Adesina

The cricket call, the clanking crank, the smell of dessication. This had become the background to Jacob's endless blur of days ever since the world had passed on. He dug at the deep cracks in the Earth, searching for any sign of growth, even a dandelion. This was his job, all day, every day. To 'forage' for anything edible in this wasteland of what used to be Canada. Other countries were more or less the same, some utterly decimated after the great collapse. The environment had imploded first; unbearable heat that killed off thousands, perpetuated by a detrimental lack of rainfall. Accusations flew, everyone so absorbed in their screens, no one had seen the Earth dying until it was too late. Then the blame game became war games, and as Jacob walked over to another section of dust, he recalled the day it all went to shit.

"Mom, what is it?" asked Jacob, his mother's fear unmistakeable.

"The US is gone."

"... What do you mean, gone?" his voice rose.

"The European nukes ... the entire country is ..."

"Gone," Jacob exhaled.

"It reached as far as Toronto," her eyes welled over, as did Jacob’s.

"So, our family? Friends?"

"It's just us."

They spared a moment for grief. Then his mom quickly swiped his tears away with her thumbs and said firmly, "Pack quickly, only things you need. We're going North, we'll be safe there."

Jacob recoiled when a sharp piece of dead root shoved up underneath his fingernail. It drew blood, just as the last few years had. He and his mother had made it further North. The nuclear warfare ceased, death tolls soared, governments toppled. Then the sickness descended when solar radiation, oozing through the thinned ozone layer, mixed with that of nuclear fallout. His mother was one of the first to show signs of illness. She'd died slowly, painfully, and he bore every minute of it, even in her final days when she’d called him by his father's name. He'd buried her under a patch of dead grass, then set off with a group of others for the nearest New Settlement. There, they'd all been assigned job duties: Foraging, farming, healing, or reconstruction. Jacob was a dab hand with carpentry, but he was still seen as an 'outsider', so was relegated to foraging.

He examined the shallow hole he’d made, something catching his chin as he stooped. He knelt, blood and dirt-stained hand grasping the heart-shaped locket around his neck. It emanated a sickly green glow that belied its true intention; protection from the toxic environment. Temporary immunity. Things that hadn't existed when his mother was sick. The medallions had been created by rising tech genius, Kara Whittles, when the radioactive tide began turning. The very same genius who’d been falsely discredited by the government when they’d felt threatened by her technology, wrapping her revolutionary ideas in as much red tape as they could spin. Ideas that could have prevented all of this. But disputes aside, she’d invested the last of her resources into the lockets, making them heart-shaped as, despite everything, she still held fast to her personal adage, ‘Love saves’. Shortly after, her stock was raided and the facility detonated, making it clear humanity as a value had not survived the apocalypse. Kara had managed to hang on to her locket long enough to give it to her younger sister, Adesina, then subsequently succumbed to radiation poisoning.

Adesina later joined Jacob's travelling group, and they'd become cautious friends, further bonded through their current ostracization.

"Hey, Jake," he turned at the harsh whisper, shielding his eyes from the sun.

"Addy?"

"Eat this," she held out a closed fist.

He cupped his hands and saw something drop into them, something green.

"What is it?" he asked, hurriedly tossing it into his mouth, instantly grimacing.

"Kale," she smirked, "That shit can survive anywhere."

"Thanks, I think," he swallowed the bitter leaf, attempting to wash it down with a tiny sip of water from his even tinier canteen.

"Since we always get last choice of food, thought I'd give us first pick tonight," she winked.

As he stood, a loud chime sounded, indicating curfew was coming into effect. They walked toward the main compound; an amalgamation of airplane fuselages that had been salvaged from the wastelands. A constant reminder of the day all planes fell from the sky, subject to cyberattacks. Suddenly, everyone turned when wind whipped around them, clouds of dust spiraling upward. The waning light of dusk was pierced by harsh, white beams cutting swathes across the arid land. Jacob squinted, his hand finding Adesina's, both watching in disbelief as several spacecraft landed nearby.

"Are these ours?" she queried.

"That’s not any metal we've ever produced," replied Jacob, subtly moving in front of her.

"Get back!" yelled the Settlement leader, Kieran, as his troops jogged up and formed a barrier, crossbows raised toward the ships.

Silence reigned when the vessel’s doors slid open, and several humanoid figures, donning black suits loaded with foreign tech, disembarked. The strangers approached, clearly unperturbed by the weapons trained on them.

"State your purpose, and from where you hail!" Kieran shouted gruffly.

"We are from a planet much like yours used to be," a blond-haired man replied, the brunette woman beside him adding, "We're here to help."

"Help how?" asked Jacob, ignoring Kieran’s glare.

"We've observed Earth for years," answered the blond.

"Then why haven't we heard of you before?" scoffed Kieran.

"We have lightspeed technology, do you really believe we can't visit other galaxies undetected?" retorted the brunette.

Kieran sneered as the blond continued, "We have the means to restore your planet, or rather, reset it, but you need to evacuate first. The process is not kind to anything still living on the surface."

"Evacuate where?" asked Jacob, gesturing to the surrounding devastated landscape.

"We have a carrier," the woman tapped a screen on her forearm and a large craft descended through the clouds, hovering silently, "More are landing all over the globe at other 'New Settlements'."

"Why are you helping us?" Adesina asked warily.

"Because we can," shrugged the blond.

Murmuring broke out, instantly silenced when Kieran said, "We need an hour to collect our belongings."

"It is yours," replied the woman.

Excited cheers erupted as everyone hurried into the compound.

"We're getting it back," Adesina's eyes shone.

"So it would seem," smiled Jacob, taking hold of her shoulders, "Maybe now we can have a real future tog-"

"Shh!" she hissed, tugging him into a nearby supply closet, the door left slightly ajar.

Kieran's voice drifted by, "How soon can we ready the explosives?"

"Ten minutes, sir," came the reply.

"Do it. There's bound to be tons of resources within those ships, not to mention the transportation capability."

"But what about the rese-"

"They're lying, idiot. No one has that kind of technology. Alert the rest, we attack in a half-hour."

Jacob met Adesina's angry gaze, "That asshole will destroy the planet's only chance.”

"Agreed," nodded Jacob, "We need a plan."

"I think I have one," she placed a hand on his chest, "You convince everyone to run, I'll sneak out and warn our rescuers."

"Solid strategy,” he placed his hand atop hers, “But with one tweak; I sneak out while you do the convincing."

"Jaco-"

He cut her off with a kiss, one that spoke more volume than words ever could. He pressed his forehead to hers and murmured, "I can't lose you. You're all I have, and I ..."

"Okay," she conceded, "But you'd better be careful. I expect to start my new life with you."

He grinned and captured her lips again before they parted ways; Adesina to the living quarters, and Jacob to an unused back exit. The cover of night brought some relief as he stole silently across the cracked Earth. He reached the main ship without incident, awkwardly knocking on the door. It opened immediately and the blond greeted him, "Have you decided?"

"My ... partner is rounding up civilians. But the military, they ..." he trailed off.

"They're planning an attack," the blond finished evenly.

"I'm so sorry," Jacob’s voice broke.

"Don't be. It's one of several anticipated outcomes. We will wait until it becomes too dangerous to do so."

"Much appreciated," Jacob nodded, holding out his hand.

"Charles," smiled the blond, returning the handshake.

“Jacob.”

Then their eyes were drawn to a commotion near the compound and the outdoor lights suddenly fired up, illuminating the scene. Jacob's heart dropped when he saw a group of people running toward the ship, with Adesina in the lead. Not far behind them were Kieran and his soldiers, some catching up while others raised their weapons.

"Run!" screamed Jacob, rushing toward the group.

One by one, they fell to gunfire; people he'd come to know, people he'd travelled through hell with. All for one man's greed. Jacob's anger seethed and he made a beeline for Kieran; until he saw the traitor aim for Adesina. Jacob moved faster, exerting all of his energy in an effort to reach her. Then the world came to a stop when a thick bolt burst from her shoulder. ‘It’s not so bad’, he thought desperately, ‘No vital organs, it’ll heal’. But the arrow had pierced her locket, the green glow expiring before she hit the ground.

"Adesina!" he roared, dropping to his knees beside her.

He rolled her over, radiation burns already marring her skin. He grabbed at the chain around his own neck, but was stalled by her hands.

"No," she coughed, "It's already too late. You need to keep yours and go."

"I won't lea-"

"Jacob, there's no time," she gently cupped his jaw, "Earth needs this reset … it needs you."

"What if they can help?" he protested as he helped her stand, already knowing the answer.

"I'll stall Kieran as long as I can," she said quietly, "Now go."

"But I-"

"Please don't say it," she begged, "I won't be able to bear it."

He kissed her, then stepped back as she pulled several grenades from her bag.

"I'm taking these bastards down with me," she coughed again, blood spattering her chin.

"Give 'em hell," he uttered before running for the ship.

He glanced over his shoulder, shutting his eyes against the blinding white of an explosion. He didn't look again, so he could still pretend. He made it to the door, Charles ushering him in.

"Is it just you?" he asked softly.

"Yes.”

"I'm sorry."

Jacob barely felt the craft launch; the only indication they were moving was the sight of barren land giving way to night sky outside the nearest window. Charles led him to the bridge, where the beautiful, unhindered view of the cosmos did nothing to dull the pain. Jacob sank to his knees and wept openly. A comforting hand patted his shoulder, and he briefly leaned into it.

"The others are clear," he recognized the brunette’s voice, "We're ready to reset."

"How is it done?" asked Jacob, wiping his eyes and rising to his feet.

"Believe it or not," scoffed Charles, "We push this big red button, here," he indicated the very button sitting blithely on the control panel.

"And the planet will be as it was? People too?"

"Unfortunately, the only humans will be those we've evacuated," answered Charles uneasily.

"I see," Jacob hung his head, "And animals? Insects?"

"Most we'll be able to restore using the DNA banks we’ve recovered from your space probes."

"… Let me do it," Jacob’s voice was ragged, “Please.”

"As you wish,” Charles gestured to the console.

Jacob’s hand hovered over the button as he observed the Earth, its extensive scars visible even from there. He pushed down, fresh tears falling as the rescue ships all rotated, directing bright blue beams toward the planet.

"What will you name this new Earth?" Charles asked quietly.

Jacob's eyes reflected the blue light as he watched his planet be remade, "Adesina."