Keep your head down

Posted on Sun Jun 20th, 2021 @ 3:59pm by Avalon [ADMIN NPC] & Sarah Jones

Mission: Season 5: Episode 2: Operation Save Humanity
Location: New Canaan
Timeline: MD5 late afternoon
515 words - 1 OF Standard Post Measure

Sarah silently walked through the market on her way home from her boring job at the local weather service. All she did there was map weather patterns and give the information to her boss. Who took the glory, such as it was.

She had purchased her dinner for the night. And carried it in a shoulder bag. She had extra as she always did. She often left extra food in specialised locations for those less fortunate. It was illegal to do so, she knew but she could not help herself. For generations her family had stood in silence, while the Green adages were spewed about and ramped up. Her family, her great-great-great grandfather had been the pilot of the sleeper ship. Ever since, every member of the family bore his name in some form. Miles Edward Jones. Her own name, Sarah Millie Jones was like several other members over the years.

Unlike others of her generation, she had yet to marry and bare children. She did not want to live here. She was 25 and wanted off this rock, out of this city. But she, like her family, played the game, they mouthed the right words, they made sure to limit their contact with others and they were very careful about who they mated with. Her home, now occupied by just herself after her parents had passed the year before, was on the outskirts of the city. Moving from the market place she considered what her screens had shown her that day. A new object in orbit around their world.

But even her boss had been unable to get further information on who or what it was. Classified. And her computer had been seized. Much to her boss's dismay. But it would be back tomorrow, for sure. They would wipe the hard drive and send it back, and she would have to spend the day reformatting it and reinstalling the required tracking software. Which means she would not paid in ration cards for the lost hours. She had to bite back the curses that built up inside her.

She paused and looked around as she came to an alley near the edge of the city. No one around so she carefully pretended to put rubbish in a can instead she left a package behind it and dusted her hands as if cleaning her hands and then she headed on towards the house. It took her another 5 minutes to make it to her home.

Sarah unlocked the door and entered. Silence. It took her a few minutes to check the house and make sure it was secure and then she headed into her kitchen to make her dinner. After she had eaten she sat on the back porch and watched the night sky. She wondered what was up there and if, if she would get to see it. She hoped so. Maybe, if they were aliens, they would take people away, hell she would volunteer for it!

A while after night fell, she made her way to her bed and closed her eyes. Tomorrow, was another day.