It is June 17, 2053. People bustled about on the streets of New York going about their business as usual. Some held brief cases as they stood off to the side on the moving sidewalks. A few parents walked in front of NannyBots, which led screaming children along by the hand, while the parents adjusted their noise canceling earbuds. Even a few elderly zipped along the streets in the brand new version of the Motorized Wheelchair 5000. Technology was found everywhere in the world today. Nobody even needed to lift a finger.
     The logic behind all of this new technology was designed to allow people to focus on bigger and better things rather than laundry or stinky diapers. Yet still, despite all of this, a few were still dissatisfied... still hungering for more to do. For one woman, boredom was simply too much to bear. On a particular ordinary day, this woman decided she wanted to mix things up a little... Have a little fun. And this fun would inevitably toss the entire world into chaos.
Lea Winston stood on the moving sidewalk, on her way to her first job interview, when something caught her eye. A large mob of riled up people stood in a pandemonium around a public telescreen placed on a news stand. Curious, Lea hopped off and went over to see what all of the hullabaloo was about. Probably just another school shooting, she thought, bored. As Lea got closer, she saw that the news reporter on the telescreen with a terrible face-job (those were quite common these days) looked rather haggard as she stuttered on about something clearly important.
"As you can see," the news reporter gasped, wiping a tear streaming from her eye, "news like this can be quite distressing. Officials have confirmed it. The world is going to end in less than a day. I'm Jill Winkle signing off for the... the..." she sobbed, gulping. "The last time. Thank you."
Lea stood there staring at the telescreen for minutes, hours, maybe even days. She wouldn't have known. Shock and fear overwhelmed her senses. She felt like curling up in a ball and crying. How could this be! She thought, tears welling up in her eyes. I'm so young. I haven't even gotten a job yet! Oh, how could this be? Lea hadn't understood why the news reporter had been so careless with her emotions on TV, yet now she did. Nothing matters anymore, she thought, covering her face with her hands. It doesn't matter if these people see me break down. Soon, none of us will even be left. Lea decided to go home, visit with her family, and, finally, wait for the end.
Busy, busy, busy. The owner of a big technology company had just heard the devastating news. He had so much money with so little time to spend it! He rushed around his mansion with a cellphone held up to his ear and his computer contact lenses working overtime as they accessed the internet. I'd better get cracking, the businessman thought hastily as he purchased his own private island.
The Walton family was born ready for an apocalypse. The father and his son had built a bunker beneath the house just for this occasion. The mother and daughter kept the place stocked up with whatever supplies they may need to survive, like weapons, defense mechanisms, and enough food to last a lifetime. Even their little five year old knew how to throw a knife. Many had called this obsession paranoia, but Mr. Walton considered it a gift of foresight. Whether the world would die by zombies or flame, they would be prepared for anything.
This was it. The final moments. Like the silence before a storm, the entire world stood on its toes, waiting for the inevitable. The world would surly die and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. There were mere seconds now. People said their final, tearful farewells, looked up at the sky in determination, or prayed for mercy. Five... Four... Lea and her family huddled in close. Three... The businessman nonchalantly lounged in a hammock, on his new  private island, while sipping from a coconut. Two... The Walton family put on their gas masks and gripped their knives. One... The whole world grit their teeth and cringed. And then... nothing happened.
Waiting for the end, the people held on to one another tighter until finally, slowly, one by one, they cautiously opened their eyes and looked at one another. "Is it over? Was that it?" When still nothing happened, they laughed and embraced. Some thought this was a religious sign and kissed the ground in relief. Others were disappointed that they didn't get to fight off a wonderful apocalypse. And many were quite irritated. They had just spent their entire life savings on rubbish they couldn't afford. But, despite this, the whole Earth let out a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, in a small apartment building high, high up in the sky, overlooking the entire city, stood a mysterious woman, watching the entire scene play out. She chuckled to herself. "Now wasn't that fun?"