A severe storm approached from the west, but that was the least of the worries that the city would face that day. The pyramids in the center of the city had been attracting strange lightning bolts for days and now as the storm approached they became more frequent and intense.
The city had rebooted itself numerous times during the last twenty-four hours. The electricity would go off and then back on as the lighting stuck the tip of the pyramids. Electrical items no longer worked— computers, radios, appliances.
The city officials were at a loss to explain or deal with the phenomenon as the streets became crowded with panicked citizens looking for a way out. The mob looting businesses for anything they thought would protect them from whatever was happening.
As the first blast of rain drenched the city, lightning struck the buildings once more but this time, the lighting came from all directions. The combination of rain and lighting did what he hoped. The city went black. This time it stayed black. No flickering as generators kicked in and substations rebooted. More importantly, no life support. As the rain and lighting crossed the city toward the east, he made his way down the basement of the building where the planet’s native inhabitants had hidden the weather control center. Working with the settlers had proven useful and he had access to the dome controls. He discarded the mask he wore to work in the Earth Settlement as the dome opened and the atmosphere returned to one that he could breathe freely.
The enormous Earth station was silent. The settlers from Earth lay dead in the streets. The cleanup would be massive but worth it. Earth would send a rescue ship, but it wouldn’t matter. They had taken their planet back. They would not allow Earth to destroy their home as they had destroyed their own.
The city had rebooted itself numerous times during the last twenty-four hours. The electricity would go off and then back on as the lighting stuck the tip of the pyramids. Electrical items no longer worked— computers, radios, appliances.
The city officials were at a loss to explain or deal with the phenomenon as the streets became crowded with panicked citizens looking for a way out. The mob looting businesses for anything they thought would protect them from whatever was happening.
As the first blast of rain drenched the city, lightning struck the buildings once more but this time, the lighting came from all directions. The combination of rain and lighting did what he hoped. The city went black. This time it stayed black. No flickering as generators kicked in and substations rebooted. More importantly, no life support. As the rain and lighting crossed the city toward the east, he made his way down the basement of the building where the planet’s native inhabitants had hidden the weather control center. Working with the settlers had proven useful and he had access to the dome controls. He discarded the mask he wore to work in the Earth Settlement as the dome opened and the atmosphere returned to one that he could breathe freely.
The enormous Earth station was silent. The settlers from Earth lay dead in the streets. The cleanup would be massive but worth it. Earth would send a rescue ship, but it wouldn’t matter. They had taken their planet back. They would not allow Earth to destroy their home as they had destroyed their own.
