[ WP ] Everyone dies on their birthday , but no one knows at which age it will occur .

Everybody died on their birthday, nobody knew which one. Society made birthdays a solemn day for reflecting on the past year. Which was good, in a way, but for some poor souls that reflection became suicide. Taking your own life was the most cause of death in the world. Maybe it was the anxiety of never knowing if this was the birthday. Maybe it was the waiting, watching the minutes creep by. Many thought the remorseful just let death come and take them. I was old fashion; I believed in fate. You can cheat at cards, or on your wife, but you ca n't cheat death. 
 
 My beliefs, however, are in the minority. Most subscribe to the philosophy of prevention. Entire industries have cropped up to placate the need. Everlife is the biggest company on Earth. I work for them. I am a life pod district engineer. I, from this tiny office, monitor thousands of people who paid millions of dollars for a one day stay at our facilities. 
 
 I watch large blocks of individual pods on my computer. Each one the size of a coffin, completely sealed off from the outside world. All air is sterilized before being pumped in. The patients are sedated and vitals are constantly monitored. The doors will not open for a full twenty four hours. All threats are kept at bay. 
 
 Sure we have had a few deaths, but those are usually massive organ failure. We ca n't cheat death, but our numbers are pretty damn good. Everlife has become so successful that the world elite use our services. Heads of State, Presidents, Kings, and Queens all trust us to protect them, from themselves. 
 
 As with every other thing on this planet, the Everlife system started noble and was slowly corrupted with money. What once started as a way to protect humanity, eventually because a haven for the elite and wealthy. Pod rentals are so expensive that only the very rich can afford the privilege. Average Joes, like me can only dream of using the same pods. 
 
 If I made the rules, I would award pods on need. Then again I could be biased. My father turns 72 in three days and his life's work is six months from completion. It will be a nerve racking day for the entire family. He has devoted his life to isolating the birthday gene, the very essence of life and death. He is so close. If he can just make it through that one day, all of society could change. That's why I am killing a President today, on her birthday. 
 
 It's not that I have anything against the lady, far from it. I even voted for her, but the French have offer me a lot of money, and I need money. One catastrophic software failure and a city block of pods will be shut down. I have come to grips with the fact that I will have to shut down 330 pods, an entire sector, to make this work. I will be the cause of all those deaths. They are all just numbers on my screen, except pod 126. That number will allow my father to buy another year. 
 
 Death should be quick. Oxygen should be depleted in thirty seconds and suffocation in less than three minutes. I have timed the crash for 19 minutes. That's the exact amount of time it takes to process the French payment and reserve a pod for my father. It should n't be traced back to me. It should look like an accident. Sure there will be an investigation, but that will take weeks. I only need a few days. 
 
 Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday madam President...... 
 
 

