Chapter 1

Sparks burst from lights, and a loud groan echoed through the corridors of the bunker. It was under attack.

Air rushed from a port on a control panel, and a probe disconnected from its place. The probe hovered around, taking in the surroundings, before a projection flickered to life in front of it.

Colorful light danced around the outline of my catlike form until I was fully projected. I stepped forward, swished my orange tail experimentally, and took another glance around, letting the weight of the situation sink in.

“The bunker!” I rotated my probe and reconnected into my port, downloading information. “Come on! Faster!” I nervously watched large numbers fly by on the panel. Almost there!

The lights flickered out suddenly, and the room plunged into darkness.

“No!” I can’t finish uploading!

I glanced around, brightened my projection so I could see clearly, and hurried to the reserve power switch. I pulled the lever downward, and red lights turned on.

A robotic voice sounded, “POWER RESERVE LOW!”

“Shoot!” Lashing my tail, I ran toward a ladder and climbed down a level, turning around and facing the cryotubes. “Oh no.”

Another rumble echoed through the facility, and rocks rained down on the glass tubes in front of me. I hurried to the first tub to check its vitals.

“No, no, no!” I slammed my fist on the pulsing red screen as I read critical condition. “The power reserves must not have enough power to keep the cryotubes stable!” My projection briefly flickered in my frustration, and I attempted to brush the dust off of the thick glass. The person inside, a scruffy brown canine, I knew all too well.

I gasped in horror as I recognized him. No! He can’t die! I gazed into the hazy cryotube, helpless and devastated, as my creator faded out of this world.

I stumbled backward, took one last look around the crumbling room, and dashed back to the ladder. I can’t save any of them. I turned off my projection to move quicker.

The probe popped out of the shaft narrowly before it collapsed, small rocks bouncing off of its scratched white top.

It took a quick spin around and pulled a large switch, causing the blast door or the bunker to slowly creak open, it watched in contemplation as the ancient door creaked open, grinding away against hundreds of years of rust and wear. The door stopped short of opening and the probe shifted through the large crack, into the light of day.