"Earth Part 2" by Jessie Lundquist

Daahl took them to a near by transport platform. The ship was unlike any other ship Grey or Jehna had ever seen. They loaded it, started it up, and took off by mid morning. Just after they'd left the planet's atmosphere someone started shooting at them.

"What's going on?" Jahna shouted at Daahl.

"Well the patrol seems to be firing at us." Daahl answered her quit calmly.

"I noticed that! Why are they firing at us?" Daahl didn't answer but concentrated on getting away from the firing patrol.

"Daahl! Where did you get this ship?" Grey shouted while trying to keep in himself from falling out of his seat.

"Uhh…well…"

"DAAHL!"

"Alright, alright. I borrowed it from the Flight Academy."

"You did WHAT?" Jehna screamed horrified.

"You just couldn't help yourself. You had to steal it from the Academy!"

"Well mostly it was just being kept at the academy."

"Daahl…what kind of ship is this?"

"Uh…well its that new prototype the Redayan army has been working on."

"WHAT?" Grey and Jehna shouted at the same time.

"You didn't just steal from the Academy you stole from the Military and the Government! They'll shoot you if they catch you!" Grey yelled.

"I didn't steal it! I borrowed it. I was gonna give it back when we came back."

"Well as far as they are concerned you stole it!"

"Well lets hope we don't get caught then. Cause you're in this ship too, and I don't think they'll ask many questions." Both Grey and Jehna clamed up. He was right. They wouldn't ask why they were on the ship or who actually stole it. After some magnificent flying by Daahl they'd managed to escape the patrol. It would take them several days where Earth was supposed to be located. So in the mean time the three companions studied the world map trying to find a good place to land. Somewhere where they'd be able to find out what had happened that drove everyone off the planet.

"Daahl. I think we're coming up on it!" Jehna called from the cockpit. Grey and Daahl came up from the living spaces to take a look.

"She's right. We'd better start slowing down, Daahl." As the ship slowed down Earth came into view. It was a blue and green planet. As they came closer and moved around it slightly they noticed something odd. The planet was not the perfectly round sphere that all other planets and stars are. There seemed to be a chunk missing. Looking at the map Jehna discovered that the portions missing where labeled Europe, Asia, and part of Africa.

"So where is that we're going to land?"

"Right about here. The readings say there are some large masses there. Possibly a city."

"Sounds good to me." The ship entered the atmosphere with some rough bumps and came out over a fairly large city. They landed the ship in a large empty field. None of them could decide what its purpose was. But it seemed to be in the center of things. The city was a wasteland, but the air was breathable. There were several large buildings surrounding it and the three decided to try the largest one. They had to pull open clear doors to get in then had to walk up stairs. There were rows and rows of doors. The three started going down a row and opening doors. Daahl walked into one of the rooms and shouted.

" Jehna! Look at this!" Daahl called from the other side of the room. Jehna and Grey rushed over to see what he'd found. He was standing next to selves with rows and rows of what looked like books.

"Hey isn't that a book?" Grey asked. Sounding rather like an over excited child.

"It is!" Jehna sounded as excited as he did.

"Wow!" Daahl said amazed at what he'd discovered. "I've never seen one of these before! Well what does it say?"

"Can't you read? Its in Human!"

"This is the fouled fiend Flibbertigibbet. He begins at curfew and walks till the first cock. He gives the web and the pin, squints the eye, and makes the harelip, mildews the white wheat, and hurts the poor creature of earth." Grey read the top off a page over Daahls shoulder.

"That isn't human! I didn't understand a word of it."

"King Lear, by William Shakespeare."

"What the heck is this stuff the words are printed on?" Daahl asked amazed at the odd book.

"No idea," Jehna said flipping the strange leaves, " I've never seen anything like it before."

"Hey! Look over here! There are some big papers that aren't bound together." Grey called from the desk. "It says 'The New York Times Special Edition' on it. News Paper? What's that?

"Papers that tell the news?"

"But what's paper?"

"Got me!"

"Well what does the thing say?"

"End of the World!"

"What?"

"It says that in big bold letters across the top."

"Well read whatever's beneath it!"

" Its says 'According to United States intelligence Iraq has been developing a weapon of mass destruction. This weapon has turned out to be so powerful it is capable of destroying at least most of a planet. If detonated on the planet it could be blown away. It would not only destroy the country detonated on but the entire world.'" The three were silent. Grey looked around and noticed another paper lying on the desk. He set down the first and picked the second up."

"This one also says 'The New York Times Special Edition'. It says 'Intelligence has said that an Iranian spy penetrated into the Iraqi system. Was some how able to get to the Kaboom bomb and trigger its detonation. Almost the entire European and Asian continents are gone along with most of Africa. The ocean levels around the world have dropped as the oceanic water rushed into what used to be those countries. Already the after effects are showing. The bomb may have caused the beginning of a polar winter of which we may not be capable of surviving. The United Nations is currently discussing the next course of action that should be taken to save the human race…"