A World Reborn

But why did you go there in the first place?" She asked, looking quite shaken. "You do know that part of town is under quarantine, right? What would you have done, had one of those things been able to get a hold of you?" Jessica shook her head, running her hand through her blonde bangs. "Honestly, Kalvin, sometimes I think you're out looking for an excuse to get sent to prison for tampering."

"Yeah, but they aren't 'things' as you put it. They're still animals, which are part of nature. What's become of it, anyway," Kalvin replied, placing a hand behind his head, nervously. "I went out there to get more supplies that'll hopefully keep us alive for another couple weeks, or at least, until the next shipment comes in." He held up a restricting hand. "Before you say anything, yes, I checked to make sure everything was still intact before taking it. I also visited with Bailey, and she was able to get me a few more things that'll come in handy."

Bailey was a hermit that lived in a heavily fortified bunker five miles south of the nearest city.

It'd been forty years since the end of World War 3, but there were a lot of changes in the planet, mainly in the form of governments, wildlife, and the ecosystem all together. Since the war had been fought primarily with nuclear and biological weapons, it should've been safe to say neither side won, since about seventy percent of the planet's surface had become similar to Chernobyl in the form of a radioactive wasteland.

The parts that weren't affected by the fallout were protected using state-of-the-art bio domes, which allowed some of humanity to continue to thrive on the surface. These were powered using both solar and wind energy; more wind than solar since the sun had been blocked from the sky until only recently; that is about four months into 2099.

However, the vast majority of humans were forced to retreat to the subterranean city scape, just as it was completed in the winter of 2062. The only way to travel beyond the tunnels was with the aid of hazmat suits, which could only be acquired by trading something of importance on the black market. Money was of little use other than to burn for heat on the cold nights, and the coins had been melted to produce other metal items such as jewelry or cans for food storage.

This was all part of the new government's way of separating the rich from the poor. Emperor Ronaldo made it law that the poor could not associate themselves with those that dwelled on the surface, but each month a small shipment of supplies would be handed out for those less fortunate, such as the elderly, and those who met special qualifications.

Unfortunately, that meant we had to renounce our dependence on the elements for things such as energy. Yet, it was still possible with the construction of water wheels, set up in the few underground waterways available, that electricity could still be produced.

Since then, as the radiation continued to wreak havoc on the global wildlife and nature in general, many new and frightening creatures began to appear.

A special branch was created in the military to both combat and study these creatures as they began to spread throughout the world. Kalvin had applied numerous times to be a part of the crew for studying but was rejected each time due to his limited experience and training. He also wanted to use the status to move out of the tunnels and into the domes, where he hoped he could live a more productive life. He'd lived all twenty-two years of his life underground, so every opportunity to venture to the surface, once he'd learned about it, he was anxious to take.

"All right, let's see what you've got." Jessica said, motioning for him to remove his backpack. "We're running low on the essentials."

The currency of the world had become crypto coins, and therefore caused physical money to become obsolete, which also resulted in the destruction of the physical market. Items were no longer bought and sold, but rather material was sold and products were created with the aid of the newest technology: the 3-D printer.

The best way to create anything one desired was through the art of the 3-D printer. No longer were people forced to rely on others to create their goods for them, but every home had at least two printers for any need imaginable. Three-dimensional printing had become all the rage, when all a person had to do was pay for the materials required and within two and a-half hours their product was ready for use. This shut down practically all brick and mortar stores.

Once the tech became mainstream, people began looting store shelves for any and everything that would assist their survival; most going for worthless items that became doorstops once the nukes began falling.

He quickly did so, emptying its contents onto the kitchen counter for Jessica to inspect. Among the items gathered were candles, aspirin, flashlights, notebooks and pens, as well as various canned food items.

"Oh, wait," Kalvin said, taking hold of the notebooks and pens. "Those I took for myself; you know, have to be able to take notes during expeditions."

"Was this all that remained on the shelves?" Jessica shrugged. "I was kind of hoping for something more useful."

Kalvin reached behind the door to reveal a factory sealed box containing the latest model 3-D printer. "I think we'll be just fine," he said. "You can thank Bailey later."