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Ash And Rain Vol. 1: The Skyfall
Chapter 2: Life on Earth

Chapter 2: Life on Earth

Berlin, Germany - March, 2198 - Eddy

World peace has finally been achieved. The entire globe now lives in a utopia where everyone is united equally, and we now live a life of luxury. Minor jobs have been taken over by androids, which seems bad at first, but many jobs still remain open.

Cashiers are run technologically, as well as banks and credit unions. Androids pave roads, build skyscrapers, and deliver packages. A majority of the police force are androids with specific programming kept in check by both civilian and government insight. Vehicles have autopilot, and are safer than ever. No more crashes due to DUI’s or plain stupidity. Some vehicles even have specific tracks and dirt roads that allow the owner to drive manually. Much has changed over the last hundred years, and all will continue to change and advance.

As for the environment, in 2167, a man by the name of Dwayne Calavahn invented an industrial grade filter that converts the carbon emissions into clean, breathable oxygen, cutting overall pollution by 93%. Life is abundant, and coexists among many civilizations. Laws are created to protect wildlife and the environment, and technological advances have allowed for further exploration of our planet, leading to thousands of discoveries and accurate mapping. Life on earth has never been easier than it is today.

The entertainment industry is flourishing. Virtual reality has been completely redesigned. Rooms with 360° running tracks house hyper-realistic holographic simulations which allow for ultimate sensory submission. Nanobot holograms allow for smell, taste, and physical sensations to best simulate the reality of the game you have chosen to play.

These rooms have also become quite affordable. They aren’t cheap necessarily, but they come around $200,000. Quite an affordable price, considering the monthly wage for most people is usually $700,000. I could go into other aspects of virtual reality, but I’m not sure you want to hear about that much.

Clubbing is another very common activity among citizens, especially here in Berlin. The age limit for recreational marijuana and psychedelic mushrooms is 18, also allowing you to enter a club, drink, and smoke nicotine products. Many alcoholic drinks no longer taste like alcohol, but will still leave you in a drunken stupor. Cigarettes have ultimately been replaced by vapes of varying flavors. Marijuana has become legal globally, as well as psychedelic mushrooms. Most other drugs have been abandoned, due to the pressure placed on drug offenses.

Many drug rings had been taken down over the past 40 years, and now drug addiction is at an all time low. Not only that, but medical studies have introduced new remedies, treatments, and cures. Most STDs have a cure, if not a treatment that clears the disease in 2 or 3 weeks. Cancer has also been cured, and disease control has been more than sufficient. The life expectancy has increased to 110, with the ability to live comfortably and without pain past 80. Food processing has become healthier, and less noticeable. Prosthetic limbs have mechanical capabilities which allow them to function just like, or oftentimes even better than the lost limb.

Being a college student has never been easier! Most of the courses have experience based classes, with in depth hands-on teaching, with the help from the previously mentioned virtual reality rooms. Most trades and career paths can be taught directly through virtual reality, with exact precision and guidance from the computer. Simulations run consistently for training, not only for college and trade schools, but also for military purposes. Basic training, combat strategies, and shooting ranges can all be tested without wasting resources, with equal or improved results.

In conclusion, the world’s technological advancements have allowed us all to enjoy an easy, affordable, and luxurious lifestyle.

I finished proof-reading my essay before handing it to my professor.

“It’s a decent essay, well done.” Said my professor.

“If only I actually believed half the words I wrote in that paper. We definitely haven’t achieved world peace.” I said.

“Very true Eddy. Although if you look into world history, violence among nations was much more common than it is now.” He replied.

I was a student attending Northern Berlin University in hopes to broaden my knowledge of astrophysics, and ended up getting stuck in current events instead. As much as I’m good at it, I absolutely hate writing essays on things I don’t follow with, but the ideology of the school requires I follow the same political beliefs of the instructors. Considering my financial state, I may end up having to drop out. Maybe I’ll join the military or something, actually fighting to fix my problems rather than just sitting on my ass and complaining about them. I’m ready for a change of scenery, and I’m not half bad with a gun either.

I left my classroom after handing in my essay, and informed my headmaster of my decision. I had saved most of my money for college while I was doing farm chores in high school. I had over $20 million saved up, and so far I’ve spent $12 million already. Considering that I was denied the course I really wanted to take, on top of the fact that it costs exactly the same as the other courses, I’m not wasting anymore of my hard earned cash. I got in my dorm, and started packing my things. A couple hours into packing, my Mom called me.

“Hello?”

“Hey, how’s school going? Did you get into that physics class you wanted?” She asked.

“No, they just threw me into current events. They didn’t even let me write a report on the actual events happening, just the biased bullshit they call the news.” I said, holding back other various slurs.

“Are you serious? Wow, that’s just absurd, I’m sorry.” She said, trying to ignore my sailor’s tongue.

“Well, I’m gonna drop out and join the military, maybe they’ll actually let me take the course I want.”

“Umm…are you sure? You could be a reporter or something. Just imagine, Eddy Woodsborough, the reporter!” My mom said, concerned for my well being.

“I’ve already spent over half of my savings getting here and enrolling in a class I don’t want to be in, I’m not sitting through this when I have other options.”

“Okay, well good luck.” She replied.

“Thanks, mom.” Click

I hung up the phone and finished packing my things. Once I was finished, I started looking into different military branches. The first option was the UPDA (Urban Public Defense Agency), but nothing ever made me want to be a cop, that and most of that Agency is filled with androids who definitely know my job better than me. The next option was the ADST (Ariel Drop Strike Team), but dropping rapidly from insane heights doesn’t sound fun at all. After that was the HART (Heavy Artillery Response Team). I thought about it, because tanks were definitely bad ass, but at the same time they’re hard to maneuver.

I decided that the military wasn’t for me, so I opted to get a job somewhere and live like a normal citizen for a while. I ended up finding an apartment on the east side of the city. It was a comfortable furnished apartment, with a couch, a bed, and a dining room set. I unpacked my things and set up my TV. I even set up the VR room equipment in an empty room next to the bathroom. After that I changed out of my uniform into something casual. A pair of jeans, a red T-shirt, and a black leather coat. I stepped outside and lit a cigarette. After smoking half of my cigarette, I got a text.

"Hey, It’s been a while hasn’t it?" Samantha texted

"Yeah, I’d say so lol" I replied

"Well shit, how’ve you been?" She responded

"Eh, not too bad, dropped out of college, but other than that I’m doing alright."

"Hey, wait, are you still in Berlin?"

"Yeah, why?"

"OH SWEET! I’m getting ready to go to Club Zeta with Tuck and Jess, you wanna come?"

"Shit, Count me in, I’ll be there in 20"

"Ok, Sounds good lol"

Samantha was a really good friend of mine back in high school. We’ve been friends since 5th grade when I originally came to Berlin. I didn’t get along with any of the students when I was enrolled for 3 months, so it was nice to hear from her again. I finished smoking my cigarette and got in my car. I tapped in the location of Club Zeta and off I went. I watched as the car passed by orange, purple, and red neon lights on the way to the club. The buildings rose to the clouds, and the signs changed the colors of the clouds through-out the city.

It definitely looked like a utopia, but between the terrorist attacks and the rampant crime across the lower portions of the city, it definitely wasn’t. Every few steps you took, you were liable to trip over a homeless man passed out drunk. Every couple blocks held a dark alley which always held something inside, whether it be a drug deal, a public indecency, or a murder.

But it wasn’t all bad, most people had stable jobs and housing, the main reason you didn’t have those things is because you did something to lose them. Whether it be lack of responsibility, or committing a serious crime.

A few miles pass and I finally make it to Club Zeta. Outside waiting for me was Samantha. She was stunning, wearing a nice black dress. Her black hair danced in the wind, and her pale skin reflected the neon lights beautifully. I walked over to her and she ran up to me and hugged me.

“Oh my god, how’ve you been? I haven’t seen you since May!” She yelled, excited to see me.

“I’ve been alright, I dropped out of college, got a new apartment, and I’m already lined up for a job at Beyond Repair. What about you?” I asked, eager to hear how her life was going.

“Not too bad, I got a job at White Gardens after I graduated, been working there for a while,” She said.

Beyond repair is a mechanic company I planned to work at. I was lucky enough to find an apprenticeship position there. It was definitely better than joining the military. White Gardens is a restaurant chain that serves pasta. They have a bar as well, and serve various desserts of which they’re known for.

We walked into the club, and the bass from the speakers hit us immediately. The neon lights inside made the ceiling look like the northern lights. A colorful fog resonated over the back side of the club. An epileptic nightmare of blue, red, green, and purple flooded the club with light. Somehow with everything happening all at once, all I could focus on was Samantha. Her beauty only increased as the lights danced across her pale white skin. We sat down at a smoking lounge booth. We watched in anticipation as the assistant filled the bowl of a bong with purple and green buds.

After a few good bong rips, we all sat back and let the marijuana hit us.

“Fuuuck, this shit hits hard, don’t it?” Said Tucker.

Tucker was another friend of ours in high school. The amount of times I’ve taken his drunk ass home has created a bond that nobody could break except us.

“Fuck yeah bro, I gotta ask the loader what strain that shit is. I’m trying to go home and get absolutely faded.” I said, barely able to open my bloodshot eyes.

“Nothing like smoking with the boys, right my guy?” Tucker said, laughing like a dumb ass.

“Fuck yeah, my guy!” I said, also laughing like a moron.

A few hours pass and we’re at the bar, taking shots of vodka and chasing it with shots of flavored whiskey. We had gotten so cross-faded that we could barely stand by the time they cut us off. We went back and sat at another booth. Samantha and her friend Jessica were sitting across from us.

“Shit, I miss doing this with you guys, college had me fucked up.” I said, barely forming a coherent sentence.

“Hell yeah man, I can barely think straight.” Tucker replied.

"HAHA, when you can't think straight, just think gay!" I said, laughing so hard I was crying.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Everyone busted out laughing. We sat there for a few minutes before Jessica and I decided to switch spots. Not even 2 minutes after we swapped places, Jessica had her tongue down Tucker’s throat. While they were making out, Samantha and I decided to give them some space and we left to go find another booth. To our surprise, our luck struck us dead in our tracks when we found another booth that was completely unoccupied. We sat down next to each other and started a drunk and stoned conversation.

“Shit, I feel so fucked up right now, I can barely see 10 feet in front of me. Like it’s a fucking wavy force field over there” She said, laughing throughout her sentence.

“Yeah, shit’s wavy as fuck right now.” I replied.

We locked eyes for a while. I was ensnared by her beautiful sapphire eyes that glistened like gemstones with the flashing lights. Her sleek black hair trapped the light, changing her hair color with every flash. We stared into each other's eyes, and she asked me...

“Did you ever find a girlfriend while you were in college?”

“No, they were all stuck up and barely spoke to me unless they had to. What about you? You ever get with anybody after that one dude?” I asked.

“No, nobody ever really gave me the attention, I just stayed to myself most of the time and hung out with Jess and Tuck.” She answered, her voice reflecting her loneliness.

We locked eyes again, and she leaned towards me a bit. I leaned toward her and our lips sealed for a moment. She giggled a bit, and she leaned in again. This time our lips locked together, her tongue wrapping around mine. We kissed for what seemed like an eternity that ended too soon. Time seemed to slow down significantly as we embraced each other. Her black lipstick smeared against my lips as she draped her leg over mine.

After a few minutes of speaking french, we stopped and talked for an hour. Sooner than we’d hoped, Jessica and Tucker came stumbling to our booth. Tucker’s face had turned pale and he could barely stand.

“I think we need to get this champ home, he just blew chunks all over the waiter that was bringing us drinks.” She said, laughing maniacally.

“Alright, I’ll take him up to my place, it’s closer and I have plenty of room.” I offered, trying to hold back my own laughter.

“No, I'ms Fine! I can probsably makes it home!” He mumbled, slurring his speech.

“Yeah, no dude. You can barely stand!” I said, right before busting out laughing.

“Okay, I’ll help you get him in the car. Do you mind if I come with you, just to make sure he’s alright?” Jessica asked, ignoring the glare Samantha was giving her.

“WAIT! Let me come too!” Samantha said, almost panicked.

“Okay, okay, holy shit. Just no funny business in the living room!” I said, jokingly.

Me and Jessica helped Tucker to the car, stopping along the way so he could finish losing his dinner. We sat him down in the back seat, and he flopped over like a dead fish, giggling like a schoolgirl. Jessica sat beside him and took a plastic bag off the floor. Me and Samatha got in the front seat and set the location to my apartment. We stopped at a gas station along the way, and got a couple cases of hard lemonades. Eventually, we made it back to my apartment, and helped Tucker up the stairs. I threw the barf bag into the community trash bin, and guided the drunken lovebirds to my pad. Soon after we got inside, Tucker flopped on the couch, and leaned over onto his side. Not even 10 seconds later he was out, and Jessica made herself comfortable next to him.

After leaving a case of the lemonades next to Tucker and Jessica, me and Samantha went up to my room, and we sat outside on the patio for a bit.

“I missed doing this. We’ve had some pretty good times, huh?” I said, finally having sobered up a bit.

“Yeah, I missed you most though. Jess and Tuck are cool and all, but you were always just there for me, you know?” She said,

She scooted next to me, and curled up against me. We sat in silence for a bit, before we locked eyes again. Our lips locked together, our tongues dancing.

Her breath became short, and her face began to blush. We kept this going for a few moments before we went back inside, our bodies never separating. I guided her in her embrace towards my bed. The memory foam mattress formed around us as I laid her down on the bed. We pressed our bodies together, still kissing like it was the last time we’d ever be able to feel each other in this way. My heart was pounding out of my chest, and I could feel her heart beating just as fast between her soft breasts.

We stopped for a moment, and we stared into each other’s eyes for a while. I don’t know why I never noticed it before, but this was the same look she had given me many times before. Sometimes I wondered how things might have gone if we had gotten together sooner. Her sapphire eyes glistened with the moonlight shining into the room. Her beauty was unmatched. I had seen girls more attractive, but something about her made her seem so much more beautiful than the models and pornstars you see surfing the internet. This was someone I really felt a connection with, and I’d never trade this feeling for anything.

We were cut off by the sound of Jessica moaning downstairs. It seemed like Tucker was doing better. We both started giggling before I got up and activated the noise cancellation feature in my bedroom. After everything became quiet again, Me and Samantha continued. She began to slowly take her top off, revealing her black and red velvet bra underneath. Her double D cup breasts fell from her shoulder-less long sleeve shirt, her bra barely able to withstand the weight. She then began taking off her pants. Her legs were white as snow, and shone brightly against the moonlight. After removing my clothes, we embraced each other. With the remaining undergarments, we rubbed against each other. Samantha let out a slight whimper as she was grinding against me.

Soon after, I began to undo her bra. She gasped slightly as her bra fell from her chest, revealing her nipples. She giggled slightly, before sliding downwards towards my pelvis. She pulled my boxers down slightly, and my dick rose like a reversed video of a tree being cut down. She looked at it for a moment, and smiled before stroking it gently. Her hand felt soft, yet firm as it glided up and down. She began to touch the tip to her lips, kissing it softly. Her soft lips began to wrap around my shaft as her tongue circled the tip of my penis.

I had been with other women before, but something about her made it seem like it was my first time again. She stopped, and began to glide back up to meet me face to face. She slid her red velvet panties off, and guided herself onto my hardened dick. She started slowly rising, and then slowly falling back into my pelvis. She moaned slightly, keeping a slow and steady pace. Her facial expression was a mix between enjoyment and concentration. She began to moan a bit louder as she began to speed up, her vagina becoming wetter and wetter as she bounced up and down. Her voice became louder and louder, making my dick twitch with every adorable sound she made. Her pussy began to tighten around my dick as she continued, making it even more enjoyable.

Eventually, I felt her ejaculate, her cum trickling down my waist and soaking my bed sheets. Soon after she came, I felt my dick twitch even harder than before, and I felt the semen rising from my shaft. She lifted herself off of me, and wrapped her mouth around my dick yet again. She choked slightly as I filled her mouth with cum. She giggled a bit before swallowing.

We both got up, and as she walked into the bathroom, I put on my robe and walked out onto the patio. I heard the shower turn on as I lit a cigarette and stood outside for a while. I heard the Maid-bot turn on after the commotion and it began to remove the sheets from my bed, replacing them with clean ones. 30 minutes pass and Samantha meets me outside, wearing another robe I had. She cuddled up next to me, as I stood smoking. She pulled a cigarette from the pack she had, and I lit it for her. She smiled, looked up and kissed me. I finished my cigarette, and left to shower myself. Once I was finished showering, I found her lying on my bed, asleep. I crawled onto the bed, and cuddled with her. I soon found myself falling asleep, the comfort of her deep breathing lulling me into slumber.

I woke up the next morning with a slight headache. I begrudgingly made my way downstairs, and began to make breakfast. As I passed the living room, I noticed Tuck and Jess completely nude, cuddled up on the couch. I threw a blanket over them, and put their now clean clothes next to Tucker. I proceeded to the kitchen, and began making breakfast. I cooked an assortment of eggs, biscuits and gravy, and homemade apple juice. I began to brew a pot of coffee, as Tucker woke up from his sleep.

“Fuck, my head. Ulgh.” He groaned, standing up to change into his clothes. After he had changed, he made his way into the kitchen, and sat at the bar.

“Whatcha making, Eddy?” He asked, his voice sounding like a truck commercial narrator.

“Food,” I answered, passing him a mug of black coffee with a bit of sugar.

I continued making breakfast, and Jessica woke up, got dressed and greeted Tucker with a kiss on the cheek. They giggled, as Tucker went back to drinking his coffee. I managed to medium fry the eggs perfectly, and the biscuits were fluffy and slightly crispy on the outside. The sausage grease added amazing flavor to the white gravy I made. All in all, it was a phenomenal breakfast I was very proud of. As soon as I finished the gravy, Samantha came downstairs. She slowly walked to the dining room and sat down. She looked at me, and smiled.

“How’d you guys sleep?” I asked, preparing the plates.

“Hard.” Tucker said, still waking up.

“Pretty good,” Samantha said, winking at me.

“Like an angel.” replied Jessica, smiling at Tucker.

I placed everyone’s plates in front of them, with a mug of coffee and a freshly made glass of apple juice. We dug in, talking as we ate.

“So how long have you and Jessica been a thing, Tucker?” I asked between bites of biscuit.

“Almost a year now, It’s been quite an adventure.” He said, pounding the eggs I made.

“Yep, so are you and Samantha a thing now?” Jessica said, smiling from ear to ear.

Me and Samantha looked, and giggled a bit. We stayed silent for a moment, Samantha’s cheeks turning as red as an apple. Tucker looked me dead in the eyes, and I watched his facial expression go from hungover and hungry, to awestruck pride.

“I mean, I wouldn’t mind, but we haven’t really talked about it much.” I said, trying not to choke on my eggs.

“I think you’ve already ‘talked’ about it quite a bit!” Tucker said, booming with laughter.

Jessica smacked him in the chest, and he reeled back, still laughing a bit.

“I think you too would make a cute couple.” Jessica said, right after rolling her eyes at Tucker’s remark.

“I think so too, you two seem happy enough when you’re around each other. Hell you should have heard Samantha on the way to Club Zeta.” Tucker said, giggling a bit.

"shh-shut up Tucker!" She said, blushing.

We finished eating breakfast and went into the living room to relax. I looked in the fridge and grabbed a few bottles of water, handing them out to everyone. Tucker proceeded to chug the entire water bottle, and filled it another 3 times before he stopped drinking. He sat back down on the couch, and Jessica began to cuddle up next to him. I sat down on the other side of the couch, and Samantha sat next to me. After a couple hours of watching movies and playing video games, we heard a knock at the door. I stood up to answer the door, and a man wearing a black army uniform greeted me.

“Hello sir, my name is Sergeant Jameson. I’m a UGDF military recruiter. May I come in?” The man said, a feeling of urgency in his voice.

“Sure, come right in.” I said, guiding the sergeant to the living room.

He walked into the room, and took off his hat. He looked at me and Tucker, and he sat down on one of the chairs next to the couch.

“So, what exactly is the UGDF, sir?” I asked, intrigued by his uniform.

“Well, it stands for United Global Defense Force, we’re a space division that focuses on wars in space and on other planets. So far we haven’t had much to do besides fighting in space, but that doesn’t change the work we go into in keeping the planet safe.” The man explained, keeping eye contact at all times.

Me and Tucker sat back a bit. We had no Idea this was even a branch, or at the very least we had spacecrafts capable of fighting each other. I knew I had no interest in the military, but Tucker looked like he was about to jump out of his shoes to join the UGDF.

“You know what? Fuck it. I’ll sign up.” Tucker said, pulling a pen out from his pocket.

“Awesome, I was hoping I could talk you into it. You seem like a tough kind of guy. What’s your name?”

“Tucker Crawford, sir.”

“Fantastic, go ahead and fill out this paperwork, and bring it to the recruiter station. Here’s the address.” Said the sergeant.

The sergeant lifted a strange gauntlet with a touchscreen HUD, and printed out a piece of paper with the address of the UGDF recruiter’s station.

“Whelp, I’ll need to get going, I have a lot of houses to go to. Have a good day, everyone.” The sergeant said, walking out the front door.

“You too.” Me and Tucker said, as we sat back down on the couch.

Jessica gave Tucker a concerned look as he began filling out the paperwork. Tucker focused as his pen scratched onto the paper.

“You’re not seriously considering joining the military, are you?” Jessica said, sounding like she just heard her boyfriend was going to send himself off to die.

“I am, and I will.” Tucker said, focusing on the paperwork.

“But what if you leave and ne-”

“I’ll be fine, Jess. They’ll train me well enough to be able to defend myself. I probably won’t even see any combat. They mostly focus on alien attacks and meteors.” Tucker said, still trying to focus on his paperwork.

“Okay, fine.” Jessica said, before storming out of the apartment and onto the patio.

“Ugh, hang on, we’ll be back inside after a bit.” Tucker said, following Jessica outside.

Me and Samantha looked at each other for a moment. She leaned over and kissed me again before speaking.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind getting with you either.” She said, her face blushing a bit.

“Okay, well how about we meet up again in a few days? Maybe we could go to the movies, or go to that new Italian place that just opened down the street.” I asked, thinking about how things might go in the near future.

“Yeah, sounds good. What time?” She asked, smiling.

“6:30 on Saturday?” I asked.

“Sure! I’ll let you know if I can make it!” She replied, her smile becoming even bigger.

We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in my living room with Tucker and Jessica. The Evening came quickly, and both Tucker and Jessica went home. Samantha was hesitant to leave, but took notice of the fact that she had work and classes in the morning. We said our goodbyes, and I went into the back yard with a cigarette. As I looked up, watching the planes and space shuttles fly across the night sky, I couldn’t help but ponder. With how big the galaxy is, are we really alone? And if not, how far away could life beyond earth really be?