Home

            “Listen up”, he yelled as the crew ran to get in line, “This is important! We have to stay focused. If we don’t find a proper colonization zone by the time the fleet arrives we are shit out of luck. Get your suits on, don’t forget you are soldiers, not tourists, now move out!”

            The crew scrambled to get their suits back on as they followed Pierce and Doctor Wake to the remains of New York City.

            The city was a mess; thick vegetation clung to the sides of the crippled skyscrapers. Broken glass and papers littered the pavement. The rusted hulks of cars and buses were disorganized in the streets. What was once mans greatest city was now becoming nature’s again. The crew cautiously wandered the streets, careful to avoid any debris.

            It was a sight to see, the remains of normal life was still around. A toy store had most of the toys intact just sitting on their shelves. A bill board cautiously leaning had the faded image of a model on it.

            Among the remains of debris were remnants of the Great War. A tank was perfectly still in the middle of an intersection. Road block signs could be faintly read. A few scattered helmets and radios were also littered around.

            The crew kept forcing their way through the heart of the destroyed city. There was a lot of debris; some of the buildings had fallen from years of neglect. The BrooklynBridge had fallen; all that was left were the towers in the middle of the Hudson. A tattered flag of some nation was still on top. The faded colors of red, white, and blue could still be seen from a distance.

            “God”, huffed a crew member covering the rear, “Why am I so tired! I train every day! We have only hiked like 20 miles! On the ship I can do that no problem!”

            The whole crew was exhausted. They started out in the city marching straight and strong, but now they were all hunched over. Even Pierce who was the toughest there is wasn’t looking so good.

            “The ship’s gravity isn’t as strong as Earth’s”, said Doctor Wake, leaning on an old SUV, “we were only able to replicate 89 percent of Earth’s gravitational field. Plus a slight devolution of our muscle and skeletons from centuries in space is a factor.”

            “Alright, we’ll take a break soon”, said Pierce, he knew his men were tired, he would give them a chance to break, but they must get going. They had to get to the WorldTradeCenter by nightfall.

            They continued to march to find a place for shelter when they heard a loud rumble off in the distance. The crew froze as they looked up at the decaying buildings surrounding them. Thoughts rushed through their heads. Were the buildings coming down? Were they under attack? What is that sound? The rumble went off again, except louder and closer. They slowly huddled to together in the middle of the street looking up. The sky above them was growing dark and grey.

            The sky then lit up before there eyes and then grew dark again. The harsh sound of a crack quickly followed. They were all frightened; the world seemed to be coming to an end. Another quick flash and then the tremendous roar of noise. They were all paralyzed with fear.

            Suddenly the sky opened up on them and a downpour of rain fell into the abandoned streets. The crew was freaking out as water fell from the sky onto them. They had never experienced a thunder storm before. Thunder and lighting were only things that they have heard about, never experienced. Rain was equally terrifying. Its high speeds smacked into there suits.  Some who had their visors down had rain come straight in there face. When a large droplet hit their face, they cringed expecting pain beyond belief

            They soon discovered that the water was harmless and that they were safe but they were still shaken by the volume of the water and the war that seemed to be happening above them. They ran into an open shop on a corner to avoid the rain.

            The shop was an old bakery. All the windows were blow out and the tables inside were knocked over. Long gone were the delicious pastries that filled the display racks, now only were moist mold. The worn out menu could still be partially read. A stack of plates was still intact in the back. The cash register still had the old currency still in it.

            The crew was still shaken. A few of them would jump whenever they heard the thunder outside. Most however settled down and ate a few of their rations and tried to relax.

            “So what do you think”, asked Pierce to Doctor Wake. She was still on her tablet and was sitting away from most of the crew.

            “About what”, she was still looking at he tablet, barely interested in Pierce.

            “About this storm. Will it pass quickly, and will it hinder with our pick up at the WorldTradeCenter?”

            “Sergeant, I am not a meteorologist. Do you remember why our ship was sent in the first place? We were supposed to find asteroids for mining, not Earth. We need a whole team of scientists, just for this continent. I don’t even know why the Captain sent me.”

            “You’re our chief scientist on board. You know about life support and habitable conditions for humans. Until the home fleet arrives, you are all we got.”

            “Guessing by the quickness of its appearance. I’m guessing it will pass soon. I hope at least.”

            “Is that the best you can do?”

            “It’s the best I can do.”

A curious crew member began looking through the cash register to pull out some green piece of paper. The ink on it was running, but the line, “E Pluribus Unum”, other than that not much was legible. The face of the man on the dollar was also smudged, but a beard could be made out. Another crew man picked up a magazine that had the title “War” on it. It was dated January 15, 2020.

            The crew rested for about an hour as the storm quickly went over head. They then crept out of their hiding place. The sun was now shining on the old abandoned city. There were puddles of rain gathering in large pot holes in the street. They continued there march. In the distance was the FreedomTower. Many of its widows were gone and it looked like it was leaning a bit. No doubt it was doomed to collapse unless there was a large operation to save it. That problem would solve its self later though.

            They were all silent but still amazed by what they were seeing. Earth was something they had never seen before and only dreamed of being on. For centuries mankind was lost, but now they have returned to gain everything that was lost.

            The crew walked into an empty intersection most of the cars were pulled over to the side of the street. As they crossed the openness of the intersection a bullet whined over head. The whole crew froze and looked up to see two dark figures holding up rusty old guns at them.

            “Well I guess we aren’t alone”, whispered Doctor Wake