Dawn of the New Age

[Nina]

Spoiler

Game information will follow. stay tuned

 

Tomorrow...

 

Dr. Janice Rivera, Astrophysicist and NASA consultant, studied the images that had just arrived from Johnson Space Center. They were images of a phonomana that had raised a lot of questions in the last few weeks. Images of unexpected X- and C-shaped structures in Earth's ionosphere, the layer of electrified gas in the planet's atmosphere that allows radio signals to travel over long distances.

 

As Dr. Rivera meticulously analyzed the images, her mind raced with numerous theories and possibilities. The intricate patterns in the ionosphere were unlike anything she had ever seen before. She zoomed in on the detailed images, noting the precise angles and shapes of the mysterious structures.

 

Hours turned into days as Dr. Rivera delved deeper into her research. She consulted with colleagues around the world, sharing the puzzling images and seeking their expertise. The scientific community was abuzz with excitement and curiosity over the phenomenon in Earth's ionosphere.

 

As more data poured in from various observatories and satellites, a pattern began to emerge. The X- and C-shaped structures seemed to pulsate and shift, almost as if they were alive. Dr. Rivera couldn't shake the feeling that there was a hidden intelligence behind the mesmerizing display in the ionosphere.

 

One night, as she was analyzing the latest data in her dimly lit office, a sudden flash of light outside caught her attention. Rushing to the window she looked out but saw nothing that could have caused the flash. She had considered lightning but the sky was clear and there had been no thunder. Just then a knock came from her office door.

 

Curious and slightly unsettled by the strange flash of light, Dr. Rivera made her way to the door. She peered through the small window in the door but saw no one standing on the other side. Frowning, she cautiously unlocked the door and pulled it open, revealing an empty hallway bathed in the harsh glare of flickering fluorescent lights.

 

Just as she was about to close the door and dismiss it as a figment of her imagination, a soft rustling sound echoed from the shadows at the end of the corridor. Dr. Rivera's heart raced as she strained her eyes to see what was causing the noise.

 

A figure emerged from the darkness, tall and clad in an iridescent cloak that seemed to shimmer with its own inner light. The mysterious visitor approached her with an air of otherworldly grace, their face obscured by a swirling mist that emanated from their form.

 

"Dr. Janice Rivera," a melodious voice, neither male or female, rang out, sending shivers down Janice’s spine. "Who... who are you?" Dr. Rivera stammered, her voice barely above a whisper. The figure paused, their presence filling the hallway with an otherworldly energy.

 

"I am a being from a distant world," the melodious voice responded, each word resonating in the air around them. "I have come to deliver a message of great importance to you, Dr. Janice Rivera."

 

Dr. Rivera's curiosity mingled with a growing sense of unease as she watched the figure draw closer, the swirling mist parting to reveal glimpses of a luminous gaze fixated upon her.

 

"What message do you have for me?" she finally managed to ask, her scientific mind grappling with the surreal encounter unfolding before her.

 

The being extended a hand, and from its palm materialized a holographic projection that hovered in the air between them. Dr. Rivera gasped as she beheld images of the X- and C-shaped structures in Earth's ionosphere, but these images were different from the ones she had been studying. They showed the structures in motion, pulsating with an otherworldly energy that seemed to defy the laws of physics. Janice couldn't tear her eyes away from the mesmerizing display, feeling a strange connection forming between herself and the enigmatic being before her.

 

"As you have noticed, these structures are not of Earthly origin," the being spoke, its voice resonating with a soothing yet powerful timbre. “They were placed by the Guardian, the orbital structure your Space Service calls the Black Knight satellite. I am it’s… representative.”

 

"Its purpose is to monitor and protect Earth from external threats beyond your current understanding," the being continued, their luminous gaze locking with Dr. Rivera's. "But there has been a disturbance in the fabric of the cosmos, a disruption that threatens the delicate balance of your world and others."

Dr. Rivera felt a chill run down her spine as she listened intently to the being's words. The Black Knight satellite, a legendary enigma long speculated by conspiracy theorists, was now standing before her in the form of this ethereal visitor.

 

"What kind of disruption?" she inquired, her scientific curiosity overriding her initial apprehension. The being clasped its hands together, causing the holographic projection to shift and morph into a series of celestial maps displaying cosmic anomalies never before documented by human technology.

 

After scanning the vast expanse of space, it finally settled on a misshapen planetoid hurtling towards Earth. In human terms, it would resemble a comet about a quarter of the size of the moon. “From my analysis, its composition is mostly ice, but without a closer scan, I cannot be entirely certain. This object entered your solar system approximately 40,000 years ago and was due to return in another 40,000 years. However, something has altered its orbit and it is now moving at an accelerated speed that defies normal physics. Unfortunately, its trajectory will bring it dangerously close to Earth within a short time frame. And because of Sol's position in relation to this object, it will not be visible to your telescopes until it is too late - on a collision course with your planet."

 

The weight of the revelation bore down on Dr. Rivera, a mix of awe and dread gripping her heart. She knew the catastrophic consequences of a celestial body of such size colliding with Earth. Panic threatened to overtake her, but a steely resolve emerged within her scientific soul. Clenching her fists, she focused her gaze on the being before her.

 

"We must find a way to prevent this impact," Dr. Rivera stated with unwavering determination. The being regarded her with a knowing look, as if expecting her response.

 

"There is a way," the being began, the holographic projection shifting once more to reveal intricate diagrams of energy fields and gravitational manipulations. "With your expertise in astrophysics and access to Earth's resources, we can align the ionospheric structures in a specific configuration that will generate a counterforce to alter the trajectory of the planetoid."

 

Dr. Rivera absorbed the information rapidly, her mind racing with calculations and strategies. She saw the potential in the what the Black Knight was saying. “How much time do we have,” she asked?

 

“Four months.”

 

That shook Janice to the core, four months? Her voice unwavering as she made a decision. "We need to alert the authorities, mobilize resources, and prepare a plan to deflect or destroy that object before it's too late. Humanity's survival depends on it."

 

The being regarded her with a profound intensity, a glimmer of approval shining in its luminous gaze. "You have the spirit of the Guardians within you, Dr. Janice Rivera," it declared, its melodious voice imbued with a sense of reverence. "I will guide you in this endeavor, but the fate of your world ultimately rests in your hands." With a graceful gesture, the being dissipated into a swirl of luminescent mist, leaving Dr. Rivera alone in the hallway with a newfound sense of purpose and responsibility. As she rushed back to her office to initiate the crucial mission ahead, she knew that she was about to embark on the most extraordinary and perilous journey of her scientific career.

 

The fate of Earth hung in the balance.

 

 

Images

 

Spoiler

 Rivera     The Black Knight    

 

 

X and C Structures in Ionosphere

 

[Nina]

Janice Rivera was a well respected scientist, multiple groundbreaking papers to her credit, Stints at NASA, CERN, a member of the Presidents Science Council even a Nobel Prize nomination, and still it took the alien artifact to make the Head of NASA believe her. But after the artifact known as the Black Knight shifted its orbit to a geosynchronous orbit over NASA at exactly the time she said it would, all doubt disappeared. Phone calls were made, emergency meetings scheduled for right now, things were put in motion.

 

The race to save the world had begun.

 

At Dr Rivera’s request the Parker Solar Probe was retasked and sent into a higher solar orbit and its cameras pointed at coordinates she supplied. It was then boosted into a faster orbit to get it back where it could transmit to earth. This expended all of the probes remaining fuel and launched it on a trajectory which woul dtake it out of the solar system faster than any other man made object ever built.

 

The PSP’s transmitted data revealed the object and thus was the actions which would change the world set in motion.

 

Dr. Rivera wasted no time in assembling a team of the world's top astrophysicists and engineers, pulling them from their prestigious positions with a sense of urgency that mirrored the ticking clock counting down to Earth's potential demise. She outlined the situation with unwavering determination, her eyes blazing with a fierce determination that inspired those around her.

 

Together, they worked tirelessly day and night, pouring over complex calculations and simulations to devise a plan to intercept the rogue planetoid hurtling towards their beloved planet. The stakes were unimaginably high, the margin for error non-existent. Failure was not an option.

 

As weeks turned into months, the global effort to avert catastrophe gained momentum, drawing upon the combined resources and intellect of nations united in a common cause. Satellites were repurposed, cutting-edge technology was pushed to its limits, and unprecedented cooperation transcended political boundaries in the face of impending doom.

 

Finally, as the deadline loomed ominously close, Dr. Rivera and her team stood before a massive control center, its walls lined with screens displaying intricate data and analysis of the approaching planetoid. The tension in the room was palpable, a collective breath held as the final moments ticked away. Dr. Rivera's hands hovered over the control panel, her gaze fixed on the main monitor showing the real-time trajectory of the celestial threat.

 

"Initiate the ionospheric alignment sequence," she commanded with unwavering resolve. The team of experts around her sprang into action, their fingers flying across keyboards and consoles as they set the intricate plan in motion.

 

Outside, massive satellites positioned strategically around Earth began to hum with energy, their systems syncing up in a synchronized dance of technology and determination. The ionospheric structures identified by the Black Knight satellite started to glow with an otherworldly light, their energy pulsating in harmony with the calculations fed into them by Dr. Rivera's team.

 

As the rogue planetoid loomed closer, its icy surface reflecting the distant light of the sun as it hurtled mercilessly towards Earth, a tense silence enveloped the control center. Every eye was fixed on the main monitor, where the trajectory of the planetoid was being gradually altered by the concerted efforts of humanity's best and brightest.

 

Sweat beaded on Dr. Rivera's brow as she monitored the complex calculations unfolding before her. The fate of Earth hung in a precarious balance, teetering between annihilation and salvation. The hum of the machinery reverberated through the room, a symphony of hope in the face of impending catastrophe.

And then, in a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity, the data on the monitor shifted. The trajectory of the rogue planetoid wavered, veering slightly off from its collision course with Earth. A collective gasp filled the control center as cheers erupted, echoing off the walls in jubilant celebration.

 

Dr. Rivera allowed herself a fleeting smile of relief before turning her attention to the final phase of their desperate mission. The planetoid, though no longer on a direct collision course with Earth, was still a looming threat in the vast expanse of space. With precision and focus, Dr. Rivera and her team continued to adjust the ionospheric alignment, fine-tuning the counterforce to ensure that the planetoid would be deflected away from their planet.

 

Hours turned into days as they monitored the progress with bated breath, every slight deviation in the trajectory of the celestial object met with swift calculations and adjustments. The world held its breath as the fate of humanity hung in the balance, a fragile dance between science and catastrophe playing out against the backdrop of the cosmos.

 

After what felt like an eternity, the long-awaited moment arrived. The rogue planetoid reached its closest point to Earth, its glistening icy surface reflecting the sunlight as it harmlessly passed by. Humanity let out a collective cheer as they celebrated their miraculous salvation. The threat that had loomed over them for months was now safely veering away into the depths of space.

 

Dr. Rivera stood in the control center, her eyes fixated on the monitor displaying the trajectory of the planetoid. A sense of profound relief washed over her, knowing that their hard work and determination had paid off in averting a catastrophic event. The world would continue to thrive, thanks to humanity's relentless dedication and collaborative spirit in the face of adversity.

 

Amidst the cheers and celebrations, Dr. Rivera took a moment to reflect on their extraordinary journey. Against all odds, they had achieved the impossible through sheer willpower and a shared commitment to preserving life on Earth. But amidst the jubilation, she also knew that their work was far from over.

 

A deafening alarm blared throughout the NASA control room, sending everyone into a panicked frenzy. Dr. Rivera's heart raced as she sprinted over to the main console, her eyes widening in horror at the flashing red warning lights. The power machine directing energy towards the planetoid had malfunctioned and was now ramping up its gravitational pull, pulling the icy worldlet towards its inevitable destruction.

 

With a sickening lurch in her stomach, Dr. Rivera watched as the once stable planetoid began to crumble and fracture under the overwhelming force of gravity. Huge chunks of ice and rock were torn apart and hurled outwards at breakneck speeds, hurtling towards Earth with deadly accuracy.

 

In a matter of seconds, the peaceful planetoid was reduced to nothing but a cloud of debris hurtling through space, some pieces hurtling directly towards their home planet. The destruction was catastrophic, leaving the entire team stunned in shock and disbelief as they watched the aftermath unfold before their very eyes.

 

[Nina]

II

 

Sara Hutchins took a red bandanna from her back pocket and used it to wipe the sweat off her face. For a moment, she gazed out at the field and felt a pang of sorrow. Her father had never seen this place thrive or even had the chance to work on these fields that he longed for.

 

Sara grew up in Shelly, Montana where her father served as a Deputy and then Sheriff. Her mother had left when she was young, leaving her father to raise her alone to the best of his ability.

 

As a teenager, Sara was rebellious and constantly clashed with her father's strict law enforcement ways. She even became known as the school's main source of weed. At seventeen, she obtained her GED and left Shelly and her controlling father, thinking it was for good.

 

Sara spent a decade riding across America on the back of her beloved Indian motorcycle, which she had personally rebuilt. She was a skilled mechanic, a talented tattoo artist, and could strum a guitar and sing folk and western songs with ease. Thanks to these abilities, she could make money wherever she stopped for a while.

 

However, during those ten years, her father's life took a turn for the worse. He became an alcoholic and struggled to stay sober as sheriff for eight of those years before finally retiring and trying to clean himself up. He quit drinking abruptly and decided to leave Shelly for good due to too many painful memories. He eventually found a small farm further north and east where he could start fresh. Using all of his savings, he bought the property but soon realized the house needed extensive repairs. Despite this setback, he tackled the renovations himself over six months.

 

Unfortunately, towards the end of his hard work, he began feeling ill and weak. He went to the doctor, only to receive devastating news: he had cancer.

 

Sara had stayed in touch over the years with a few friends back home in Shelly. It was from one of them that She learned about her dad.

 

Sara received the news of her father's illness with a heavy heart. Despite their rocky past, she knew she couldn't turn her back on him in his time of need. Without a second thought, she packed up her motorcycle and rode straight to his side, determined to help him in any way she could.

 

The small farm was a stark contrast to the bustling cities Sara had grown accustomed to during her years on the road. The quiet, rural setting felt foreign to her, but she found solace in the rolling fields and fresh air that surrounded them. As she pulled up to the farmhouse, she saw her father sitting on the porch, looking frail but determined.

 

Their reunion was filled with tears and long-overdue apologies. Sara learned that despite his gruff exterior, her father had always loved her deeply and had only wanted what was best for her. Now, facing his mortality, he was filled with regret for the time lost between them.

 

Together, they faced the challenges ahead. Sara threw herself into helping her father with the farm, drawing on her mechanical skills to fix broken machinery and her strength to tend to the labor-intensive work. Despite the difficult circumstances, a sense of peace settled over them as they worked side by side, their bond growing stronger with each passing day.

 

As the seasons changed, so did her father's health. Some days were harder than others, but they faced each one with unwavering determination and love. Sara would often play her guitar in the evenings, filling the farmhouse with the soothing melodies of old folk songs that her father used to sing to her when she was a child.

 

One crisp autumn morning, as they harvested the last of the crops together, her father turned to her with a soft smile on his face. "Thank you, Sara," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "For coming back and being here for me."

 

Tears welled up in Sara's eyes as she hugged him tightly, feeling the weight of the years of estrangement and pain finally lifting off her shoulders. "I love you, Dad," she whispered, her voice cracking with emotion. In that moment, surrounded by the golden fields and the cool breeze of fall, Sara knew that being by her father's side was exactly where she was meant to be.

 

As the sun began to set on the horizon, casting a warm glow over the farm, Sara and her father sat on the porch together, reminiscing about old memories and sharing stories from their time apart. The air was filled with a sense of peace and closure, a quiet understanding passing between them that words could never fully express.

 

In the following weeks, as her father's health declined, Sara never left his side. She tended to him with unwavering care and love, doing everything in her power to ease his pain and bring him comfort. Despite the inevitable outcome looming before them, they found solace in each other's company and in the simple moments they shared.

 

One chilly evening, as the fireplace crackled softly in the corner of the room, Sara sat by her father's bedside, holding his hand gently. His breathing was shallow and labored, each exhale a painful reminder of the inevitable goodbye that loomed on the horizon. She brushed a stray lock of hair away from his forehead, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

 

Her father's eyes fluttered open, and he gazed up at her with a mixture of love and exhaustion. "Sara," he rasped, his voice barely audible. "I need to tell you something."

 

Sara leaned in closer, her heart heavy with emotion. "What is it, Dad?" she whispered, her voice barely above a breath.

 

He took a shaky breath before speaking again. "I want you to know how proud I am of you," he said, his words filled with sincerity. "You've grown into an amazing woman, stronger and more resilient than I ever could have imagined."

 

Tears glistened in Sara's eyes as she listened to her father's words, the weight of his approval filling her with a sense of peace and gratitude. "Thank you, Dad," she managed to say, her voice cracking with emotion. "I never could have done any of this without you."

 

Her father smiled weakly, his gaze drifting to the window where the setting sun painted the sky in hues of pink and gold. "You were always meant for greater things, Sara," he murmured, his voice barely a whisper now. "I may not have shown it well, but I've always believed in you."

 

As the room filled with a comfortable silence, broken only by the crackling of the fire, Sara held onto her father's hand tightly, savoring the fleeting moments they had together. She knew that soon he would be gone, leaving behind a void that nothing could ever fill.

 

In the stillness of that evening, Sara felt a sense of closure settle over her heart.

 

That night John Martin Hutchins Passed in his sleep.

 

The memory brought mixed emotions for Sara - sadness at the loss, but also happiness for the love it brought into her life. She had initially planned to sell the farm after her father's passing, but instead she chose to continue working it. It was a tough job for just one person, so she hired help during harvest season, but otherwise it was just her taking care of everything. For the first time in her life, Sara felt content and fulfilled.

 

She pushed her bandanna back into her pocket and gathered her tools from fixing the fence. As she made her way back to her trusty old pick-up truck, she heard sharp booms coming from the north and looked up at the sky. It was filled with vibrant streaks of color as meteors blazed across in broad daylight. Each one left behind a fiery trail, almost like a mini firework display.

 

Sara didn't watch TV or use internet much, except for checking emails on her phone. So when news about the Plantoid possibly hitting Earth spread around town, she was aware of it but hadn’t given it much thought. Afterall there wasn’t anything she could do about it. As a result she hadn’t been following the news, but as she looked up in awe at the meteor shower above, some fragments managing to survive and make it to the ground, she suddenly realized that one of them was heading straight towards her farm!

 

Image

Spoiler

 Sara Abigail Hutchins

 

[Nina]

16 minutes ago...

 

Dr. Rivera snapped out of her shock within seconds of witnessing the explosion. "Why is that debris heading towards us?" The engineers and scientists frantically scanned their screens. "The gravity beam reversed, pulling a massive chunk of debris field onto a new trajectory directly back at us," one of them reported. Dr. Rivera turned to Allen, one of the technicians, for more information. "Allen, what was the object's speed at detonation?" He didn't hesitate in his response. "0.163456c." Then she asked about the speed of the debris. This time, he consulted his screens and used a calculator to give her an answer. "The field lost some velocity; it's coming in at 0.12734…7c. We have about 16 minutes."

 

Janice's mind raced as she started doing calculations in her head. "We can't stop it. If any of those fragments hit at that speed, it's over. Our only chance is to slow it down."

 

She dashed from station to station, barking orders. "Override the safeties on the Tesla Towers and drain every single Joule of energy you can find! We'll layer X and C waves across the target atmosphere in hopes of slowing the damn things down enough to minimize damage."

 

She then turned to Marilyn and handed her a slip of paper. "Tell the space station to evacuate immediately and not attempt re-entry until we can give them accurate data. They need to head to these coordinates right now." Marilyn scrambled to contact the space station through radio communication.

 

Meanwhile, Henry, the Mission Controller, approached Janice with a worried expression. "We're going to lose almost everything in orbit...we'll be blind." Janice shot him a reassuring glance. "I don't think you need to worry about that. Best case scenario, we shut down every power grid on the planet. Worst case...we don't slow down that shit."

 

Janice's heart raced as the tension in the control room mounted to a fever pitch. The fate of Earth hung in the balance once again as they raced against time to slow down the deadly debris hurtling towards them. Every second felt like an eternity as they frantically worked to divert disaster.

 

The Tesla Towers hummed with unprecedented levels of energy, pushing their systems to their limits in a desperate attempt to create a barrier strong enough to slow down the incoming fragments. The atmosphere crackled with anticipation as the X and C waves were layered across the target trajectory, creating a shimmering shield of energy in space.

 

Janice remained laser-focused as the field of debris drew closer, analyzing every bit of data and running through countless scenarios in her mind. The space station had been evacuated, leaving only vital systems running as humanity prepared for the impending impact. But suddenly, the data stopped coming in as the debris reached the orbit of the world's satellites.

 

As the countdown clock ticked down to its final moments, a brilliant flash of light rolled across the northern sky like a sheet of lightning, momentarily illuminating the world in its blinding glow. The intense burst lasted only a microsecond before fading, leaving behind a trail of debris that had collided with the Ionosphere. The air crackled and hummed with an otherworldly energy as remnants of the impact rained down from above.

 

Spoiler

btw i am not doing any sort of real world calculations or anything...im just being dramatic.... don't try this at home.

 

[Shameless]

"What's the point?"  Abel Cross asked no one in particular as he sat in the back of his Pickup, out under the clear Montana sky.  He had a well-paying job Working as a troubleshooter for the Montana department of the Interior.   He'd always been an outdoorsman, he and his sister raised to love the great outdoors.
 

He had had everything a man could want.  Then six months before, he'd caught his wife of not even a year, Helen, having an affair.   The Divorce was messy, and she'd been the one to file for it.   He could have fought for more, but didn't.  He let her have the house, taking only his things, his truck, and boat.  In return, he didn't have to pay alimony.   He'd moved back to Shelly, where he'd grown up, taking the open supervisor position for the multi county area.  He was essentially a glorified game warden, but he also had responsibilities to liase with the Black Foot Reservation.
 

His reminisciense paused, as he took a draught from his Co and looked up at the starry sky.   There were lots of good memories here.   He thought about how his parents had helped him find a not new, but still nice Trailer, and he'd put it on the land he'd been given almost ten years before.  Back when he was in high school, he'd helped Mr. Banson, a rancher and secretly, probably the wealthiest man in Shelly, maintain his fish pond, and help around the house when Banson had gotten seriously injured in an auto accident that nearly killed him.  The two struck up a friendship, and aside from the nurse that tended him and came out to do his physical therapy, he was pretty sure he was the only person that set foot in his home.   He'd let him fish the pond, provided he brought him some of the fish once he'd cleaned it.  It hadn't been hard work, and was worth the rewards of getting to fish the pond.
 

During his freshman year at college, he got word that Mr. Banson had died, though he never heard from what, and he made the trip home for the funeral.   There he'd met Archie Fells, the executor of Mr. Banson's estate.  Archie had told Abel that Mr Banson  left him something in his will.  While Mr. Banson's children had gotten the majority of his property, including the home and pond, A parcel of over a hundred acres had been given to Abel, placed in trust until he graduated.  The land was at the outskirts of the city, but there was nothing built on it, and it held some of the only actual forest near the small town.  Abel had been content to do nothing with it, indeed he only ever told his parents about it, since there wasn't anything he could do with it back then.  Thinking back he was glad it was set up in a trust, because his ex-wife couldn't touch it, and got no part of it once he took possession.

 

The land he'd been given was his home now, but he wasn't happy.    After such a disastrous marriage, he thought hard about just isolating himself, but that wasn't going to pay the bills.   Still it didn't help him get out of the funk he'd been in, a low-grade depression he was struggling with.  Sitting in the back of the truck, or when he was feeling brave, the roof of his home, his only company was the evening breeze and the countless stars in the sky.

 

Despite being depressed, and feeling like he was fairly alone, he at least hadn't brought one of the bottles of whiskey out with him, or one of his guns.  He wasn't at that point, and hoped to never get there again.  The Bottle never really helped, it just pushed the problem to another day, and the gun would end the problem certainly, but he thought about his sister, his mother and father, and he couldn't go out that way.   He didn't want them to be sad.

 

Of course, in his position, he'd heard about the planetoid, how the world was imperilled, and he could only shrug his shoulders.  There was damn little he could do, and for the most part, the small town of Shelly seemed to ignore the goings on of the world.   There wasn't panic in the streets, or anything, people went on about their lives.  He'd heard some interesting rumors come out of the Reservation, but nothing to act on, and certainly no calls to do so.  

 

As he sat there, questioning choices he'd made, and the things he'd done and not done, he bore witness to a meteor shower unlike any of the others he'd seen across the clear Montana sky.

 

Still, even as he watched, he noticed one of the brilliant streaks was much brighter, and closer.   As he watched it was obviously getting closer and closer, it was going to impact near the town!

 

Spoiler

 

Edited August 12 by Shameless

[Asarasa]

Sean sat in a floating pool chair, lazily spinning with one foot in the water. He’d eaten a few edible gummies and had a tumbler of fine bourbon in the cup holder. Wearing swim trunks and a bikini top, he gazed up at the streaks of light marring the clear blue sky from the pool of his Victoria home.

 

He was as content as he ever thought he would be, but there was a patina of melancholy laid over it. He was a successful indy video game developer and his Spectrum game engine was nearly as popular as Unreal, with far more generous licensing deals. He had a popular YouTube channel talking about tech and video games, and had rewarding collaborations with other channels. He'd gotten a lot of praise for his arcs on Critical Role and Dimension 20.

 

He’d even been contacted by the government to help with saving the world. His programming skills were at the top of the industry, perhaps more importantly, he could code fast, and when you had a definite timeline, that was invaluable. And they’d done it!

 

And while it had taken a long time, years, more than half his life, Sean had come to accept himself, to be at peace - for the most part - with what he was. Intersexed, he may have looked like a particularly pretty and well endowed woman years younger than his actual age, but between his legs, he was still a man, and he still considered himself one. But he had learned to embrace the dichotomy between his appearance and his identity. It was odd and unusual to be sure, but it was him.

 

But he hadn’t been back to his hometown, back to Shelly, Montana, in well over ten years. Hadn’t been able to bring himself to go back. But after today, maybe he should. It would be… nice to see his family again, for real, instead of just over social media and through texts and phone calls.

 

There hadn’t been anything to indicate there was anything different about Sean Cassidy when he was born. He was a healthy baby boy, perhaps finer featured than most. Exceedingly clever from a young age, talented at math and with computers.

 

Puberty was when his world turned upside down. It hit him before most of the other boys his age, before most of the girls too. With his high, melodious voice and delicate features, he’d been mistaken for being one of his sisters plenty of times, but his parents always assured him it would change when he grew up.

 

Things had changed, but not how they, or anyone else, expected. Instead of growing taller, his voice dropping, and hair growing on his body in places there hadn’t been, and his muscles growing, his hips widened and his features became even finer. He barely grew any taller. Once, he’d been one of the tallest in his class, but soon nearly every boy grew taller than him, and well more than half the girls.

 

And his breasts blossomed as if overdosing on Miracle Grow. He’d been in denial, and so had his family. He’d completely skipped the training bra stage, and by the time he was twelve and his changes couldn’t be overlooked or hidden anymore, he already needed an adult brassiere. Tests showed he had SRY-positive XX male syndrome - also called de la Chapelle syndrome - combined with a version of Aromatase Excess Syndrome. The unique combination of genetic traits made treating the symptoms difficult, especially during the chaos of puberty.

 

His parents were supportive, even when seeing specialists and looking at treatments hurt their finances. And he knew even when they were teasing him, his sisters loved him. But Shelly was a small rural town in Montana, and kids can be cruel. So could Christians, against those they deem… unnatural. Sean might have had a few close friends, but he endured terrible bullying and harassment. 

 

At fourteen, he was wearing a bra several cups bigger than either his mother or eighteen year old sister Teagan, while his twelve year old sister Laurie was already taller than he was. He couldn’t take the pain and taunts and confusion anymore and had decided to end it. He had the rope around his neck in the converted barn that had been made into his lair.

 

… And his life would have ended there, if the crossbeam supporting the rope hadn’t broken. Gasping for life, it was a wake up call for Sean. He wouldn’t let them win.

 

Sean had always been smart, he could easily have skipped several grades, but his parents had wanted him to go through school more slowly to help him socialize. But  socializing, school,  was killing him and Sean was done with it. He got his GED by his fifteen birthday, and at sixteen, he filed for emancipation.

 

His parents had been hurt, he hadn’t given them a clue, but he couldn’t stay in Shelly. He’d already had a vehicle, and savings, having already made a well regarded indy platformer called Annwn, as well as earning money from side gigs assembling computers, web development, and collecting on some bounties for tech companies.

 

And so at sixteen, he moved west and south to California, alone and knowing no one. It was rough at first, but he got I3 - Intersectional Interactive Incorporated - going, made some contacts at the DefCon hacker convention, and through them, ended up working for the DoE for a year, hacking nuclear power plants for them as a security specialist.

 

And in California, he was far better accepted for what he was. He got into his first real relationship. And had his first real break-up. Found out the acceptance he thought he’d found wasn’t as genuine as he’d thought, it was more performative. He had made true friends there, but it seemed more people were interested in what he was, rather than who he was. They expected him to be an activist for trans and intersex rights. He wasn’t trans, and while he was intersexed, that wasn't all he was, not even close to the most important thing.

 

When his best friend Thor left the DoE to found his own gaming company and moved to Washington State, Sean did too. He focused more on I3, and released the Spectrum Engine and the critically acclaimed ReGenesis, and started streaming. He lingered in Washington State for another year before continuing north. Spent some time in Vancouver before moving to Victoria and absolutely falling in love with the city and the island. 

 

It was a reasonably sized city, but had a relaxed vibe, something similar to the small town his was from while still being cosmopolitan. And people didn’t seem to care that he was weird, if they even realized it. He could still commute easily to Seattle or Vancouver for work and collaborations if need be, just a ferry ride away.

 

Friends and success, he found. He could have sold the Spectrum Engine for an obscene amount, but he held on to it and shared it generously, and in some small ways, was countering the short-sighted greed of the gaming industry, with smaller studios being able to compete with the AAA giants, using the efficiency and tools built into the Spectrum Engine.

 

But he didn’t have family. He’d almost gotten married, once, until he found out his long term girlfriend was just using him for his money and influence in the tech and YouTube community and wasn’t actually okay with a husband who was more curvaceous and attractive than she was.

 

Sean had kept tabs on his family from afar though. Teagan had made it as an Army Ranger, and had won several Crossfit championships and had gotten married. Sean had paid for Laurie’s tuition to UMT, and was proud of her when she made it to the WNBA. Laurie turned out to grow into a 6’4’’ giant, taller than even their father, if still a good deal slimmer than the buff Teagan.

 

Sean hadn’t been able to bring himself to go back to Montana, but he had missed so many milestones in his family’s lives. And they had missed his.

 

But it didn’t have to keep being that way. It wasn’t too late…

 

… It wasn’t too late?

 

Sean sat up in his pool chair and raised his sunglasses as he stared up at the sky. The streaks were getting brighter, bigger, longer. He subconsciously started estimating velocities, calculating angles and vectors.

 

The Visitor had missed. He knew it had missed, they had been successful in deflecting it. He paddled furiously with one hand, then flopped out of the pool chair and swam for the ladder and climbed out of the pool and ran up to the deck, a hand to his chest to restrain his breasts.

 

From the deck of his coastside home, he could sea over the Salish Sea. The meteors were coming down, north and south and a little east… they were going to miss the water, he thought.

 

Oh, God!

 

Spoiler

 

Edited August 16 by Asarasa

[SalmonMax]

"Happy eighteen birthday, wooooo..."

 

Rochelle McKendrick sat by herself on the flat roof of her high school gymnasium. It was all gravelly so she'd brought a blanket up with her, and a thermos that she'd emptied the last of the red wine bottle she'd found in the fridge the other day into. Honestly, wine was kinda gross. Say what you wanted about 'woodiness' or whatever, but it always just tasted like spoiled grapes to her. But this was a special occasion.

 

It was not, however, her eighteenth birthday. Not yet. She had a little ways yet to go on that, but Roach (a name she wore now as a badge of honor) had decided to celebrate it early. Because of the meteor, you see. Oh, she knew that it wasn't supposed to hit Earth. They'd been saying that from the start, a 'near miss.' The buzz online though was that this was bullshit. There were a lot of people out there with telescopes. Some of them knew math. Some of THOSE said they'd done calculations, and this thing was absolutely going to hit Earth. Then there'd been reports of some kind of weird lightshow, like an aurora, and now all the reddit threads were just a mess. More than usual, even.

 

So now Roach was on top of her gymnasium roof, watching the bright light of the asteroid or comet or whatever it was get bigger, waiting for the world to end. Or not.

 

Whatever.

 

She unscrewed the cap of her thermos and took a swallow. Ugh. Just ugh. But she imagined she could already feel herself getting drunk. Was that tingle drunk? Was she getting dizzy? Woozy? Roach was pretty small, pretty skinny. She figured it'd hit her pretty hard, pretty fast. With no reference point though, she had no idea how to gauge how drunk she was.

 

Fuck it. She took another gulp. Just vile.

 

Overhead, the 'Visitor' glimmered. Roach looked up at it, trying to decide how she felt. It wasn't that she wanted to die, exactly...but the thought of it wasn't filling her with existential dread either. Everything was so fucked up. Maybe a reset would be good. The last time, the world had gone from big dumb dinosaurs hogging all the resources to human beings...doing the same thing. But humans had gotten further, right? Maybe the bug people that would rise after humanity's fall would be even better.

 

It'd be cool if she could live to see it though. Maybe they'd make her their queen. Roach and the roach people. She wouldn't fucking...lay eggs for them, but that was what delegation was all about right? A leadership trait. Bug people would not be nearly as fucked up as humans were, Roach thought. They wouldn't split families over stupid arguments, or get shitty boyfriends or sink into depressive spirals or whatever. They'd just be cool little bug-boys. All the time.

 

Roach lifted her thermos to toast the asteroid.

 

"To my sweet little bug boys," she said, and with that swallow...still yucky...the wine was exhausted. There hadn't been much in the bottle left.

 

The jewel in the sky was bigger now than it had been a week ago...hell, a day ago...but it wasn't looming, exactly. It was moving visibly across the sky, big enough to be more than a starlike point of light.

 

It took another hour or so before Roach decided...it wasn't going to hit Earth after all. The internet was wrong about something, stop the fucking presses. Tomorrow would be just another day, where the teachers were petty know-nothing tyrants just wanting to retire, the kids were Cro-Magnon fucktards just looking for excuses to crush anyone they could, and...well, and home was home, with all that entailed. It felt like a weight around her neck, pulling her down. Any second now the gym roof would crack and cave a little, and then a structural support would buckle and down she'd go...down down down to the basketball court and smash through the polished floorboards with their fresh new paintjob into the plumbing, into the basement, and down into regions never mapped...

 

Her descent into a mood spiral was interrupted when the asteroid, now more than halfway across the sky...exploded.

 

The visible, slightly oblong, disc of it began to shed tiny bright flecks. Roach frowned and sat up, then reached down for the binoculars she'd brought. Looking through them, she could clearly see what was happening.

 

It had fractured for some reason. What had been a singular mass was now a swarm of chunks of varying sizes, all expanding outward. On seeing this, her brain sort of rushed ahead of her. About half of its former mass was coming at Earth now, on various angles. The other half was being launched away. But! You could also divide it by the direction of relative motion, where half was being ejected ahead of its former trajectory; adding the energy of the explosion to the energy of its velocity...and half was being launched backwards, against its motion. So even the chunks that were now arcing away from earth...about a quarter of them were effectively losing varying amounts of velocity as well, meaning that a lot of them would be pulled back in by Earth's gravity later on. This wasn't just going to be an impact event. It was going to be a LOT of impact events, spread out over days or weeks or more.

 

And Earth would probably pick up a few new moons too. Little ones.

 

Where would they hit? That was way more than even Roach's math-attuned brain could determine from looking through binoculars. There were a lot, and they were all on different courses, so they'd hit...all over the place.

 

Roach lowered her binoculars and lifted her phone to get a picture of the little starburst in the sky. It was unlikely that the phone would survive if she didn't...but it still felt like the right thing to do. Maybe the bug-boys would want to see how it happened someday. Maybe they'd excavate out some strata of rock that had been the school, and find this phone, next to a fossilized skeleton that was flipping them off.

 

...that'd be okay too.

[Nina]

The End...

 

 

Without data from the satellites, Rivera and the team burst out of the building, desperate for a firsthand account of the destruction that was taking place. The initial impact on the atmosphere had been in the north, but even from Space Command in Colorado, the effects could be seen. The sky was illuminated by dazzling auroras as the barrier struggled to slow down the debris hurtling towards Earth. But despite its best efforts, the remnants of the planetoid continued their relentless descent, leaving a trail of chaos and devastation in their wake. The towers strained, using all available power sources, but one by one they fell like dominoes as power grids across the globe overloaded and failed.

 

Like a fiery comet, the debris streaked across the sky from the icy Arctic circle to the heart of America, unleashing an onslaught of death and destruction upon unsuspecting cities. As it struck eight major population centers, entire communities were wiped off the map, leaving behind nothing but rubble and ruins. Trees lay broken like toothpicks, buildings torn apart like paper dolls, and debris scattered like confetti on a blood-stained battlefield. The once-peaceful landscape was now transformed into a desolate wasteland, ravaged by unrelenting winds, torrential rain, and raging fires.

 

Nature itself seemed to mourn the devastation, unleashing howling winds and pounding rain to add to the apocalyptic scene. And even as the catastrophic event came to an end, its aftermath would continue to be felt for years to come.

 

Or The Beginning...

[Nina]

Spoiler

I will be continuing in a new thread ... stay tuned