When the next global outbreak threatens the world and world peace, it's up to the CDC to come up with a cure. When successful, the world rejoices but little do they know that the cure is something more. Written for the @sciencefiction "High Tech" writing challenge that started in June 2016. This challenge contains six parts, which will culminate in a final, surprise challenge. The six parts leading up to the seventh will be posted in sequence with the final challenge at the very end. #### NOTE: this story is unfinished and may or may not be finished but figured I'd leave it as is since it was part of a challenge. It's missing the final part...####

Some fates are worse than death--survival is one of them. In the two hundred years since humanity left the Earth's surface to live in the sky, life on the ground faded to a myth, a tragic memory from which they severed themselves to survive. They floated above continents turned to sand and lands swallowed by the seas, watched storm after storm rage against their cities and their monuments until they broke apart the last vestiges of civilization in penance for generations of human greed. As a lightning harvester charged with flying her ship into these storms for energy, Raina has seen more of the planet than most. She has spent her entire life soaring above its craters and scars, studying the gaping wounds of human devastation, as she honed her skills and became the youngest captain in storm-chaser history. Her ship has flown for generations. Her skills are unparalleled. But none of that matters the day they go down. ~ Praise for Earth, After: "I'm so not ready for this ending. I will reread this for sure. It's honestly my favourite work on wattpad ever, and among my best reads in general, it's insane. I love your creativity!" "Sometimes tearing my eyes away from the page is torture. Gosh...!!!!" "This is literally a movie - the images are so clear!" "oh my god... it has been such a long adventure [...] Youve dried up your surviving characters until the very last drop before giving the end, and my, Im speechless. Out of this world." ~ Highest rank: #17 in Adventure 25/08/19 #21 in Science Fiction 16/11/19 #24 in Action 01/01/20 Trident Awards Winner Trident Awards Judges' Favourite Award The Aurora Awards 1st Place in Science Fiction Wattpad Chronicle monthly feature April 2020