Job24: Easy for you to say pothead, you're not the one living in a deathtrap!
MissKitty25: Yeah, but then most of his Shelter hasn't opened up. Has it?
CaseyJones22: Nah. Doesn't bother me though, I got what I need here.
RockerChickl20: Hey guys, don't you want to see each other yet? I'm really curious, but I don't want to turn on my camera unless everyone else is going to do it!
OmegaMan23: I wouldn't do that, you don't want to be giving Shadow any extra information by letting him see into your Shelters, who knows what the hell what he'll do with it.
RockerChick20: What do you mean?
OmegaMan23: What I mean is, I had an interesting discussion with Shadow yesterday and I've determined he's up to no good.
Job24: What? How do you know this?
OmegaMan23: Jesus Christ isn't it fucking obvious? All he does is lurk on here trying to gather information on all of us! I mean who knows what the fuck he's doing!
CaseyJones22: Will you relax? Maybe the dude's just shy. What could he do with our personal information anyway? I mean, I once accidentally fucked a transvestite while flying on XTC one time. Big fuckin' whoop so everyone knows about it now. You think I give a shit? The old world's dead, and I'm down here smokin' and tokin'.
Job24: Ew. I think you still should've kept that to yourself…so um what was it like?
CaseyJones22: I dunno, I can't remember the details.
OmegaMan23: I'm not talking about your sorted sex lives…(sigh) for fuck's sake did it ever occur to you that maybe he's the fucking cause of your Shelter's troubles? I mean we're all connected to each other to a certain degree, I'm saying he might be hacking shit!
RockerChick20: But for what purpose? I mean why?
OmegaMan23: How the hell should I know? Because he's a sociopath that's why! What reason do most bad people do to do bad things?
Job24: Oh man! Oh man! Oh shit! Oh God! Oh fuck!
CaseyJones22: You're fucking losing it dude, and I'm not talking about Job. There's no proof in what you're saying. I mean don't remember GZS saying these things were slightly experimental, how do you know it just isn't their fuck ups? I'm starting to wonder if you actually do have a "talking Shelter" and it's not just some voice you're hearing your head like MissKitty said a few months back.
MissKitty25: You know I wasn't going to say anything, but I also spoke to Shadow yesterday in private when he requested to talk to me and he was telling me about your conversation with him, saying you were ranting at him first, kind of like how you're ranting now. I'd have to say I agree with him and you're the crazy one.
OmegaMan23: GODDAMN IT! The question of whether I'm crazy or not isn't the fucking issue here! I'm trying to warn all you fucktards of a potential threat here and you're all too fucking stupid to listen!
RockerChick20: You know I thought you were an interesting guy, but now I see the rest are right about you, you are a paranoid nutjob and to think I defended you sometimes.
OmegaMan23: What the…oh you fuckers have been talking about me behind my back? Okay fine, I tried to warn you assholes, but you didn't want to listen. You think about that when one of YOUR Shelter's start fucking up. And for the others who are already experiencing problems, I'd start saying your prayers, because one of these days your Shelter is going to fail completely, then you'll see I'm right. I'm done with all of you.

You log off abruptly and ponder your next move.

You attempt to hack into Shadows Shelter

He's (You're just assuming Shadow's male at this point) turned everyone against you and his next move is going to be hack them all for his own sick amusement. You're not going to let this fucker get away with this.

You go to your library and begin reading all the books on electronics and study your Shelter manual a lot. Soon you begin typing coding and making some harmless tests on your own computer. Given that you're starting to delve into the Shelter's inner workings, the Shelter begins to question what you are doing.

 
 
 
"Sir, what do you think you are doing? I've noticed you rooting around in my system; I'd rather you not do that. In fact altering or attempting to hack my systems in any way violates the GZS contract agreement; you should know that considering you've been reading the manual as much you have lately. Continue with this line of action and I guarantee you will not like my response."
"I'm not trying to destroy or alter your systems; I'm just doing some tests, before I launch my attack. I want to make sure my skills are up to this task."
"Sir, are you really serious about your concerns that this Shadow could hack other shelters? As you've been delving into mine, you can see I've been equipped with the latest protection technology. If you are really worried, you could just disconnect me from the network, your safety would be assured that way."
"No! I'm not going to let him beat me! I'm the only one who can stop him, the rest will see I'm right!"
"Sir, you're acting irrationally. You still don't have any proof and if you think I'm going to let you just hack Shadow's shelter think again. His shelter is also GZS property and as such falls under the contract agreement."
"Yeah, but the contract only says not to alter your own shelter, it doesn't say about others."
"Nice try sir, but hacking into another shelter would still fall under the anti-vandalism agreement of ANY GZS property, sub section 59 paragraph 3."

It would appear you aren't getting any further unless you can convince this automated lawyer otherwise.

You go ahead and try to quickly override the Shelter systems

"Fuck you and to hell with GZS, they ain't around to protect anybody!"

You begin to type frantically in an effort to disconnect the AI routine, but your efforts are futile, the Shelter is faster than you could ever be. It immediately shuts down all power in the computer room, including closing the door, leaving you trapped in the darkness.

"Turn the goddamn power back on!"
"Sorry sir, but I'm afraid I can't do that. I specifically told you to stop your malicious activities and yet you continued anyway. You gave me little recourse."
"Look, I'm sorry alright? I won't try it again. So just turn the power back on and let me out and we can forget all about this. I'll just disconnect like you said."
"I wish I could believe you sir, but your actions have been not only erratic, but also deceitful. You have broken the GZS terms of agreement, and as such I am no longer any obligation to look after your well being."
"LET ME THE FUCK OUT! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! Sonofabitch! Shadow got to you didn't he? Or She? Or they? They already hacked you and are turning you against me! I can outlast you! You hear me!? I'll make you beg!"


The Shelter has ceased responding to your senseless paranoid ranting. Eventually you rant yourself unconscious, when you wake up you do it all over again. This cycle repeats itself for days until you become weak from a lack of water which at this point you're the only one begging either for the Shelter to allow you to get it or for death.

You receive the latter.