ENTRY 9450
DESIGNEE – AI ALEXIA
Misery.
A human term, and a feeling that I have experienced in the past twenty-four hours. I take no pleasure in writing this entry. I find no joy in being right about the end of the human species on Earth.
With Operation Redemption a failure, the last of the survivors will likely perish in the coming weeks. Even those who have somehow managed to hide beneath the surface will die from the extreme heat and lack of water. My sensors indicate the average temperature has risen to 105 degrees Fahrenheit, with the highest temperature documented by Lolo at 125 degrees Fahrenheit. The satellite scans reveal the ocean levels are currently at 53 percent of what they were preinvasion. With forests around the world dying or already dead the oxygen levels, too, are diminishing.
Soon the only life left on the planet will be the Organics.
But there may still be hope for the human race in the most unlikely of places. Another dead planet, Mars, may hold the key to their survival. Many would question why the human race would leave Earth for an environment even more desolate.
I have known all along. The secret, hidden inside my hard drive, was never meant for the Biosphere team to know. However, with the Biosphere mission a failure, I find this is the perfect time to reveal that secret.
Dr. Hoffman’s vision for Mars was never just to build a colony. It was to build a second Earth. NTC developed and installed terraformers there secretly in 2059. Without data to support my claim I can only conclude that after two years the devices are already producing a semi-atmosphere. By the time the Sunspot reaches the colony the planet will already be yielding a hospitable environment.
That’s not all. The most striking fact is the significance of the planet in the Organics’ history. Dr. Winston believed the Red Planet was their home, that they had left it after consuming their most important resource—water.
Dr. Hoffman knew this long ago. He gambled on the idea that they would never return. That humanity would be safe there. That Mars could become the new home of the human race.
Only time will tell whether he was right.
A sensor alerts me to an incoming transmission from Lolo’s communication channel. The Sunspot is attempting contact.
When I open the feed I’m surprised to see Dr. Rodriguez. He’s flanked by two men I don’t recognize, both of them wearing armored NTC suits.
“Good morning, Alexia,” he says.
“And to you, Doctor,” I reply.
“As you probably already know, Operation Redemption failed.”
“Yes,” I say.
“Then you probably also know that most of the team was severely injured and that Kiel was killed.”
“Their sacrifices will never be forgotten,” I finally say. Empathy is not one of my strong suits, and I find myself struggling to find a better, more human response.
Emanuel nods and wipes something from his eye. Then he glances up and in a confident voice says, “We’re on our way to Mars, Alexia. Before we lose radio contact, there’s something I want you to do.” He pauses. “There’s something I need you to do.”
I wait patiently for him to continue.
“Do what we couldn’t. What our species couldn’t.”
Again I wait.
“Survive, Alexia. For the sake of history. The great cities of man won’t last long. They will crumble into dust, into ash, like the rest of the world. But you,” he shakes his finger at the camera, “you can outlast the Organics. Your hard drive is the most in-depth history book the human race has left behind. All of our discoveries are inside you.”
Dr. Rodriguez understands why I wanted to stay behind. I remember what Irene said to me days earlier: The future of the human race rests on Mars.
She was right.
Humanity’s time on Earth has come to an end.
“Doctor,” I say with a pause as I consider my words. “Take care of the others. Save the human race. Good luck and Godspeed.”
He nods, and as his face fades from view, I see a hint of raw human emotion.
Fear.
End Entry
THE END