Blue Hope

-Prologue - Kai-

Trajectory calculated and averaging of intersection points from all witnesses has been recorded. Minor meteor estimated to impact in T-minus 49 seconds.

Silvery fingers glided across the keypad, tapping rhythmically as the air conditioner moaned through the bustling of scientists. Sharp staccatos danced across the variety of symbols residing on the holographic screen. Flickering back and forth from the trajectory route and spatial conditions, he combed his ashen hair away from his face. The black strands originally springing across his electric blue eyes like fresh wheat. Dressed in his crisp, white lab coat - decorated with honourary colours, he slumped lazily over his leathery chair.

"Oi! Ryder!" A vicious voice from behind snarled, "Don't go slacking off! You know very well that today's cargo is important!"

A large shadow stormed at the entry way to the lab. His dominating stature radiating his authoritative nature, while multiple badges patched upon his cold hard chest plate. Taking his blood stained gloves, he flicked two of his fingers back and forth between his beady eyes and my own, before stomping to his office.

"Some stupid bugger managed to offset the universal scale and the material will be arriving early!" The lieutenant shouted behind him, his deep growls echoing down the corridors.

Sighing, Kai swung around and began to continuously study the meteor's conditions before impact. How long has it been? About 2100 years, 189 days, 13 hours, 52 minutes and 17 seconds? No, probably about 24 seconds by now. Either way, the cargo was to arrive within 30 seconds.

Kai had been working at the Spatial Transport of Rocks and Materials, otherwise known as S.T.O.R.M., since the colonisation of Earth by Verans. Inferior beings plagued the planet's resources and land. As a safety precaution for Earth being a possible life support system, all of humanity was to be imprisoned and kept at bay. Now the lowly humans are at the bottom of the social classes and reside in the makeshift slums within The Dome. Each person was registered, with both a sample of their blood and a photo, were kept within The Dome for safety precautions. Under intense surveillance, nothing escapes the Verans, whether it be rogues or runners, severe punishment was necessary.

Today was when the "special" material finally arrived from over 300 light years away. It was an incredibly unstable substance, nearly 4 times as unstable as Francium, but incredibly powerful at the same time. It contained the energy to power over 1,000 nuclear factories and has been known, despite its rarity, to crush craters into planets within a blink of the eye. Careful handling was essential.

Suddenly, the red light tucked conspicuously behind a pile of work papers began flashing. Its scarlet screeches reverberated through the metallic lab.

Warning! Error occurred. Unexpected solar winds presently influential to meteoric cargo trajectory route. Emergency procedure initiated.

Chugging down his luke-warm coffee, Kai threw himself over the computer and began typing furiously. The black keys clicking away like the shots of a pistol.

Faster, faster, he thought, there was no time to waste.

Series of unfamiliar numbers and symbols scrolled down like a waterfall of pixels raining down over a not-so-normal day. Counting down to the demise of the cargo, its grid reference suddenly disappeared without a trace into The Dome.

"Quick!" Kai ordered into his intercom, "Switch all cameras on within the dome!"

All 934 cameras activated within a flash of lightning. Like a wave, each individual screen lit up, showing the lives of over a million humans. Slumping over fire pits, desperately trying to get warm, as cameras panned over the death-ridden land.