Chapter 1, Protect What Protects You

Phase 1, Earth is a lost cause

The date showed 2053 July on Michis phone, the fine breeze and the sunshine across the city could have made a tourist think this was the most beautiful view one could get but really, it meant nothing neither to the humans who lived here nor to someone who's never been to this place, it was nothing but a common, overpopulated and heartless city on earth.

School had just finished for many or the long awaited summer break just began and for some it just was another day at work. Another day where the sun shined emotionless down to the overheating, overpopulated planet that the humans living on it called earth. Living would be the wrong word, surviving maybe but 'fulfilling' suited the most. Really all they did was do what they had to do toearn money, to pay the bill, have a place they could call home, to buy food and to not die, miseralbly and all forgotten with no real impact. Earth had turned.. dead, yet it was full of souls. Souls that either lived in an endless cycle of doing what they had to to -live- or, or they where watching as the pathetic, poor and helpless little civilians stayed alive in their giant game. These so called Presidents, Chefs and Rulers they.. enjoyed it. Because it was all they had left to feel joy from. Earth was dying, because of them. Live was miserable, because no one changed the way of living. Humans weren't humans anymore, they lived like a machine. No joy because what's so fun about living in a world where they needed to work 25 hours a day to earn enough money to survive when the day only has 24. Where is love when there was only bricks and plastic because that's the cheapest Material. How, how could someone live when all there was only one pre-written live to live in.

Michi had just left the school building, eyes throbbing, tears drying on her skin, although her eyes where lifeless, this was going to be her last summer break, this was going to be the last time she will have time to feel alive.

Indistinct voices started to form words, teachers started to leave the ugly yellow colored school, the front door opened again after it had just shut down from Michi leaving, it was probably the most scariest part of the building. Judgement, hate, rules, regulations and topics that no one except a few wanted to actually learn all lied behind the thick glass door that was way to heavy for a student to open without looking like they had to lift weights.

She quickly bend down grabbing her backpack, she wouldn't be able to keep calm if she had to see one of the people that called this hell place their job. Really she usually wasn't too dramatic about it, but something about today made her feel like she was about to leave her life behind and step into the dammed cycle of working fir money that.. made her want to quit and give it all up, that however would indicate that she had something to loose but lately it felt like the only thing left was her consciousness.

Michi wiped away the few tears that felt pathetic and sticky after crawling down her cheek for too long, how pathetic really, was her body doing it all just for attention? and if so for whom it's not like she wants anyone to see nor would anyone be able to help, because what she wants was not existing anymore. The choice to write her own live. To live in a field in a sweet little home, growing her own food, inviting her friends after work that would already end at a decent time and not at fucking 8pm, to late to do anything after it but go to bed only to wake up again at 6am and be at work at 7am, for ever, until you die.

She was on her way to the bus, avoiding classmates that she wouldn’t dare to call friends even though they where totally okay people. Michi eyes looked around searching for something to look at while waiting, she looked around and found the sky the most relaxing sight. She breathed deeply, hurt, not from physical pain, or maybe now it was because of trying to hide her crying and her entire face felt like it had been beaten up, but actually the pain came from deep inside her chest, there where she now felt her heart run a raze against the time, she felt helpless and confused. Why'd the world end up like this when we could have had so much more, its always shown in the movies, happy friends, beautiful landscapes, healthy earth full of emotions and time to enjoy the life one has, so why not in reality.

The grey colored buildings looked at her, the black street judged her, the dead trees that used to be decoration cried, the dirty cars covered in dust screamed at her and the lights that kept her from seeing the stars and the milky way laughed at her.

Michi came back to reality and shock her head, squeezed her eyes for a second and deeply breathed out a last time before going back to her normal breathing rhythm and looking out for her bus. It came just two minutes later, she left the crowded bus stop and entered the crowded bus itself with no option to hold onto something but it would be hilarious to be scared to fall over or trip, it was too full after all. She laughed sighted out of despair.

She trued to watch outside while the bus continued it's route, if only there was something to look at she thought. But her eyes only cached either a glimpse of the full crossroad in which the cars horns yelled through the traffic to get moving, or yet another dead looking house.

She recognized her stop and eventually got out of the crowd, she took a deep breath in, she wished she could think ‘finally some fresh air’ but really it just smelled like gas and ash combined.

Michi continued her walk home, it was 7am but the moon was visible already although the sky was still colored in a soft and kind blue. She looked up and realized something she had noticed already all these years ago, she had no future, she owned no life and had no rights but to go to school, learn things she wasn't interested in and eventually find a decent paying job to so she could life somewhere safe and not on the street like so many had to nowadays.

It wasn't like she had no interests not at all, she enjoyed history and oddly enough even believed in spirituality and thanks to that also knew a lot about all kinds of mythology and stuff, but who would want that kind of knowledge for their workers. They want mathematics, IT guys, people who are willing to work at the cashier all day or other bullshit that only interested a few anyway.

Phase 2, The unknown invadors

She looked up once more before entering the flat she lives in with her family, she soon had to leave it and get he own home. Among the foggy sky and a few weak stars shining bright, she saw what appeared to be a shooting star, she closed her eyes, "if there is something, someone, please make earth feel like a home." She opened her eyes again only to realise the shooting star hadn't disappeared quite yet.
In fact it had doubled and stood now still in the sky, Michi looked confused. She stumbled two steps back to get a better look, her neck laying in her back and her eyes mesmerized by the light that appeared to become bigger and bigger every minute, slowly but noticable. Her heart started to pound she could feel it deep in her stomache, the last time she felt it that strong must have been years ago but why now? She didn't know what was happening was it an asteroid hitting thje earth? was she overreacting? The light became unnaturally big like a second sun not right above her but close.
Out of nowhere the sirens started to scream.
She jumped and winced to the ground, was it really an asteroid hitting the earth? she was so close by, oh god her parents wheren't home yet! what should she do, she started to panic, her breathing became hyperventilating, she sat down but looked up again into the sky where the new sun had became gigantic but then suddenly darkness swallowed it. Now Michi could see it, a giant spaceship, mysteriously covering the sight to the sky from her perspective. It was miles above her but so large almost like a cloud standing still in the sky, flying thanks to firy engines that clouded the sky with even more dust that made the day look like it was about to become night. The real sun could not be seen anywhere and the smell of gas and burned things filled the air. Michi sat on the ground crying but drowned out by the ringing sirens from the city, she didn't dare to move until a hissing sound came from the space ship, echoing into the void above and ground below.

Michi ran, as hast as she could and as soon as she had enetred the center of the city she realised she wasn't the only one running. She didn't knew where to or with who just away from whatever was in the sky and as further away the better. She couldn't hear the sirens anymore nor the screaming humans around her, it was like she ran instinctively not daring who was next to her only looking straight forward with crying but dead eyes that looked for a way through the city.

Out of Michis sight a second spaceship appeared out of the smoke that was coming from the first once engines. And a third one and a forth and so on, it wouldn't want to stop. Some ships where smaller, they were black and blue with white strikes, they opened their gates and let out giant build in mashine guns, controlled by what looked human but surely wasn't. The larger ones where black and blue as well, but they had yellow stripes. They too opened their gates and doors but instead of guns, people jumped out, falling down only to then glide with what looked like wingsuits. They grouped up during their fall and glided together down to the earth. The mashine guns hadn't been used yet only the sirens screamed along with the spaceships mechanics.
Police had been sent out everywhere, they yelled with megaphones to the crowds that had formed in all the citys that had a view to the alien ships.

It took probably about 30 more minutes and then, then it happened. They opened fire.
Out of the dusty grey clouds fell bombs that were as big as cars. The mashine guns started to point down and started to shoot, targetting cities specifically. The aliens that had grouped on the ground, away from the bombing started to mark the ground, scaning it and putting, what looked like crawling robots, on the grass that would then dig into the dirt searching for whatever they were programmed for.

Painful screams came from the cities, police being unable to stop the flying invador.
TV channels that were still available only showed the disaster happening in the neighbor countrys, informing and showing what was happening, though they themselves didn't fully knew either.
The military from everywhere started to group up and get into jets and flying mobilities that could hopefully do some inpact.

The first ships and trains wanted big money for the ride from the fleeing people but as soon as the first tracks and ships got targeted by the gunfire there was just one rule. Do not bring anything but yourself and get into the damn transport, away from the hellfire that started to build up in the middle of it all, right below the giant spaceship. The bombs targeted the big cities and mostly the places with trainstations, harbors, airports or highways.
The enemy had planned it all out.
Fire started to spread and humans unable to flee started to went mad and started to do whatever they wanted before they died in the pits of fire and gunshot.

Michi had gotten on a train that was going south, speeding as fast as allowed and even faster, too full to stop and with no need of letting anyone out. She stood there, in shock, leaning on the wall or rather pressed against it from all the other passengers. The grabbed for her phone in her pants pocket, so glad she had put it there because she wasn't allowed to bring a bagpack into the train, she had seen so many crying people because tehy weren't allowed to bring their pets either. She searched for her moms number and called but no one picked up, she started to cry again, please just let the phone be somewhere else, out of her moms reach she prayed.

They drove for hours and when the train finally came to a stop, magically not destroyed, could finally everyone leave the crowded mess. As Michi finally was at the turn of getting of did she tumble a few steps away from the growd and fall on the ground, catching air and shaking in disbelief as to what had just happened. But when she turned to the left could she see it all again, alien spaceships in the sky, attacking her home city and many other places. She took a deep breath in and sat up, sitting on her knees and crying her eyes out but, it all did nothing, it helped no one, so she took a last breath in and out and pulled herself together.
Police had already arrived and showed the refugees the way to a saver area, for now atleast, even here had people grouped in masses and waited for the next orderes. Soon did the Police declare that the bunkers are going to be opened and more will be made. Since the enemy used bombs was that the only option.