ANTHRO IX


This new world was cold, dim and uninviting; the skies were filled with thick dark grey clouds, the very ground we walked was hard, and a rich dark brown. There was no soft dirt, no mud, no rich soil – instead it was all dark brown, hard, rocky and bare. What little vegetation that did grow was black, almost wilted from the extreme cold and fragile to the touch.

The city in which the inhabitants lived in was mostly blocks upon blocks of combined apartment complexes with very few alleyways in between with which we found that droid. Such a depressing sight this planet has been so far, how anyone could live here was beyond me! Then again, compared to the blue and green planet which used to be my home, this place is no better than the barren, scorching wasteland it is now.

“How much further?” I asked the arctic fox leading me, “Not much further, Ray…you frozen back there?”

“Pretty damn much! I can’t feel my paws or my face…and I don’t want to end up like that poor bastard in the alleyway!”

I could hear her slightly chuckle, “Don’t worry, there’s no chance that will be your fate”.

I was completely uncertain of that, this is the coldest I’ve ever felt before! The ship before we landed here was cool, but tolerable; but this place – I felt my very breath freezing to my furred face, the strong acrid smell of ammonia filled my lungs with every inhalation.

Luckily there was no wind blowing, otherwise we’d be in trouble…but however I felt something land upon the top of my head with a dull splatter…Rain? In this place?

“Is it…raining?” I asked Dr. Fraustfer confused. As cold as it was there’s no way liquid water existed, I expected it to be more snow-like, or at the very worst frozen balls of hail.

“We need to hurry! C’mon run,” her voice was alarming.

“Why? Abigale!” I called, chasing after her.

Running was difficult for me, I wasn’t used to the weight of the boots beneath me and the coldness of the air was amplified with the passing wind which blew past me. I found I couldn’t look where I was going, for my eyes would begin to burn and turn hazy, the few droplets which landed in them stung badly! Almost like splashing alcohol in them as I held my head down and looked at her booted feet in front of me keeping in pace.

“Inside, now!” she alerted, and the mechanical sound of a door opening filled the air. Without looking I simply followed her inside a pitch-black room, I couldn’t see the end of my nose as the door closed shut quickly.

All was silent as I stood in the darkness, like before, many questions plagued my mind. Where was she? Where am I? Why were we in such a hurry to get out of the rain? And why did it hurt my eyes?

“A-Abigale?” I called, “I’m here Ray…” her soft voice said.

Suddenly the room became illuminated with a bright light, I noticed my eyes were still stinging and hazy as I tried to rub them.

“Don’t! Here let me,” she brushed my hand away and grasped my head in her paw and poured a warm liquid in them, soothing the pain. “Easy, try not to blink…” she reassured as I tried to resist.

“The ‘rain’ here is caustic, Ammonic Acid which will cause chemical burns upon the exposed body. It can even cause blindness if not treated right away, you’re lucky we were almost here. I had to get this solution, it’s alkalinity neutralizes the acidity in the rain and serves as an ointment to help heal any damaged cells exposed to it.”

“T-Thanks…”

“Your welcome,” she said with a giggle, “Welcome to my home, by the way! Make yourself comfortable.”

I noticed the room was much warmer here, though was still chilly. It was quite vacant with only a few pieces of furniture; a sofa, table and kitchenette set. It was quite small compared to her lab on the ship.

“It’s nice!” I said, trying to sound positive. “heh, don’t be ridiculous! It’s not much I know, I spend more time on that ship than I do here…for obvious reasons.”

Those reasons I knew all too well; it was warmer, bigger, and in an environment that wasn’t hazardous, dismal or bitter. I much preferred being on the ship than being here, but my instinct was to not be too discourteous to her living space.

“It’s a place to stay while we are docked here; nobody ever fully lives on the planet, this is more of a temporary station for people while the ships refuel and restock with supplies.”

“Huh? So, nobody stays here, on this planet?” I asked confused.

“There are a few who do, but for the most part no. I mean, would you live here fully?”

She had a point; this place was barely hospitable enough for polar bears and even they would complain that it was too cold! And with the toxicity in the rain and the ocean – the only available water sources, life here was impossible. I just shook my head in response, and she simply grinned knowing that I agreed with her logic.

“The majority of the inhabitants here are droids, like you seen in the alleyway; things that do not wither in the climate here. They are imbued with enough intelligence and are made hardy enough to function properly and work to make this planet suitable for us.” She mentioned, taking off her issued boots, gloves and outfit and walking to a small closet in the other end of the room.

“So, they function to change the planet?”

“Yep! There are a few researchers and mechanics that are people who stay here to keep the droids regulated as well as to discover the means to make the dream a reality…we are hoping one day Prora will no longer be an ammonia-based ice ball…” she said as she stepped from the closet fully dressed in a black, fully synthetic, one piece suit; it was well insulated with a thick brown fur-liner which accented her own bright white fur. The only thing she lacked was a helmet; with the suit fully inter-grained with boots, gloves and a neck garter.

“I’ve got another suit in there, you are more than welcome to it,” she said with a smile, “I always keep a spare here just in case, it’s a little bigger than mine so I don’t think you’ll have trouble fitting in it.”

I gave her a nod and went to put it on, “So what’s the ‘AE’ stand for?” I called as I pulled it from the rack and began to put it on.

“’Alternate Earth’…” her voice was coy as if concerned with how I was going to react, “at least that’s the hope…”

I was silent for a moment and halted my progress with putting on the suit which was tight fitting but very warm. An alternate earth? It is possible? How long has this process been going? And how long will it take?

The thought of having another world similar in nature to my rekindled memories of Earth brightened my mood and gave me hope. But then again, if they’ve been working on making this large ball of liquid ammonia habitable since Earth fell 300 years ago, who’s to say it won’t take another 300 years to make it come true? Who’s to say I will live that long?

“That’s the hope?” I parroted, unconvinced.

“Well…yes. It is very conceivable, but like all things; it’s one thing to conceptualize something, and quite another to do it.”

“So…there’s a chance?” I asked.

“Of course, there’s always a chance…for everything. There’s a chance for it to be successful, but there’s also a chance it will fail…which is why we can only hope”

I finished putting on the suit and walked out to stand face to face with her once more. Her beautiful blue eyes sparkling in the light, her well groomed fur so soft and silky, as I cusped my hand around her soft cheek, feeling it’s warmth as she placed her paw upon mine.

“I would give anything to see this project come to fruition…to once again step foot upon the soft soiled ground and to see the beauty of a vibrant world once more; is it possible this can be done in my lifetime if I help along?”

She took my paw and pulled it from her face, cradling it between both of her paws in front of me. I gazed down at her warm, soft white hands enveloping mine before I looked back into her eyes, her soft whispering voice, “There’s always a chance…”

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My submission for this week's; 03-01-2018  Thursday_Prompt inspired by the word 'Chance'.

It seems as though the character Ray has found a new life goal, a new purpose.

I hope you guys enjoy this story, and I will give a big thanks to those who've been following along! It's definitely a fun adventure to develop this story, and I am glad you guys are along for the ride!