TROA) An Arid Sunset

“Kevin, Jen, we are here.” Today, Jen and the new head of base security, Kevin, are here to try to help me persuade the people of this bunker to come back with me.

“Damn, Boss, these clothes are amazing!” Kevin was amazed by his new uniform. My mother made him a military uniform with the same ability as my own clothing.

“Yes, I know,” I replied with a smug smile. “After all, my mother made them!” 

“Yes, yes, we know your parents are amazing. Ai, we need to deliver things.” Jen was as professional as ever.

I stuck my tongue out at her and walked over to the sealed bunker door. I tapped the com in my ear and said: “I am coming down to deliver food and other supplies. I also wish to talk with you.” 

“You can come down. We have been expecting you.” A hoarse voice filled my ear. 

I manipulated the metal so that the door would open before slowly stepping down the stairs. A whiff of stale air could be smelt from inside. The ventilation seemed to be not working all that well. I was met with the same sight as before. People with lifeless expressions all huddled together in this dark bunker. 

“What happened?” I asked as I saw a familiar face.

“The ventilation system has been on the fritz. It has not been good.” The man I had talked to before replied.

“You know, sir, you never gave me your na….” I was about to ask the man’s name when Kevin spoke up from behind me.

“Eh? Freddy, is that you!? Shit, man, I thought you were dead!” Kevin hurried down the stairs and looked at the man in front of him.

“Kevin…?”  Freddy seemed highly confused. He turned to look at me for answers since he probably never expected me to have someone from the military with me.

“Kevin works for me now. I pulled him out of a high seceruity compond. At any rate, you need to move out of this place. I can supply food and water but not air. If you want these people to live, follow me. You can ask Kevin for details.” I decided not to deliver the goods just yet. Instead, I looked at Kevin and said: “Explain to him everything about the base. Tell him to make up his mind today. Because I can not deliver food to dead people.” 

“Understood, boss!” Kevin saluted me before pulling Freddy aside.

With Kevin persuading his stubborn friend, I went back up top where Jen was staring off into the horizon. “Ai…. I saw it on the cameras and heard stories from those you rescued, but this is just too surreal.” 

“It is, isn’t it?” I said softly. “Our once green world looks like a desert wasteland. If this goes on, the world will slowly dry up in most spots. Only certain areas will be able to survive.” 

“Is there nothing we can do?” Jen turned to me with a hopeful look, but sadly, I could only shake my head.

“Sadly, no. Humanity is unable to control the temperature of a planet. Even with all my knowledge from the future, we never came to have such an ability. I checked my ability list as well, and there is nothing there that is useful. We can only keep going with what we have. I think until we defeat the replicators, we will not be able to do much of anything else. We can only wait for them to turn the world into a frozen planet. Then maybe when things regulate back, the world will once more become green. Of course, this is all my own assumptions.” I did not wish to give false hope. I could only hope that things would work out as I wished.

“I know. Ai, you are always thinking of the future, always preparing for the worst, and at the same time trying to save as many as you can. Humanity was not ready for any of this. If you had not done what you have done, humanity might not have a chance to continue on.” I understood what Jen meant. Starvation. Lack of water. The two things humans need to live the most would be completely gone in a short time. 

With no means to grow crops or protect themselves fully from the heat, people would just die as soon as food ran out. I saw these things with my own eyes. The storm shelters were proof of this. Life was fragile. Unless we are able to protect ourselves and produce the things we need, we will never be able to continue living.

I stood beside Jen and held her hand, interlocking my fingers with hers as I looked out over the arid land. “I am just doing what should be done. Humanity will pull through. For now, we take our time. Create a new underworld and keep our lives sustained until we can build weapons to destroy our enemies. We can do it as long as we all work together.”