Crysis: Frozen Earth (Final)

[Blast]

Alright, so i had an awesome cover made for this paper (short story) for school. Butttttt.....photoshop crashed as i was adding the last couple touches >_<





Crysis: Frozen Earth



























Alex Larson













I crawled through the destroyed city. I was bleeding and the snow stung as it hit my cuts. The end of the world seemed inevitable, but we made it through. The machines attacked first near a small island off Korea, but then the area of destruction grew like a plague sweeping across cities and nations. We made it through, but just barely.

“No, this just can’t be!” I cried into the sky. What more could we have done, what shouldn’t we have done? It isn’t like it was our fault, or was it?

“Why?!” I screamed. “It wasn’t supposed to end this bad, hell, it was never even supposed to happen. But…we awakened it because of our own human curiosity, our quest for destruction, the stupidity of our leaders.” I continued to limp through the ruins, that was once a metropolis and now turned to ash. Then I saw the thing that made me remember what had happened...our flying ship, the STALKER. It lay, burnt and cold. It was pure chaos here only hours ago.

I can’t believe this happened, I just can’t. All our work, technology, advances...for what?! They were made to protect us from anything, but we just barely survived. What should we have done, what could I have done? I knew I should have done something, anything. Even tried to learn more about that island. That Island, the Island that brought about the death of potentially millions.

Suddenly, I felt weak. No point in trying to move anymore, I thought. The nano-suit was dead. The amazing thing that has kept me alive and away from the destructive machines that wanted nothing but us, the people of the world, to be gone. I began to think about all that happened. Maybe I will have enough time. Enough for Prophet or Psycho to find me, if they are still alive.

I am Nomad, or well, that is my codename. I was brought into a military branch and was given a nano-suit. It looks so sci-fi, I wonder if it is real. It is gray and black, with what looks like wires running underneath metal plating. I am guessing they are what allows the suit to move, similar to muscle strands.

On my team, Prophet and Psycho help me through my missions. Prophet was African-American and he was sort of the leader of my group. He directed me and the others on what to do. He is the level headed, think stuff through man. Psycho was, I believe Russian, and very reckless. He loved weapons. The bigger the better. I had...other members. But they were slaughtered by the machines.

It is year 2020. A week or so ago we began seeing bizarre electrical and heat distortions as our government's satellites viewed the island. The island sometimes appeared blurry or pixilated. What made no sense is why there was a distortion. We proceeded to try taking a thermal photograph, which succeeded. I, for one, did not see it right away, but I could tell it wasn’t good. It was almost like there were tunnels running through the island.

We came to the conclusion that it was a mine and surveyed the land. There was too much activity around the mine, so it was too dangerous for any soldier to go there, which is where we came in. We are the Raptor Team, U.S. Army Delta force unit which is part of the Joint Special Operations Command. While being equipped with a nano-suit we had the ability to choose three basic functions carried out by a regenerating energy source. The abilities are: Armor, Speed, and Strength. The armor pushes auxiliary power to classified defense measures, speed allows the suit to move faster with less impact on your body, and strength allows more force to be exerted.

It was probably just nearing dawn. Just the thought of the sun peering through my visor relieved me. I had been in this uncomfortable suit for days on the island and then a few hours getting to Hawaii through the onslaught of machines.

We completed our mission: explore the island and save an archaeologist, Helena Rosenthal, whom intel discovered was kidnapped by the North Korean government. Naturally, we had to rescue her being we were already there. It was great when things were easy, when it was only an army of soldiers versus our group of five. We took too long however. We found that there were two other archaeologists with her, both of which died. The archaeologist was forced to assist a general who was trying to awaken…something.

To make a really long story short, aliens had crash-landed on our planet more than two million years ago and somehow became embedded in rock. The aliens controlled the machines...the machines which had caused me dread. They looked like nothing I had ever seen before, like squids. Obviously, they weren’t slimy or anything. They were machines controlled by aliens. At the time I couldn’t believe that aliens had been here for two million years! I soon came to realize that it wasn’t anything good at all. When we first landed on the island they killed two of my squad members, leaving me with Psycho and Prophet. By the end they also killed Major Strickland as he was distracting a large machine while we were lifting off in our VTOLs.

Our VTOLs were ships that our military created, similar to helicopters. The main difference was that they were more like jets, using fuel and exhausting a large purple flame.

Anyways, we managed to escape the island to a U.S. Aircraft Carrier, from which Admiral Richard Morrison launched a nuclear warhead at the island. This was something Helena and I told him not to do, as the machines feed on energy. They are such a mystery, we don’t even have a name for them.

As I failed to explain, the machine, once it had enough energy, created a sphere within which everything froze. The sphere looked like a large, white, glowing dome that engulfed the land around it. Growing. Gaining power. Even the soldiers that offered support fire while I was gaining access to the mine turned to ice. The only reason Prophet, Psycho, and I survived was because of the miracle that was the nano-suit.

A warship arose from the sphere and attacked other aircraft carriers. We were too busy defending our own ship from the mass of smaller machines to realize it was there.

The warship had enough power for launching and destroying the fleet of carriers and battleships. I managed to destroy it with a Tac Cannon, a weapon created to launch high explosives that had similar power the nuclear warhead launched. It was much smaller, making it usable by a person within a few miles. Luckily, this was effective against the warship and did more damage than the warship could handle.

We left as the giant warship careened into the side of the carrier. It was surreal...seeing two things that big collide. I loaded into a VTOL as this was happening, which Psycho, Prophet, and Helena had jumped into as I was destroying the warship. Prophet had taken the VTOL without consultation of the Admiral.

I don't know what we did to anger the aliens. Perhaps the Koreans where experimenting on them. I am not quite sure. Either way, we know nothing about them. We don't know where they are from, what they want, or why they're here.

Now you know the rough idea of the beginning. Nothing prepared me for what happened next.

We were on our way to Hawaii, which is where we would land for repairs and to contact the military and government officials. As we were flying over Japan, something went terribly wrong. We must not have destroyed everything on that island. The sphere began rapidly enlarging. I looked out a window on the VTOL to see a starry night. Sad thing is, that isn’t all I saw. The sphere was just barely on the horizon, but we were thousands of miles away. The sphere was getting big, faster than I had anticipated.

I looked down at the city lights that sparkled below and then at Prophet, who was flying the VTOL. It was somewhat cramped, but roomy enough to see the controls aligned on all sides. I had to tell him. As I was about to speak everything went bright white.

I woke up, and we were on the ground. The VTOL was in flames all around me, and the others had escaped. I crawled out of the burning hot ship only to find snow, ice, and gunfire. Everything was pure chaos. Japanese police cars driving around, bodies in the streets, people running. Pure pandemonium.

The bright lighted metropolis was dark and sinister. The paved roads were damp and icy. Buildings were cracked and some even had holes in them. I was staring down the street at a flickering light at an intersection. Just beyond that was a street with large, colorful billboards and amazing video screens showing commercials. A few of them were hanging by their wires, knocked out of place by something large.

“Get over here!” I heard somebody yell. I turned to see that it was Psycho, who was standing next to Helena and Prophet.

I managed my way over the slick ice that paved the streets. I caught a glimpse of a skyscraper with a flashing light. It was still dark and my visor was starting to frost over, but I could make out a figure. Instantly I knew what it was. They were still here, on Earth. I turned back and continued on to the group as fast as I could, slipping a little on the way as the metal of the suit touched the ice.

All of the sudden a burning car shot through an intersection and a machine appeared. This was similar to the machine that killed Strickland. The machine that killed him was like a giant spider that looked like it was straight from War of the Worlds. The difference was evident, though. The one that killed Strickland had blue insignias; however, this monstrosity had green.

It turned towards us and it raised one of its legs. I realized suddenly that there was blood dripping off of it. Human blood, probably from whoever was in the car. Prophet or Psycho must have pulled weapons from the VTOL wreck, probably as I was unconscious. Prophet was lifting a Gauss Rifle while Psycho had an assault rifle and a sub-machine gun.

The Gauss Rifle was a weapon that shot out explosive bullets. We found that they were the best single-person defense against the machines.

As the machine began to lumber towards us, the visors on our nano-suits started showing shapes and distorted images, which in video and images is called artifacting. In a split second the giant beast shoved itself off the ground, breaking it under its own weight. The machine was in the sky, flying overhead. It began firing unusual, sharp objects that looked like icicles. They pierced the pavement, and small shards broke off in a white blur.

The Gauss Rifle was a weapon that shot out explosive bullets. We found that they were the best single-person defense against the machines. Prophet aimed the sharp-edged weapon and pulled the trigger. In a loud crack and flash of light that revealed Prophet's determination, the bullet shot and exploded on impact. The look on Prophet and Psycho's faces were grim as they realized it did nothing.

“The armor!” I yelled. “Helena disabled the machine's armor before!”

“The VTOL crashed, and that is where the equipment I used was,” she replied.

We started to back up towards an abandoned building behind us as the giant machine shot out a leg. The long, tentacle-like leg smashed into the building. The dark and wet brick wall started to crumble away. We were able to dodge the bricks that were falling, but just barely.

We had to get out of there. Just then, we saw Japanese air forces flying overhead. I turned to where they were flying. What I saw sent a chill through my spine. The sphere had gotten bigger...much bigger. The eerie bright light loomed over us like a child over an anthill. More average-sized machines left the sphere. It troubled us that we couldn’t see how many were inside. The sphere was like a solid dome over the land that gave off light. We weren’t able to peer in, but the could see out.

The machines collided into the air forces and bursts of fire erupted. Helicopters and jets alike hurdled towards earth as the pilots dodged the burning remnants of their friends. All the remaining jets broke formation and started launching their rockets at the army of machines. The helicopters stayed in formation and headed towards the sphere.

As they neared the icy sphere, a giant tentacle whipped out at the mass of helicopters. At least two thirds of the helicopters were destroyed and flung everywhere. We realized that one was heading right for us. Psycho and I were still in armor mode and stood to protect Helena. Prophet switched into strength mode. As the flaming ball of wreckage descended upon us, Psycho and I took the blow while Prophet ducked down and pushed upwards. I could see the sweat dripping down Prophet's face and the fire's reflection glimmering in his eyes as he realized that it was more than the suit could handle.

He managed to grab the helicopter and fling it at the green machine that was coming at us from behind. For a mere second I realized that the time between the machine hitting the building and now was no more than ten seconds. Everything was happening so fast.

The helicopter hit the machine and pushed it through an intersection. The machine created an ear-piercing screech as it grinded along the pavement and crashed into a hospital.

“We are getting out of here!” Prophet yelled. “If we can get to the base that all these helicopters are coming from, we can probably radio back to the U.S. If this thing isn’t contained, what will be left of Earth?”

I looked back at the gouged pavement that the machine had been pushed across. I saw a small, beat-up and rusty white car. It looked as if you could touch it and it would simply fall apart.

“Car over there!” I exclaimed.

Without hesitation, we ran as fast and hard as we could towards the car. I broke open a window as Psycho proceeded to hot-wiring the ignition. It was definitely not American-made, but somehow he managed to figure it out in seconds.

We piled into the little car that was not made for four, let alone how much larger we were in our suits. I had the job of getting us to the base, but where was it?

Helena tore through the car and found a map. Prophet examined the map very carefully. I started to move the car. I knew we couldn’t stay in that place for long. It was already a war zone with buildings on fire, and it was impossible to ignore screaming. I somewhat doubted he could read the Japanese map.

I turned the car around and took no time in pushing down the gas. The green machine was laying in the side of a hospital next to where we must drive. Any time wasted could cause the machine to allow the hospital collapse, blocking our escape.

We zoomed past the machine as it started to move. Overhead a jet flew and shot a rocket at the machine. The rocket collided with the machine in a blast that caused the little car's rear end lift to forward. I managed to maintain control; however, in the rear-view mirror I saw the giant beast hurl itself at the jet. There was no challenge as it effortlessly tore the low-flying jet in two. It flung the pieces into the hospital and a building across the street.

The only thing I could think of is ‘Get Away From Here.’ Prophet found the location on the map, only to find it was fifty miles from where we were. The little car was already floored at 134 km/h. The poor thing wouldn’t hold out, but we had to get as far as we could. I took a sharp turn through a small business district onto the on-ramp to what appeared to be a freeway. As we turned I could easily feel the left side tires lift as I maintained control. I just barely got onto the freeway when we saw the sphere's edge. I could clearly see where it touched the road no more than one mile in back of us.

“It feeds on energy, so a city is a buffet,” Helena said as she saw me staring back.

Luckily, there weren’t any cars in the middle of the road. They were all pushed aside, probably from Japanese military vehicles on their way to the sphere. I wondered if we would come across any more.

Sure enough we did. We drove about twelve miles to find a convoy of tanks and other military vehicles heading towards the destructive force that was growing. As I passed by, I saw young men. Younger than me at twenty one. I saw the fear in their eyes as I carefully drove through the edge of the convoy. We had to move slowly because when a convoy like that is heading one way, and you are in a small car that can barely fit four people, it can get sketchy.

The fear in their eyes though reminded me of the terror of seeing what happened to the two other members of the Raptor Team...the other members, soaked in their own blood and their nano-suits completely ripped apart. There is no way bullet-proof vests would stop the crystalline weapons the machines fired. Kevlar, which is the fabric used in bullet-proof vests, can be cut as easily as any other fabric.

We kept driving along the freeway. We began getting into a more mountainous region. We had the ability to see little flashes on the horizon. I could easily tell they were explosions. I turned back to the road that was curving. It seemed so peaceful looking ahead at the night sky and the beautiful forest of trees, while in the other direction it was an icy death. I realized we should be nearing the base by now. It had been easily forty five miles.

“How much farther would you be guessing?” I asked Prophet who was staring blankly out the window.

“Should be only a couple more miles,” he replied solemnly.

As we rounded a turn we saw a road that split from the freeway. I turned onto it and it lead us to a fenced-off area. It was definitely the base we were looking for. The base was large and sat on top of a mountain and slowly worked down into a small valley. The large, foreign base was completely empty. There were only a few vehicles and aircraft remaining.

The front gate was locked, but it was the standard wire mesh fence. I let off the gas and then we smashed through the fencing and the car began to slow to 65km/h.

“Stop,” Psycho said.

I slowed to a stop in front of one of many buildings. The building was sheet metal with words that I couldn't understand written on the front. A light was flickering above the doorway.

We all exited the small vehicle. The poor thing was steaming. We probably blew the radiator climbing the mountains and crashing through the gate at 134 km/h.

As we entered the building, we realized how dark it was. Helena walked around blindly and tried to find a switch. In a sudden pop, the lights came on. It revealed a dimly lit building with dust hanging in the air. Outside there was the ambient chirp of crickets and other insects.

There was one jet and something I had never seen before. Obviously we couldn't fit into the jet, so I walked towards a device that looked similar to a helicopter. The contraption had no blades or side wings. It was a hull with unusual circles on the sides. I came to the conclusion that it must be similar to the VTOL, only they must have been working on anti-gravity.

“Look over here!” Psycho yelled.

Prophet and I ran over and saw something that startled us. It was one of the machines, just like the ones from the island. It was torn apart across a table.

“They must have captured one and used its technology,” I said.

“It would only make sense. The documents on this table say that it was found in 1948. And guess where? An island off of North Korea,” Prophet explained.

“Well look at what we have here. This says that the Koreans began to get suspicious and told the Japanese they had to leave the island, because it was in North Korean territory. They gave the Japanese no time at all to remove their equipment. Upon that order, the man who runs this base ordered a missile launch on that island only ten minutes before the deadline,” Psycho added. “The Koreans sent a small group over there one day after the deadline. They returned saying that the island was covered in snow and that the Japanese must have launched a nuclear missile. Among the documents here, there is one for a missile strike, however, not nuclear.”

“I bet that mistake kept the Koreans off of the island for a while,” I commented.

“In 2017 the Koreans headed back to see if there were any signs of 'radiation'. They found that the island was a tropical jungle with absolutely no signs of radiation. They did find vehicles from our base, including all research facilities intact,” Prophet read. “Our missiles failed to do any damage whatsoever to the island. I specifically ordered a launch of eighteen medium-range missiles from one of the battleships recovering my soldiers.”

“How are you able to read that?” I asked.

“It is a setting Psycho and I have. We had left-over memory in our suit's software, so we were given a software that would change text. Your suit was full because of minor bug fixes,” Prophet explained.

Psycho was fiddling around with the unusual helicopter. He was sitting in the cockpit, probably trying to figure out how it worked.

“Hmm...that is odd. The Japanese stopped the testing of the STALKER, which I believe is that machine over there, in 2015 after the first successful start. Once the machine was operational there was a power outage. The machine that is laying on this table began to blink. They determined it was a beacon because they were recording a low frequency at the control tower at this base. They had no idea where it was sending information to. The next day three ships were sunk near the island, which included an American aircraft carrier and two Korean cargo ships that were in international waters. The Japanese caught word of this and gave both countries approximately 158.7 million dollars to keep it from being made public. Both countries accepted; however, the rest of the information about the deal isn't here.”

“Well, was the beacon communicating to that island?” Helena asked.

“That is what I am understanding from this. The factory on the island must have sent out a few of those smaller machines we dealt with on the island,” Prophet said.

“What factory?” I asked.

“Well, I figure it is more of an appropriate name for that giant, hellish machine that created those little war drones,” he replied harshly.

The sudden hum of an engine filled the building. We all turned to see Psycho sitting in the cockpit of the STALKER.

“Shut it off now!” Prophet yelled as we ran towards the STALKER.

A loud, slow thump sounded from behind us. I could feel it getting closer as the low sound pulsed through me. I grabbed a gun that was on the table and was about to grab Helena when it happened. Everything became very quiet. No sounds of animals or insects outside. No thumping. Just the sound of Prophet running towards the STALKER that made a low whir.

Prophet stopped running after he heard everything become quiet. He turned towards me. I realized that the small shards of moonlight that were peering in through the windows when we first got here were gone. The only light source we had was the array of lights above us.

I turned and grabbed Helena and at that instant there was the loudest sound I have ever heard, the sound of metal scraping against metal. I had nothing on my mind but running as I saw the look of panic fill her eyes. I made the worst move of my life by turning.

There stood a machine that was larger than the green one in the city. It had the shape of the other machines, only it had nine tentacle-like legs and it was three stories tall.

The machine was tearing through the building with one of its legs like butter. The metal of the building was flying everywhere. I turned to run again and as I was part way around, I saw that the building was being lifted off its foundation. I saw the scraggly weeds that were growing just outside of the metal building that sat on a concrete pad.

The machine whipped out another leg and grabbed Helena. I couldn't turn back and try to save her. I knew it was too late. I saw in the reflection of the glass on a jet, her being flung back like a rag. The three-story machine was after something, but I didn't know what.

Prophet had gotten into the STALKER and was yelling something. I couldn't hear him. I could only see his hand signaling me over.

Psycho started to lift the airship and Prophet put his hand out. I flipped on strength mode and jumped. I grabbed onto his hand and he pulled me up. I realized that we were in a building. It was a closed building with one end being sheet metal, and the other being a giant alien robot that had just stepped on a jet. The jet had burst into flames as the fuel spilled out. In a loud pop I could see bullets fly towards the bottom of the machine.

“Hold on!” Psycho screamed.

We plunged towards the metal wall. I looked forward to where Psycho was sitting, only to see the sharp light of sparks as we shot out the side of the building. This device, the STALKER, was amazing. It shot out the side and we were at least five hundred feet in the air in seconds.

I looked down onto the base that we had been in only moments ago...when we were calm, when we thought we were safe. I saw nothing but vehicles and aircraft being flung about in flames. The machine sat there, staring at us in a frenzy. It let out a screaming roar as we flew away.

As we rose higher into the air, I could easily see the sphere. We rose as high as the STALKER would go. I saw where Korea should be, where China should be, where Japan should be. They were all previously there, now enveloped in a bright dome.

Prophet was now sitting up front with Psycho. I sat there realizing that I had nobody to sit next to. All because of my own stupidity.

“If I wouldn't have turned around, it would have been different,” I said.

Prophet turned to me and replied, “Nothing would have changed. Half a second wouldn't have decided whether somebody lived or died.”

“What if I moved and it would have grabbed me instead? She would have lived then.”

“Then you would be dead. Either way somebody would have died. Don't think I am cold, but you are more important. She knows about what these machines may have been. You have been in there, you have seen the creatures, you were on the island fighting. You have combat experience, which is something we will need now,” Psycho chimed in.

Seeing as I had no basis for argument, I had no right to speak. Everything they said was true. What I did probably was the best thing I could have done.

“We are cruising along at 1487 miles per hour. We should be in Hawaii in a short while,” Psycho said calmly.

“Why aren't we wearing the suits like fighter pilots wear?” I questioned.

“We are in our nano-suits. We don't need them. Plus, the STALKER is somehow defying gravity, therefore we don't feel the g-force that pilots would,” Prophet replied. “Get some rest. You will need it. We will wake you when we are within five hundred miles.”

I felt sweaty, but cold. I had been in this suit for days. I probably should take my helmet off, but what if something happened? If we crashed I would be fine wearing this suit and helmet. It can turn carbon dioxide back into oxygen. I sat there wondering and then everything just got sort of fuzzy as I drifted into sleep.

“Hey, we are there. You can get up now,” I heard somebody say.

I opened my eyes weakly. I was laying in the back of the STALKER. The door on the back was open and I felt a nice breeze touch my face. It was Hawaii, and it was noon. My helmet was laying off to the side of me. Outside the STALKER's rear door I saw the beautiful sand, crisp ocean, and a reassuring strip of buildings.

Prophet and Psycho were standing there, trying to get me up. Prophet knelt down to me and said, “It is over. We launched an EMP at the island. It was a guessing game, but we were able to use a GPS to pinpoint the island.”

I stood up. I turned to Prophet and Psycho. They both looked so happy. They were out of their suits and into tank tops and shorts. I was so tired I just walked out of the STALKER and turned to the ocean. We were on a coastline. There were humvees lined up forming a barricade. We had landed at the coast, so naturally people were curious. I looked back at the island we were on. I expected to see the beautiful Hawaiian landscape.

I felt my heart sink as it looked exactly like the island off Korea, the mountain in the center with the factory sticking out. The sky over the factory was a dark gray and the trees were all ice crystals. They looked like a tree in every way, but they were solid ice. Clear like water, but cold like death.

“We need to get out of here!” I heard somebody yell.

I woke only to realize that it was a dream. Prophet was yelling and messing with controls and Psycho was trying to control the STALKER. Prophet turned to me.

“Russia launched twenty-eight nuclear warheads at the sphere. The sphere enlarged so rapidly it caught up to us. We are just a couple miles off of Hawaii now. We need to land and get on a radio ASAP. Sorry we couldn't wake you sooner, but we were busy,” Prophet said in a slur of words that were said so fast it took me a few seconds to comprehend what he just said.

I felt the STALKER lurch forward. I looked out a small, frost-covered window and saw machines. They were everywhere. A small one was climbing on the side of our ship. It looked like it was trying to drill a hole into us.

“Don't worry, this has some sort of shield. We still have 80% of the power left,” Prophet said as he kept flipping switches.

I continued to peer out the window. The only two things I could see were the things I feared and hated most: snow and the machines.

When I was young, my parents and I were driving through Colorado when there was an avalanche. A rescue crew was able to save me, only for one reason. My parents laid on top of me to keep me warm. They kept saying it would be okay, when they knew it wouldn't be.

I felt us lurch forward again and we started losing altitude. Prophet and Psycho were arguing about something, but I was too groggy to figure out what it was. I saw the Earth coming at us so fast that it seemed like we would go straight through it. We were falling so fast, it scared me.

As I could see the people, Psycho must have regained some control. We started moving forward again but I don't think we could get any altitude. We started scraping along the pavement of a city. I saw a blinking screen near Prophet as we shredded across the pavement. The screen said 'Density Shielding 0%.'

“We're going to hit it!” Psycho screamed at Prophet only to hear some gibberish that I couldn't understand.

Prophet turned towards me yet again and I could see the fear in his eyes as well. I don't think that the machines and drones were the plague that doomed humanity. I think it was the fear they brought. That same look that I saw in the eyes of the young Japanese soldiers, I saw in the eyes of Prophet. He always was so calm, so witty. He was never in over his head, but there is a first for everything.

I was flung forward and crashed into Psycho's seat as we hit something. We were up in the air again though. It is like we hit a jump, because as soon as we were in the air overlooking a town, I saw us dropping again.

“We won't make it to the airfield!” Prophet yelled. “Try to land on that aircraft carrier!”

“I hope that their radio is working,” Psycho said sarcastically.

I had no idea what they were talking about. I couldn't see any carrier from where I was, although I didn't have the window up front.

I passed out from the stress and fatigue that was around me and in my very being. The next thing I remember is being on the ground. Not in the STALKER, landed, but on the cold, hard pavement of a city. I turned about and saw snow everywhere, and above me armies of the drones moved across the sky. The sun was coming up. It wasn't so dark anymore.

I saw Psycho and Prophet coming at me. Psycho on Prophet's back. Psycho was holding two guns that looked like the average, publicly available semi-automatic.

“We crashed down and the back hatch opened up. You fell out and I tried to grab you. Psycho was flying and we flew into a building. The STALKER's front end is crushed in. Psycho's legs are pretty bad. I need to get him somewhere fast. The hospital isn't far from here. We saw it as we were falling. I am going to bring him there and I will drive an ambulance down to the aircraft carrier we saw,” Prophet explained. “You stay here. You are in better condition than Psycho.”

“Call for any EMP strike, don't let them try firing anything else at it. That will only give it power. The EMP will work, these are all machines,” I said in the cold air.

“Fine, least I can do for leaving you here,” he said, and I think I even saw a small smile.

Prophet started running down the street. I had no idea what was going on. I tried to move out of the street, but I realized my suit wouldn't move. Something must have been damaged. It is too heavy to move without power. Thankfully, it was able to help me survive the impact.

So there I lay. That was my story. I couldn't move, I was cold, I was alone. Just like the avalanche as a child. The car's windows had kept the snow out, like my suit. I turned over to one side to see a street of destroyed buildings. They stand with broken walls. Some buildings were even rubble.

I lost track of time. It may have been hours since they left me. I was passing in and out of consciousness from the cold and my cuts. When I first was on the ground, I could see a trickle of light that let me see the drones in the sky.

It couldn't have been that long. I saw the morning's sun come over a building. The building still left a cold shadow over the rest of the street, but I felt the warmth of the sun. How could I see the sun? The sphere, it glowed, but I was never able to see the sun.

I rolled over again, away from the sun. It was too bright for me to look at directly. As I rolled over I realized that there were no drones in the air anymore. The sky was a dull gray from the snowy cloud cover. It was all clearing up. There were a few patches of blue in the sky.

As I lay there, I saw a little plant. It was poking up through the sidewalk. The green of the stem was so calming. It had two little leaves that seemed to glow as the sun hit them.

I knew that Prophet must have made it. He always comes through. It was over, the terrible last few days on the island and fighting our way to Hawaii were over. Now I just had to wait for Prophet and Psycho to come get me. If only I could move.

I looked at a pane of glass that was on a tall building above the little plant. I saw the reflection of an aircraft carrier. Or well, what was left of one. It was split down the middle and I could see small flames rolling from the control tower on the carrier.

The next question I had was, were Psycho and Prophet alive?