The Post-World

Chapter Two

I glanced around to see the looks on everyone else's faces. Oddly, none of them seemed to have anymore of a clue about what was going on than I did. I decided to wait for the representative to speak again.

When he saw that he held our full attention he readjusted himself behind the podium and spoke.

"For a quarter century our species has thrived on the sky ships. Great works of humanity have been preserved and we have presented you all with all that we could to, hopefully prepare you for a world that is not what your parents and elders ever had faced." He moved from the podium and paced the stage. "We have also managed to shield you from the world outside these ships." He turned his back to us. "Outside is a domain unlike anything you could possibly fathom. It is a world of real ground, skies, oceans, and dirt. A world that things grow and elements rule." He turned to us again. "Perhaps it was wrong of us to shield you from the world outside... I do not know."He sighed and looked around the audience. Suddenly he turned around. "Huron! Open the sheath!" And with these words, the metal that was a wall lifted and revealed a window.

We were all blinded by the light but after a few moments we adjusted and marveled at what we saw. None of us had really seen what the world looked like except through old movies and television shows but this... This was something else. We really saw trees. They were so much bigger and greener than I expected. And the sun... It looked so small and bright. I was brought back to reality when he spoke again.

"This is our world. Most of you have never 'really' seen the world outside. I can imagine that this is a bit overwhelming for you all." He faced us all. "But this is the world you must face..."

We all looked around in confusion. What could he have meant by 'us'? He continued. "I know none of you really expected this... But we need to reclaim our earth and our youth officers are the only ones trained for this. You, will be the future of humanity." He paused and looked down. "We have decided to deploy all youth officers in a peninsula that was once known as Michigan. It is our closest survivable point. Hopefully your training in survival will prove as useful as we hoped." He took a stronger pose and looked at us. "I will not lie to you. This may be humanities only shot at any kind of future. Supplies are high, however with the numbers we are supporting releasing you has became our only hope of future survival... You all will have five days to get use to the idea and prepare yourselves for what you will face. I recommend talking to your parents or elders for advice. I do apologize that this is mandatory and I'm very sorry for the potential heartache this may cause for you and your families to separate. Believe me, this was not an easy decision to make and we have spent almost a year debating on what to do. We hope that someday we will reunite with you and the world will be restored to its former greatness." He raised his fist in the air. "You are the future! Make it shine again!" He slammed his fist into the podium. We all waited a moment for him to say more but, he seemed done. "You are dismissed. I promise to keep you informed on any changes if they occur." He turned and left the stage to leave us all in confusion.