I rose from the ashes...

The year is 2088, 80 years ago I saved Manhattan but you won't find me as a hero in your history books. They called me a killer, a monster, a terrorist... I was all of those things... Now I don't know what I am.

[sagethedreamer]

"Ah, such fun ages." She smiled and followed him to his home. "I am sure I can handle it. I am fairly good with children. And I am not that much older than them, so I’m sure we will get along."

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

"How old are you?" He asked. When they reached the old apartment building he pushed open the lobby door for her. Keys weren't required to get in, the lock had been busted for years. "We're on the top floor." One of the only rooms without holes in the ceiling or floors, but this building was surprisingly one of the better in the area.

[lightsabersandkatanas]

"Hopefully for years and years. I think the only way I'll be relaxed is if when you do space travel, you'll be careful with other planets..." Star said hopefully.

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

Alex rolled his shoulders. "If I'm still around I'll be sure to keep them in line."

[lightsabersandkatanas]

Star sighed. “I’m actually worried too… My home is a forest, but on a different planet. Judging by how this place looks? I’m worried what will happen when people here try to find a new home planet…” He said worriedly, looking to Alex sadly.

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

"Don't worry. We're in no shape for space travel. Or any kind of travel for that matter." He glanced pointedly at a ruined taxi, flipped on it's back with the windows blown out and scorch marks. "Your planet is safe for another day."

[sagethedreamer]

"You have daughters?" She smiled. "I love children. How old are they?" She asked, starting to feel a bit better. "I will enjoy getting to meet them."

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

Alex nodded. "I have two. Dabria's thirteen and Kyree's eleven." He turned and started walking in the direction of home. "They might test you a little, but they're harmless."

[lightsabersandkatanas]

"Well, then, hopefully they notice that nearly the whole entirety of the earths oxygen comes from that part. If they manage to take it down, then we should start to worry for this place." Star sighed. "But that’s a long ways off."

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

Idly, Alex wondered if he would live long enough to see that. He hoped not. "I've been worried for a while." He sighs.

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

Alex startles at first, flinching away from the contact with uncertainty. "Uhm. Hello-" His eyes widen a fraction at the familiar face. His face. "Oh. Well this is strange."

[sagethedreamer]

She looked at him, taking the tissue and wiping her eyes. She uttered a soft thank you to him and managed a small smile. “Really? That’s very kind of you. I will try not to be a burden to you.”

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

"The girls and I are used to visitors. It's alright." He put the pack of tissues back in his pocket and offered a smile. "They will enjoy having another girl in the house, I'm sure."

[lightsabersandkatanas]

"Yes. And I’d probably be using a gas mask." Star sighed. "But I did hear that one part on the earth has a humongous forest. As long as that forest still stands, this planet should be okay…" He said looking around again.

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

Alex cocked his head. "You mean the Taiga? It took considerable damage along with everything else. Thankfully it's hard to put a dent in something that massive."

[sagethedreamer]

She felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. She lost everything. She had no idea what she was going to do. “It..it’s all gone..” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I have nothing… No where to go…” She buried her face in her hands and began to cry.

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

Unfortunately, Alex was used to this. He pulled a travel pack of tissues out of his pocket, a seemingly simple thing that was actually hard to come by after the war. He handed one to Sage. "It's alright. There are shelters for this very reason." He said calmly. "You can stay with me until we get you set up somewhere. It's going to be okay."

[sagethedreamer]

She walked with him, heading to the apartment complex she was staying in. They turned the corner and Sage gasped at the sight, stopping in her tracks. “My apartment!” She cried. The entire complex had been burned to the ground.

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

Alex came to a stop beside her, sparing a glance at the rubble. He was familiar with the area, having helped remove the remains of the dead to return them to their families. Everything of value had been stripped away by thieves and vandals. He looked at Sage. "I'm sorry." He said quietly.

[lightsabersandkatanas]

"Of course. Nature adapts when it needs too. I've seen whole buildings of metal reclaimed by a forest nearby." Star smiled lightly. "Nature is pretty amazing when it reclaims what was it's own." He sighed.

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

Alex turned his head to look at the ruins of New York. You couldn't even identify what it once was. Everything looked the same in devastation. "It is amazing what nature is capable of. We're lucky it wasn't completely wiped out or we'd be done for."

[rebornhivemother]

She couldn’t help but laugh, “You got banned?! How does that even happen?” she asked, shaking her head lightly, “Violet’s never done anything too bad, just gnawed on stuff. She’s probably teething, so I guess it’s to be expected.” she said, smiling softly.

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

Alex chuckled. "It involves opening every box of cereal and dumping it on the floor to get the prizes." He gave his head a small shake at the memory. "Your baby girl sounds like a joy. I hope she continues not to be a trouble maker once she learns how to walk."

[blatantvirucide-a]

Judging by her reaction, she did sneak out. He looked around. The area was familiar enough. Albeit he noted small changes, Alex knew Manhattan like the back of his hand.

The main issue was that he wasn’t in Kansas anymore. It wasn’t his city. What had been the Red Zone had become something of a memorial sight after the infection was cleared, along with small parts of the Yellow Zone. Then they build up around it. What he saw here was signs of development that had been knocked down again, like kid’s building blocks. By what was the question.

Either way, it was obviously his other’s version of the city, whatever that amounted to. Alex sighed, running his hand over his face. He came to visit Dana and her grave might not even be there.

His gaze flickered back to the girl. Mad? Alex scoffed, feeling no real sympathy. ‘You should have thought of that before sneaking out, idiot.’ He rolled his eyes. It was clear that she’d gotten lost. If his other was out looking for her, which he probably was, Alex doubted it would take him very long to find them. He supposed he could keep the girl out of trouble until then.

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

She flinched at the insult. "I did think of it! I didn't exactly plan on getting lost. You have a real stick up your butt." She huffed and folded her arms over her chest, suddenly finding the ground very interesting to stare at.

There was something bothering him, she noticed. Alex was always telling her she was a gifted empath, but she knew there was nothing paranormal about it. People were just easy to read sometimes, like open books. They seemed almost lost in their own world, and Dabria could relate to that so closely it made her ache.

After a pregnant pause she finally found the courage to speak. "What are you doing here? Really."

[sagethedreamer]

She sighed. “Very well. If I get sick I will see someone.” She lied. Honestly, she’d rather die than have someone find out about her. “We’re near my home. Will you walk me there?”

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

He could tell she was lying, but he said nothing. There was only so much he could do. Alex nodded and looked straight ahead. "Of course."

[lightsabersandkatanas]

"Yeah. I know of another place that was green and everything. But then got destroyed through war." He sighed. Star looked at him and smiled lightly. "I actually came from a forest. And I've seen an area cover in metal, and already the plants have started to take it back."

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

"It's tragic to see something so remarkable reduced to ash." Alex murmured, more to himself. The Bible phrase rang out in his head. Earth to Earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, in certain hope of resurrection. It was something the most desperate in the population chanted out in the streets when times got hard. "Nature is reclaiming a few places. The radiation doesn't bother some of the plants, fortunately."

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

OvO

[lightsabersandkatanas]

"Oh… Well, hopefully this place will clear up. Everything does eventually." Star shrugged lightly, looking up for a few seconds.

[radioactive-mercer-blog]

"It's expected to return to normal in about a hundred years." Alex said sadly. "Radiation sticks around. Fortunately there are safe places around, and at least the world learned a valuable lesson from all this war. Greed and power are a dangerous thing. It's just a shame so many had to die for it to be taught, and our planet suffered greatly from the destruction." Alex sighed and watched Star. "What's it like where you came from?"