2BR02B


 * Summary:** In a world where all diseases have a cure, people almost never get sick, and no one dies because they have even found a cure for death; the initial thought is the world would go over populated. The suprising fact is that the American government is keeping a steady population of forty millions people, nobody is usually born because someone needs a person to volunteer to die when someone is born. If someone wants to die they call a hotline such as 2BR02B which the "0" is pronounced naught. This hotline makes someone die by the use of a gas chamber. In a Hospital in Chicago there is a father, Edward Wehling, finding out that he is now having triplets which puts him in a bad situation because he only has one volunteer to die. Meanwhile, there is a painter painting a picture in one of the hospital rooms symbolizing the current way society was. The painter had a female worker from the Federal Bureau of Termination come to pose as a person in his painting. Then Dr. Benjamin Hitz came into the room, he was the man behind the idea of the gas chamber system. He started to have a coversation with the woman posing for the picture, she sees him as some sort of a celebrity. They get to speaking and the dad who is having triplettes walks into the room and starts talking to the woman and the man about his dilema to see if there is anything they could do. Once he knew there was nothing they could do he pulled out the gun that he had concealed on him and shot the woman, the doctor, and finally him self to save his triplettes. The painter is in utter shock, so much that he calls the 2BR02B hotline and scheduled an appointment as soon as possible to die.
 * Setting**: This short story takes place in the future in the Chicago Lying-in Hospital in the United States which had formed into a Utopia.


 * Protagonist(s)**: The protagonists are Edward K. Wehling, Jr. and his wife.


 * Antagonist(s)**: The antagonists in this short story are Leora Duncan (a worker for the Federal bureau of Termination) and Dr. Benjamin Hitz (he set up the first gas chamber in Chicago).


 * Forms of Technology**: Some forms of technology from this short story are the Ethical Suicide Studios (used to put people to sleep) and the cure for aging.


 * Main conflict**: The main conflict in this story is how what seems to be a Utopian society is really a Dystopian society and how in order for Edward Wehling's kids to live he has to find three people willing to die. This creates an external conflict with Wehling against the Government.


 * Theme(s)**: The theme from this short story is that even in a place that seems perfect there can still be many problems under the surface.

[] (Information on utopian societies) [] (Information on triplets)
 * Links: []** (Information on the gas chamber)

Group Members: Adam Davis Brandon Williams Zach Westhoff