There are new bioweapons; one causes torturous agony that you recover from completely in the space of two weeks, though very few people are willing to keep living for that long. The Enemy is kind enough to first demonstrate nuclear bombs in an uninhabited area. The ash drifts. The year has no summer. There's a stack of several thousand chips in the corner of Cam's shuttle. There are two hundred million people dead. The Enemy has scrupulously not bothered any Dwarves or Men.
There's singing on the radio, beautiful singing, because without it Elves could hardly endure. Cam can do higher-fidelity radio, right? That's not escalatory. Cam can do chocolate. Can can do radiation protection. Cam can do suicide triggers. Cam can do so many suicide triggers.
And then finally, when he's back in the bunker -
"I can read and write to chips."