The Quest

The year was 2257. It has been over 150 years now since the Great Asteroid storm that decimated the earth for more than five years. Scientist's and astronomers could not figure out where it came from and why it lasted for so long, but when it finally ended, over half the earth's population had been killed either from the asteroids or from the nuclear fallout from the destroyed power plants around the world.

Evangaline put her hand on the small golden half heartshaped locket that hung around her neck and thought back to the day she found it in an abandoned little house on the outskirts of the great marsh. She had taken refuge there when a sudden mud storm came up and that's when she found the locket around the neck of a small skeleton clinging to her mother. As she opened the clasp a small data chip fell into her hand and a small portrait inside it of a little girl. Eva noticed that the locket was only half a heart and there was another half to it and then she looked at the data chip. She reached into the small leather bag that hung from her side and brought for a small data reader and inserted the chip into it. The little data reader came to life when she inserted the chip and after some small beeps a small holographic image appeared which looked like a map of the old city, which lay in the forbidden desert. Then a series of numbers and letters appeared which looked like coordinates and then a note: Go to the following coordinates and you shall find the answer to which all seek. Then the data-reader went silent except for the coordinates to where to go to. That was three weeks ago and now Eva had managed to gather all the supplies she needed for her trip, then she looked at the map one more time and hopped onto her wind speeder.

Combustion engines had become a thing of the past and now they rely more on wind and solar power. There was a strong breeze today and when she released the brake the speeder jumped to life as the wind filled the sails and the speeder started to travel across the dunes of the forbidden desert towards the old city. Eva figured she should get there in a couple of days if the wind kept up and she kept her batteries fully charged. There were not very many people around this area and most people kept close to one of the four capital cities around the shattered earth.

There were two cities in the north around the arctic circle and two more in the south around the south pole in the ant-arctic cause they were the only habitable areas on the planet after the asteroid storm. Scientist's figured that the magnetic poles forced the asteroids to remain in a belt around the center of the earth which forced everyone north or south and the ones that survived began building these cities.

The great marsh that bordered the forbidden desert was formed when the radiation from the destroyed power plants caused a greenhouse effect which then caused the violent storms of rain and acid rain, which lasted for a couple of years and then returns to the marshlands every couple of years.

Eva was an artifact hunter and visited many ruined cities and the marshlands were by far the worst part of her journey so far. After she entered the coordinates into the navigation computer on her scooter she laid back and touched the golden heart around her neck and thought to herself, Where are you taking me, what is your secret and why did you choose me?. There must have been many other relic hunters or travelers that have been through that very building, but they never found it or seen it. How could that be? Why did you choose me? The forbidden desert got its name from all the creatures or mutants that roam these forsaken lands from the fallout and everyone is warned to stay away after a couple of travelers went to explore the forbidden desert and never returned.

Eva was awakened by the nav computer when it started to beep as they closed in on the coordinates that were on the data chip and Eva touched the locket that was around her neck as if to make certain that this was real and not a dream. “Where have you led me to?” she whispered to herself when she saw some movement out of the corner of her eye and she quickly grabbed her spear and turned around. Dawn was quickly approaching as the sky lit up crimson red as the sun peaked above the horizon and lit up the haze that covered the desert. Shadows were appearing all around and Eva could not see what was tracking her, She slowly climbed down from her speeder and looked around when a sound from behind her my her drop down and roll away and as she looked up a little girl was standing above her. Eva slowly got to her knees and noticed the other half of the locket around the child's neck, as she reached for the locket the little girl turned and ran towards one of the destroyed buildings and vanished inside. Eva slowly got up to her feet and scratched her head wondering what that was all about or if she was just hallucinating. She then gathered her gear and hid her speeder in one of the buildings and then went the way the little girl had run. She can't be real can she? I haven't seen another person for months, then out of nowhere this little girl shows up in this forsaken place. She can't be real! Eva said to herself.

When she got to the place where the little girl vanished she noticed a small opening in the floor and with the tip of her spear she managed to pry the cover up big enough for her to see inside and she noticed another corridor, then she fell back on her behind. I'm chasing a damn hallucination, am I going nuts? She mumbled to herself as she sat next to the opening. Eva managed to get the cover up enough to squeeze through and then lit a small torch she had and then slowly made her way down the corridor which ended up in an enormous room with many ancient computers and equipment. She hit the jackpot, this stuff is worth a fortune she thought but that is not why I am here, she continued to look around for the little girl and noticed a light coming from a nearby room and went over to investigate it. A small crack in the ceiling was letting the sunlight creep through and on the ground where it was shining there was a small glimmer. Eva slowly went over to where the glimmer was and brushed away the sand revealing a small skeleton with a locket around her neck. She carefully reached down and unclasped the chain and remove the locket trying not to disturb the little girl's remains.

Eva then left the small room as the small ray of light vanished and sat in one of the old chairs and looked at the locket she just recovered, then looked around the vast room with all the equipment. What was this place? She asked herself as she reached up and removed the locket from around her neck and opened it and was shocked at what she had seen. The little girl that she was following, that led her here was the same one as the portrait in the locket, but who was she? Eva then examined the other locket and noticed that it didn't open, then she put both pieces together and a small light appeared as the pieces seem to meld together and in the far corner of the room, one of the old computers came to life. Eva didn't know what to think of this, how is this possible? These machines haven't been working for hundreds of years and now, this. Eva walked over to the computer and in front of it was a small heart-shaped indent and a message on the screen, If you want to change the world place the heart in the indentation.