Novus was able to work more quickly on the little ship now that it was a few feet from the bunker. Adam slept in that morning, his muscles recovering from the previous day's strain. It was well past noon when he finally awoke, picking his head off the drool stained pillow. The cot no longer felt too soft. He had grown used to the comfort it afforded him and after every day he looked forward to laying down on it and dozing peacefully.

Jack was also still asleep. Big surprise there, Adam thought. He nudged his dog's rear, but it didn't stir. He kicked a little harder and Jack let out a deep breath.

"That dog would sleep through a colonoscopy."

Adam went through his usual morning routine of exercise, eating and knife throwing. With nothing else to do, he assisted Novus with the repairs on her ship. While the work on the actual thrusters was way over his head, he could give her the proper tools and carry up the pieces she needed to complete the task. All the while, he daydreamed of a better, more comfortable life. His thoughts drifted to different meals, cold water, a cool shower, a different set of clothes, and a myriad of other luxuries that were not afforded in this desolate wasteland.

Tape EE5

Date: September 23, 2526

Hundreds upon hundreds more ships have crashed. Only about fifty thousand people have made it to their destination. Millions more killed by nuclear weapons. The world is burning, all mankind has created over centuries has crumbled in mere months.

(7 second pause)

The USF Anthem launched a few days ago. Many of the world's foremost leaders, politicians, upper-class, and scientists were on the vessel. About half a million, including crew and staff. The ship safely made it out of orbit and is on course to Mars.

(53 second pause)

The world is spiraling downward in chaos, and it was too late to save it when this all began.

(10 second pause)

If there is anything history has taught us,

(2 second pause)

It's that everything burns.

(12 second pause)

(Gunshots, yelling)

They've found me. If nothing else, I hope these records prevent this from happening agai-

(Single gunshot)

(Static)

Adam was snapped out of his reverie by a loud pop and the roar of an engine. That was before there was a calamitous crash and the sound of metal scraping. Adam rushed up the stairs of the bunker to where Novus was working on repairing her ship. Well, to be honest, it didn't sound like she was repairing her ship – more like blowing it up. As he was greeted with the luminous red sun, his nostrils were greeted with noxious smoke. Black fumes filled the air and Novus was trying to extinguish a small fire. Adam quickly rushed over to her, tearing off his coat and throwing it over the little flames. He patted the jacket, slightly burning his hands, but within seconds the fire was out. Adam franticly examined his jacket to make sure there was no major damage done to it.

"Boy, that went well," Novus commented with dry sarcasm. Adam looked at her, brow furrowed. She seemed to have picked up sarcasm relatively easily.

As he looked around, Adam noticed a large portion of one of the thruster lying in the dirt several yards away. "You alright?" Adam asked as he assessed the situation.

Novus nodded. "Yes, I am unharmed," she confirmed. "I cannot, however, say the same for my ship."

Jack trotted amiably out to meet the two conferring on the wrecked ship. "You really screwed the pooch on that one," Adam said more to himself, nudging the hull of the craft with his boot. Jack let out a high-pitched whine and tucked his tail between his legs.

Novus cocked her head to one side in an inquiring manner, one that Adam had become used to. "Why would I have sexual relations with a canine? And what relevance does it have to do this situation?"

"It's just an expression, like, uh . . . herding cats, or spilling the beans. Don't you have expressions like that on the Stick of Sincerity?" Adam asked, turning the questions back to her.

"Why would you spill beans, you have little to no supplies out here. That seems like a waste. And what is the Stick of Sincerity? Novus asked, still perplexed.

"Yunno, your big space ship! The one you're trying to get back to."

"You mean the Staff of Integrity?" she replied, trying to piece together his meaning.

"You say toma- . . ." Adam stopped himself before reciting another expression, "If you say so."

Jack snorted contemptuously, confident that there would be no screwing of the pooch that day. At least I knew the name of the ship was Club of Purity.

Adam ignored the comment. "So, is it repairable or are you stranded here forever?"

"Well, the damage appears to be nigh irreparable. I guess I will just have to activate the tracking beacon instead." Novus said philosophically.

"WAIT WHAT?!" Adam yelled incredulously. Novus flinched slightly, something Adam had never seen her do, even when he threw the knife at her or when the thruster blew up in her face. Taken aback, Adam continued, more quietly, but still furious. "You mean to tell me that we spent an entire day dragging that heaping bucket of bolts back here, when we could have simply activated a tracking beacon?!"

"I was simply following protocol. My first priority should be repairing the ship, only in a case of last resort should I activate the beacon." Novus replied apologetically.

"What dumbass wrote the protocol?!" Adam asked, still frustrated.

"I believe Arlios did. That was one of many tasks assigned to him when he was created." Novus replied, not realizing it was a rhetorical question.

"Well, since we can't get it up –"

No, you can't get it up. I'm fine. You should get that checked out.

"What the hell is wrong with you," Adam muttered before continuing with his initial thought. "Since we can't get it flying," Adam gave Jack a look that dared him to comment, "you should just activate the beacon. The sooner you can get back and report the mistake, the better."

Captain Quinn stood in the viewing deck of the USF Staff of Integrity. His hands were clasped behind his back and he stared into the expanse of space beyond the former home of the human race. He had seen pictures of Earth from centuries ago and it seemed beautiful, majestic, grand. And now, here he stood facing the large sphere, with the rings of debris and trash surrounding it. Most of the globe was a reddish-tan, far from the regality of height of civilization on Earth. What a shame. It seemed as though nothing was sacred. So Captain Quinn stood, looking at the desolate planet, overjoyed at visiting the home world of his ancestors, but deeply saddened by the state it was in.

Tearing his gaze from the pitiful sight, he turned his gaze to the crew on the decks below. They all stared at their monitors, not a care in the world for the once majestic planet that lay ahead of them. He shook his head slightly at the mindless drones in front of him that ignored the tragic yet awe-inspiring sight in their midst. But truth be told, the crew would soon be merely figureheads. Arlios was becoming stronger day by day. Soon he would be flying the entire ship. It was an alarming thought for Quinn as he put great faith in people, and had little tolerance for modern technology. But both relied on the other. Arlios controlled many aspects of the ship which could not merely be resumed by humans at the drop of a hat. But Arlios depended on the humans to feed him knowledge and give him the skills he needed to complete his task.

Quinn was yanked from his thoughts as a small alarm sounded. He knew instantly want the alarm meant, as he had been expecting it for some time.

"Captain, Scout 03 has activated its beacon. It looks like . . . it's on Earth," a crew member informed him.

"Send a Dakota-Class shuttle to retrieve it. I want a combat strike team ready. We take no risks," Quinn responded immediately. Without another word, he spun on his heel and exited the viewing deck. He had matters to attend to.

Adam sat slouched in the swivel chair in the bunker. His foot beat rapidly on the ground as he waited for their rescue to arrive. His anger at Novus was rapidly dissipating much to his frustration. He found it hard to stay angry at the innocent, beautiful A.I. He hated it.

What's got your panties on the wrong side of the bed?

Adam shook his head. The mutt knew him so well. "This damned A.I. I can't stay mad at her! It's driving me crazy!"

Jack nodded his head knowingly. What does the A stand for again?

"Artificial."

Mhmm. And what does –

"Intelligence. Which you seem to lack."

Hey, if it wasn't for me you would have gone insane a long time ago. I saved your ugly ass.

"Yeah, well I'm talking to a dog who's talking back to me. I think I went insane a long time ago," Adam said, knowing it was true.

The first step to fixing your problems is admitting them. So how does that make you feel?

Adam ignored the dog and retreated into his own thoughts. With every human being he ever knew, he screwed it up somehow, sometime. He liked Novus, and he didn't want to mess it up, like everything else. The whole reason he was wandering was because he screwed up. He had had a home, friends, a community. But they were gone now. Merely a memory. A flitting thought at the edge of his mind.

Adam shook himself. Now was not the time to be depressed. He would finally be free of this cursed cycle. He would be back with civilization. He would have a home, he could shower. He could do what he wanted. He could live, not only survive. That also meant a better life for Jack.

Once again that day, Adam was snapped from his reverie. Novus calling for him. He slowly stood from the chair and eased his cramped muscles. He must have been sitting for longer than he had thought. He leisurely picked his way up the stairs and out of the bunker. Novus was smiling, a real smile, and pointed to a dark shape on the horizon. Adam shaded his eyes with his hand so that he could see more clearly. The craft was rapidly approaching.

"Well," Adam said cheerfully, "better get packing."

Yeah, suit yourself. I'm taking a shit. Then I'm taking a nice long nap on the ride. 

-------------------------------------

Thanks for reading, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. As always, votes and comments are appreciated as well as critiques.

Question: What do you think of Captain Quinn?