The cities were normal. Advanced, but normal.

The promises of the future had finally come, with all of the baggage that comes with advancement and progression.

The issues were all there, though. Those never left.

Political. Social. Economic. Racial. Sexual. Religion. Climate.

Rumors of wars. Famine. Blight. Disease.

And then the rumors became true.

Orion saw it...his brain went through all of it. Every memory and thought. Those pods. Those capsules.

His nightmare made him stir. The Demon Lord and the fallen and the clothes. That was not the worst thing he had seen.

No, that was before. And then after. In the rebuild. That is when the really horrific things came out.

The dead were lucky. Blessed.

Orion then sees The Scientist, but all is blurred. Then the paper. On the wall. It came into focus.

Then, the aircraft carrier.

The small room.

He had turned and looked in.

Pods. Broken pods.

Orion sat up, cold sweat.

He looked around. No, not his hut.

The sky was starting to lighten already. Should've already been packed by now.

He turns.

Memphis is still asleep. Howl is snoring. Ran's back is turned away, but he can't tell if she is out.

Cole. Where is Cole?

GOOD MORNING, ORION

The menu tried to load, but Orion whisked it away to the corner. No need to look at it.

Orion stood and made his way through the jungle with hustle, looking for Cole.

Soon, he found Cole on the other side of the small island, staring out, standing at the shoreline.

Orion slowly approaches.

"We need to get going," Cole says once he feels Orion's presence. His voice reveals he hadn't slept at all.

Orion nods.

The sea is peaceful.

And the sky? Oh, magnificent. It does not look natural, but the atomic atmosphere with the sun starting to breaking through it over the deep waters is something.

"The pod. The capsule? Whatever it is. There was rumors and plans of that before it all went down. Especially when we lost the climate war. Plans to keep humanity going. There are crashed arks and ships everywhere. All with some different way forward. Everyone thought they knew how to start again," Orion says.

Cole looks at him. "And?"

"I found a room of canisters like you were in. In the ship," Orion states. "I connected it all last night. You were a sailor. You were probably in that very ship. Or one like it. Broke out somehow. Survived. The fallen are going to try to use that ship for it's atomic resources. Another bomb? Another wave of fallen? I duno. But there are canisters there. I know it now."

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Cole nods, not surprised or shocked by all of the developments. "I had this memory. Or a dream. Or something I made up. It was brief. But the fallen attacked. And I got out. Orion, people like me could still be on that ship. And they could be alive. And the fallen might not have found them yet."

Orion nods. "Well, let's get going sailor."

Orion and Cole start making their way back to camp as the sky lights up more.

Ran and Howl and Memphis are awake now.

"Ran, darling, I am in charge of real estate on our island," Howl says in the middle of his pitch. "It is time for an upgrade. On our island. I got a perfect lot for you."

Ran thinks about it.

"Done."

Howl stops.

"Really?!"

"Yes. You are packing my things. Both of you," Ran says. Memphis salutes her and starts working.

"My first sale, mate! My first sale!" Howl says, running up to Orion and pounding on his chest, then going back to the camp.

"He's harmless," Orion says to Ran as he starts picking up his things. "Kind of."

Ran nods, but the fake cheery vibe is not doing it for her. She stares at Orion and then at Cole.

"Are you sure you guys want to go?" Ran asks.

"We have to. I'm from there. Maybe. There are others," Cole states, not looking at her directly. "And you all need to get out of here. Immediately."

"Working on it," Memphis mumbles. "To The Abode we go."

"You got a boat, yeah?" Orion asks Ran, doing a final gear check. "We might not, uh...we might take a minute."

She nods.

Orion nods back and winks, then turns and walks out of the camp.

Cole follows.

Howl watches. "No goodbye?"

"No goodbye," Orion says back.

Howl shrugs and goes back to work.

Ran finally takes off after them.

Orion and Cole are halfway to the boat on the shore when Ran calls after Cole.

He turns and she runs up to him.

Emotions run high again from both. Hands almost go up, but go down, then awkwardly fidget.

"Ran, thank you for taking care of me. For everything. I'm sorry I can't remember it. I'm sure it was good." Cole then smiles.

Ran smiles back. "It was."

The two embrace in a strange, friend, brother and sister type way, then release.

Ran then turns to Orion.

"I want you off this island in the next hour," Orion says. He then smiles at Ran.

She nods.

The two men jump into the boat and take off into the sea.

Ran watches them ride away, putting a hand over her eyes and her burnt skin.

Howl soon comes out from the jungle.

"How much you taking?!"

"As much as we can. I'm not coming back here. Ever."

Ran then turns to Howl.

"Do you have more ships like that? At your island?"

"That's the one thing we have plenty of, love."

"And Captain Homestead. Do you know where his ship is?"

"Over yonder," Howl points across the sea. "Why?"

"We might need them. All of them," Ran says, then storms her way back to her camp.

Orion's boat bounces across the sea, as the it drives past small broken islands and strange large ships and arks and pieces of humanity.

Cole is silent, staring ahead.

"Want to talk about it?" Orion finally asks.

"Her? No."

"I didn't say anything about her. I said it. Like any of it."

"I don't think so. We'll see when we get back to the ship."

"Fine."

Cole goes quiet. Then turns.

"Had you seen her before? Getting provisions?"

"I thought you said you didn't want to talk about it?!"

"I'm talking about her!"

"Fine. Maybe. I don't really recall. Probably once or twice. I'm sorry you missed her. But it wouldn't have mattered."

"I'm glad I don't remember," Cole states. "I don't want to remember what I lost."

Orion sometimes wishes the same for him.