The Ground Beneath Us

Chapter 1

23-WSQ (Water and Soil Quality Division):

Olive found herself genially stuck on a dying planet whispering to the plants on this particularly cloudy May morning. She believed her work went more smoothly when she spoke to the plants. From a scientific standpoint, this wasn't as ridiculous as it sounds. As she spoke, the carbon dioxide she exhaled was transferred to the plants which they then take in and helps them to grow.

Olive wasn't really considering that fact as she was whispering to the small green clover patches. She just liked the idea of speaking to something living and the small round leaves of the native clover patches seemed as inviting as anything. Olive was out in the forest collecting soil samples with her friends and colleagues Ilana and Hyacinth. This was part of the morning routine in sector 23-WSQ. To collect soil samples and analyze the carbon intake in those samples.

The idea was to use a mineral fertilizer, such as basalt, that spread across the soil and accelerated the process of plants taking in carbon dioxide and absorbing it into the soils, therefore, lowering the amount that is stuck in the atmosphere.

Olive, however, loved being in the forest on days like today. There was something so peaceful and homely about being immersed in and enthralled with nature and this scientific process that she started every morning with felt like more of a meditation exercise than work.

Olive was lost in thought and almost didn't notice the slight sprinkle that had broken the clouds and began to fall to the Earth. She looked in alarm to Ilana and Hyacinth and saw they too had noticed the change. It would seem odd the level of nervousness that the three had over the slight fall of a few small droplets. However, she lived on the turbulent and angry planet Earth. It was 3009 AD, and everyone had evacuated the planet due to unsafe living conditions. Well, not everyone. Small communities of environmental scientists, engineers, and advocates had made this dangerous planet their home in hopes of salvaging what remained of this turbulent planet and restoring it.

The three young scientists lived in a small tight-knit community in Western Michigan. One of the "States" of the old world. 23-WSQ was pledged to improve soil and water quality in the region, and that meant they were essentially testing soil and water quality, and planting local natural species every day. Her community is very careful to only plant native species and they do some work to prevent invasive species. For example, last week Olive and Ilana were trouncing the forest trying to kill the invasive Ash Borer with a small spider like piece of machine that Lou had called a hologram incinerator. It used its mechanical spider legs to climb infected trees programmed to identify the species of the Ash Borer, and even programmed to follow paths of evidence of the small creature. When it finds the species, it, well, the name is self-explanatory.

Today their mission was to test the soil around the clover patch that they had recently planted. Clover improves the health and quality of the soil by protecting it from wind and water erosion. It also adds large amounts of organic matter to the soil. Which improves the quality of the ecosystems around it. Before the Separation when everyone lived on earth together, farming was an industry, and many of the crops that were planted were done so without regards to the soil conditions, and so part of her job was to restore farming land, and that included repurposing farmland as a home to the native species it once protected. And native cover crops, like clover, Olive was definitely familiar with.

Life on this tempestuous Earth was not without its surprises. Due to Earth's pollution levels, the climate would change quickly and erratically. The main reason Earth was no longer a safe habitat for Olive's fellow Humans. So, when it rained on Earth, so to speak, it poured.

The small sprinkles of water that had seemed so innocent just minutes ago had quickly escalated into pouring rains and winds. The temperature had quickly dropped from a comfortable 23°C to a chilling 12℃. As the rains fell harder, the three tried to flee and find shelter. They were several miles hike from the heart of the community, but they had passed an old abandoned highway on the way to the testing location, and where there were roads, Olive was sure there had to be a gas station. Humans loved their cars.