Two and the Last Year on Earth ✓ [humor, sci-fi, romance]

Act 6: Tree Things

It was a normal day at Two Three Headquarters. Two was up early in her room as usual, but instead of cleaning her weapons or checking her favorite sunglasses for scratches, she was under her covers staring at her little Rubick's Cube, the size of a rolling dice and the only thing she brought from home and the only thing that set her apart from everyone else. If she activated it, it would reveal her true identity to Dr. Lorkhead and Jarid and she certainly did not want that.

Not just because they would be surprised but they might not trust her anymore or they might lock her up, who knew? Two needed to be here for at least another year. Seven was her lucky number and seven years was her task.

Her mind whirred with all the events that happened the past years. It was year six now. So many things had happened.

Starting with the implants, she paused on that memory. When she had come here, there was nothing but the aftermath of the Apocalyptic Era and Cogwheel Robotic Humans and Green Men. The Green Men were like the human version of trees who had developed a mechanic ability to wire themselves up to gasoline stands and live off of car fuel. They were not the nicest of creatures she had ever met. Comparing them to the talking eagles was like comparing a rainy day to a sunny day—totally opposite.

"Anyone home?" came Genji's voice. After a month, he still had a bit of an accent, but the Language Pills were working on him well. Two hid her Rubick's Cube inside her wrist. Only those who were from the same place as her could actually see it. Which was nice. She didn't have to be extra jittery about having to have it on her person.

Two headed downstairs and found Genji on the sofa with the latest newspaper in his hands. "Oh, Good Morning, Two," he said with a smile and she smiled back.

"Anything?" she said. Genji had, in the past month, proved his unique ability to gather information so they decided to use him as such. He gave her a sticky note with a number and an arrow on it.

"Three, eight, zero, six," she read the numbers. "What's this?"

"Found it on an old gas station. That thing that looks like an arrow? That's actually the symbol of the Green Men. The owner of the gas station said these sticky notes are starting to appear at every gas station. He goes to an underground community of gas station owners that had gathered during the Apocalypse of Green Things where Green Men were assimilating everything. He said the Green Men are coming back."

Genji was certainly helpful and what was it with her thinking of some old problem and that problem coming up? Was this jinxed? Two frowned at the sticky note and Genji reached out to touch her wrist. The touch startled her, and she flinched.

"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to startle you." He took his hand away and smiled. His green eyes were really pretty, she found herself thinking. No, she told herself firmly, not going to go there.

"Are you thinking this might be...?"

"Two!" Dr. Lorkhead made them both jump and he came up from his den. He was always home, but he never came up from the den unless he had something to scream about. "Oh, hi, Genji," he said quickly and rushed over to her holding his Mini Computer Box in his hands. The little thing had a small screen that came out as a holographic screen that you could touch.

"Look at this. It's an image of a Green Man in a gas station. Posted on 'Pocalypse92.com an always updated site I like to look at sometimes, but this one is recent like yesterday afternoon!"

"I can hear you, you don't have to scream, geesh!" Two said. She saw the Green Man, more like a tree with legs and arms, leaning over a gasoline tank. But this was not a Green Man like she remembered them. "This one has a tail," she said. "And antlers. Green Men, from what I know," she said because they didn't know she knew about them, "don't look like this."

"True," Genji said and peered in. His face was really close and Two was beginning to feel nervous with how touchy and close he was being. Not that she had never felt this way, but she had not felt this way in a long time.

"I think it's worth it." He added. "Green Men can be really dangerous and if this one is different, who knows what they're capable of?"

Two nodded. "Alright, but where is Jarid?"

"Haven't seen him on my way. He might be coming soon."

"We'll wait for ten minutes. He usually comes around eight-thirty and it's almost time," she said and checked the clock. They all agreed to wait and Two returned to her room to pack her bags for a short trip into the Ruined Lands.

She had not been there since she landed on AERA7-0, a.k.a Earth, and time-traveled to the end of the Apocalyptic Era. Soon began the Industrial Submission otherwise known as the Creative Dry Spell where humans just gave up being incredibly creative. Her task was to implant some ideas into people's heads to get them going again. Of course, other Stellians were doing similar things but with more evil intentions and some still creative humans had other ideas as well.

That made Green Men happen and then the pain-in-the-neck Apocalypse of Green Things. It took a long time for her to get everything under control along with other Stellians. Then, they parted ways to Creativise humans again. Dr. Lorkhead was just the start until she met Jarid. She listened for any sound of the door banging open downstairs, but it was quiet apart from Dr. Lorkhead and Genji talking. Where was Jarid?

Since he wasn't coming, Two guessed he had slept in somewhere and they decided to leave him a note and a copy of the image along with a copy of an image of the sticky note so that he would know where they had gone. The "3806" was actually the address to one of the Green Men ancient hideouts. She knew, but Dr. Lorkhead and Genji didn't know she did so she ended up having to listen to them explaining it to her on their way there in the Ground Digger Mobile that could dig and go underground if needed.

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Note: Why do you think Two (and other Stellians) are tasked to bring Creativity back to Earth? Also, do you think Two is in her future or her past?