Author's Notes: Just a fair warning, for a while this story will contain only human OC characters (*le gasp* the horror!). I know that's a deterring factor for many readers, but I promise you they won't be OC's for the entire story as they will soon become... not OCs? I'm sorry that's vague, but I don't want to give anything away. However, I will say that if you're looking for a story about any popular and/or major characters, this is not the story for you. Once canon characters do come into this story, they're not necessarily the ones people usually write about. To give you a hint for what's coming, this is an origin story. Although this story is primarily AU, it's a bit of a mix between the G1 and Aligned, and maybe Movie, universes.

I hope I didn't scare very many people away! All I ask is you give the story a chance. Get to know the characters and maybe you'll be able to guess what's coming for them. I promise it's exciting! At least, I'm excited about it, and Nova seems to be too (we've spent many hours talking about the characters in this story). Which reminds me, thank you Nova for, as always, helping me develop this story and nagging me (in a good way ;) ) to keep working on it! It wouldn't be what is is without you!

It was a cold night, the skies were clear and the stars pulsed in the inky sky. A young boy, no older than thirteen years of age, sat on the dewy grass that covered a hill and, with his head tilted back, gazed at the twinkling quilt so far above him. It was hard to find a place on Earth nowadays where you could see the stars at night, what with the light pollution from the cities that now blanketed the Earth. This particular spot was actually surrounded by development, but was just far enough away from urban areas to allow a little light from the stars to penetrate the atmosphere.

He always enjoyed watching the stars. His favorite thing about them was that they were always the same, especially in recent years; they were the only stable thing in this world now. It was the month of February in the year 2052, and the Earth was slowly falling into disarray. Resources were running dry, and while most governments had developed alternative fuel sources, companies that dealt with oil were unwilling to give up the commodity. Automobile manufactures refused to develop vehicles that ran off of anything other than gasoline, and as a result oil reserves were quickly being used up. The reserve in Alaska had finally been tapped into years ago, but America had been unwilling to share the resource with countries other than the major ones it traded with, and the rising demand for oil had quickly drained even Alaska of the commodity. Now countries refused to trade precious resources with each other and numerous skirmishes had broken out all over the globe. However one resource, nuclear power, was now used globally, and most countries were putting it into missiles and threatening to let them loose on their rivals. Tensions between the countries of the world were at an all-time high, and things didn't look like they were getting better anytime soon.

As the world crumbled around him it was always neat to look up at the night sky and see the familiar stars shining down. The boy was thankful it was a clear night, because this would be his last opportunity to see the stars from Earth. After tomorrow, everything will be different for him.

"Enjoying the view?" a voice came suddenly from behind the boy.

He jumped, having been so engrossed in his star gazing that he hadn't even noticed the figure of his father approaching. "Yes, they're very pretty tonight," he responded.

"Mmm," the man agreed, staring into the night sky as well. "It is remarkable," he said after a moment, "that those twinkling lights way up there are actually giant suns that existed billions of years ago."

"Yes I know."

"Because the light takes so many years to get to us," the man rambled on, "what we see in the night sky aren't stars that exist now in the present, but stars that existed in the past."

"Yes I know, Dad."

"I've always wanted to go there. To be able to see those stars with my own eyes, existing before our planet was even born. I always thought, 'there must be a way to get to them, during the time that they existed; to see in person the stars that we see every night in the sky.' That's how I came up with my theory of time travel, you know?"

The boy sighed. He did think his father's time travel theory was cool and all, but this was his favorite anecdote to tell people and the man grabbed at every chance to tell it again. This must be about the tenth time the boy's heard it.

"Sure, traveling into the future is easy. We do it all the time as we age, and because moving at fast speeds slows down the rate at which time moves forward for the traveler, time around that person is actually increasing at a faster rate. Therefore, my son, traveling at speeds very close to light speed causes you to travel significantly farther into the future, without you aging nearly as fast as your surroundings."

The man paused, savoring the concept. His son sat, knees drawn up, with his chin in his arms, not really listening but remaining respectfully quiet. "But to travel at light speed would allow you to travel into the past," the father continued. "Traveling at light speed causes time to reverse around you, because you are going so fast that you happen before time does. It's like when an aircraft travels at the speed of sound; to a bystander the image of the plane goes by first, and then the sound, but by the time the bystander hears the sound of the engine the plane is already gone. You see, the plane happened before the sound; when the bystander hears the sound, the image of the plane is already in the past."

The boy sighed. That was his father's favorite analogy.

"It is amazing," the man finished with a sigh, clearly awe-struck by his own ideas. He gazed into the sky for another moment before snapping out of his reverie. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I have everything packed."

"And you've said goodbye to all of your friends?"

The boy sat in silence for a moment. "Yes," he said. He was excited for the trip to come, but sometimes it was hard to grasp the concept that he was letting go of everything he knew on this planet, for tomorrow he and his father were boarding a ship, an ark, to take them away from this ravaged planet. Things were so bad on Earth that there was almost no hope left for it. This ship that was leaving Earth tomorrow was the last hope.

"Well then, we should get to bed. There's still some time to get some sleep before the big day tomorrow."

The boy stood and together the pair walked to the house that stood not too far away. The large, luxurious home his father had bought after becoming a big time, well-renowned scientist. The house the two were going to have to say goodbye to forever tomorrow.

o~o~o

The next day found the father and son driving away from their vacation house, to the location where they were going to leave Earth forever. It was 4:00 AM, and they had stopped by a fast food restaurant to get their breakfast.

"Probably the last fast food you'll ever eat!' The father said enthusiastically behind the wheel as his son ate a sausage. The boy stopped for a moment, looking at his food. The next bite he took slowly, careful to savor the greasy flavors in his mouth.

"Hey dad, can I see the paper with all the crew members? You said you had it right?"

"Sure," the man said and passed over a manila folder. "It's in there somewhere."

The boy shuffled through the papers until he found the one he desired. He pulled it out and examined it as he drank his cranberry juice. It was really a series of papers stapled together, listing all the crew members that were going to be on the ship in descending order of status, starting with the Captain. Each entry had a picture, and a description of the subject's occupation. The boy looked through until he found his father; the image of his smiling, bearded face next to his name: "Dr. Adam Trío," and with the description: "Science Officer" below that. Next down on the list was an image of his father's colleague: Victor Borske, the man who had helped develop the ship's revolutionary engine based on Adam's theories and concepts. The boy then looked over each person, reading about those that interested him and skipping over the unimportant crew members, until he reached his own entry, significantly farther down than his father's. "Aw dad," he said, "you used my real name."

"Of course I did, that's the name your mother and I gave you, isn't it?" Adam responded.

"Yeah well, it sounds like a girl's name. Gah, now everyone who reads this is going to think that's my name."

"It is your name."

"Well, when you meet the other guys today, can you tell them to call me Pryce? That's the name I like."

Adam sighed. "Whatever you want, although I don't understand why you prefer that name."

"It sounds smarter," Pryce grumbled.

The two sat in relative silence until Adam turned on the radio and began singing along with the old rock song that played over the station. Pryce finished eating his breakfast and reading through the papers, and now bored, took to staring out the window.

They were still within a relatively urbanized area, and Pryce stared at the scenes that passed before his eyes. It was still dark, but among the familiar strip malls, fast food restaurants, and grocery stores, there were several small groups of early morning demonstrators standing alongside the road, holding signs that read "The apocalypse is now," "Prepare for the end," "The government should protect us, not abandon us," and such. Light shining down from the street lamps made the protesters appear as some kind of alien species, the gas masks they wore giving them huge eyes and snouts, and the radiation suits large, blubbery bodies. Behind the demonstrators, Pryce could see how some buildings had been boarded up, with blackened windows that had been clearly smashed in. Many stores and shops still stood, such as the restaurant Pryce and his father had stopped by earlier, and some buildings even had signs posted on their windows that contained messages such as: "Stop by, it may be the last chance you get to shop!" or "All the equipment you need to survive a nuclear attack."

Things had been like this for some time, and it wasn't anything Pryce was shocked to see. With nearly every country aiming nukes at each other, the Doomsday Clock had been set to midnight for the first time in history last month, on 1 January 2052. That day had been dubbed "Last Year's Day" instead of "New Year's Day." People were preparing for the worst.

But now Pryce and his father were leaving behind the cities and towns, and were working their way into the heart of Montana, where hundreds of farms had been abandoned because the soil had become tainted by a nuclear meltdown fifteen years ago. Now nothing grew for miles and miles around. It was 4:42 AM, still dark, and they were scheduled to arrive at their destination at 6:00 AM, three hours before launch.

Pryce fell asleep sometime in the next hour, and slept until they finally reached their destination. When he was shaken awake by his father, he looked out the window eagerly. This wasn't the first time his father had been to this place, but it was a first for Pryce. He stepped out of the car and retrieved his baggage, all the while craning his neck around to get a better view of the place. Sunrise was approaching, and a faint line of purple was beginning to stain the sky near the horizon, but it was still dim and Pryce had to judge the looks of the location from lights that illuminated patches of land here and there. From what he could tell, the place was really rather dull. It was a base built to hide from the eyes of the public, where the government could carry out its mission in secret. The ground was barren asphalt, with several private jets parked nearby. The main building was round and low lying, it's only purpose to serve as a ground control for takeoff. There were other buildings, mostly to house and train the crew for the trip. An electrified barbed wire fence surrounded the property, with the single entrance being a secured gate that blockaded a dirt road. Figures darted here and there around the base, making the final preparations for launch. Other than that, the place was pretty empty. The only remarkable thing about the property was the ship itself, but in the dark all Pryce could make of it was a gargantuan shadow hulking in the distance. He stared as his father led him into the main building, but couldn't make out anything more.

Once inside, Pryce had to redirect his attention to his new surroundings. The inside was nice enough, but just as barren as the landscape outside. There was nothing on the walls but white paint, and there was only furniture where it needed to be, and not comfortable looking furniture at that. It smelled like new paint and sanitizer. But Pryce figured there was no point in making it fancy inside since the only people who were going to see it were those who were part of the operation and it was only going to be used once: today.

But security was tight. Adam had to show his security pass for himself and his son multiple times, just to get into the general common area.

"Now you wait here," Adam told Pryce once they entered the large room. "I need to get to the broadcast, I'm already late. Can you manage without me?"

"Of course," Pryce responded.

The two then parted ways as Adam hustled to his meeting. Pryce looked around; it was a big room, more like the size of a large gym, with lots of seats and television monitors placed here and there, where the broadcast from the General of the Armies and the ship's Officers was to be displayed. There were lots of people in the room already, hundreds even, sitting; waiting. He saw some couples, some kids his age, some younger, some older. And then there were lots of loners too. These were all the people who didn't need any special training for the mission; they were just passengers, like him. And yet it suddenly struck him, as he stared around the room, that these were the people he would be spending the rest of his life with. It was weird, there was some chatter in the room, but most people just sat and waited, as if they were just waiting to board a flight to the next city, not to outer space. Pryce suddenly felt a little self-conscious; he wanted to meet new people, but didn't want to be the awkward person to break the relative silence. So he chose to sit down in a chair that was away from other people. He would meet the crew once the mission was under way, he told himself. And he would bet the other people in the room were telling themselves the same thing.

o~o~o

Dr. Adam Trío hustled through the hallways, flashing his security pass at the guards that confronted him. He knew where he was going, he'd been here before; he was just a little late. Finally he found the correct meeting room, showed his pass one last time, and entered. Nine heads swiveled around to stare at him. Eight of them were sitting at a long, curved table, backs to the door and facing a camera placed in the center of the room. The ninth occupant stood at the center of the table in a General's uniform.

"Hello everyone," Adam greeted as he approached his seat next to an older man.

"Well, now that we are all here, let us begin," stated the General. He nodded towards the man behind the camera in front of the table. A hit of a button and the little red light indicated they were live.

In the common room Pryce glanced up from his lap as the televisions flickered on. Murmurings in the room hushed as they looked upon the row of men shown on the monitors.

"Greetings all," the man in the middle started. He was the only one standing and wore a military's uniform. "In case you didn't already know I am Earnest Reed, General of the United States Armies. This speech will be brief, launch occurs less than two hours from now and some of us here have duties to attend to. These are your officers; I will begin by introducing them. First is your Captain, Christopher Angle." The General indicated the man on the far right side of the table. The man was dignified looking, with graying brown hair and a very short, trimmed beard. He looked serious, but with a softness that indicated a kind and compassionate character.

"This is Xerxes Lemieux, Second in command," the General continued, going down the table from right to left. Xerxes hardly responded to the mention of his name, but simply looked at the camera sternly. Strong, handsome, he was of Iranian descent, dark skinned, dark haired and clean shaven.

"Mack Adams is your Security Officer." Mack was a buff man, older and with graying hair and stubble around his chin. He didn't look like the kind of man that would easily take a joke.

"Next we have Quinton Miskelly, your Communications Officer." Quinton looked like a cheery man, a bit lanky with slightly tousled sandy hair. He smiled through the television, a sharp contrast to the two men before him.

"Jett Washington, Chief Medical Officer." He looked friendly enough and raised a hand in greeting. He had brown hair, blue eyes, and a square face.

"Tyrone Megason, your navigator." Tyrone nodded. He didn't smile, but his face looked kind and polite. He only made eye contact with the camera once, but most viewers assumed it was because of shyness. He had blonde hair and an oval face.

"Now your Chief Engineer, Victor Borske." Victor was a European man, older with black hair and a short, sharp beard that refused to gray. Despite his age, he looked lean and fit. He also wore small spectacles, and like his captain, there was softness behind his eyes.

"Adam Trío, Science Officer." Adam smiled and waved cheerfully. He was middle aged. He had brown hair, a brown beard of medium length, and twinkling blue eyes. Pryce smiled from the common room. His dad might be bit odd, and sometimes obsessive over his work (okay, always obsessive over his work), but he was kind and Pryce shared his interest in the sciences.

"And finally, we have Ebony Stone, Head Biologist." The only woman present, Ebony was young and pretty looking. She looked up from where she had been staring at her clasped hands, smiled warmly with rose colored lips and waved. Her dark red hair was cropped at neck length with bangs that swept to the side.

"Now like I said, we'll keep this brief," the General continued. "I am here to inform you of your mission, in case you didn't know already, and to wish you good luck." Although he said it with a stern expression, those who heard him couldn't help but sense a hint of sarcasm in his voice at the mention of good luck.

He continued: "As you should know, the world is in a crisis. All countries have their nukes trained on us and we have our nukes trained on them. Needless to say, things are going downhill, and to be perfectly honest I don't see life on our planet surviving the next couple of months. I know it sounds bad coming from me, but you'll be off planet by the end of the day, and even if the public did find out what I have said here I don't think it would change things much." A look of bitterness came over the General's face and the frankness of his words made several people shift uncomfortable in their chairs. Most of the officers on the screen didn't reveal their inner thoughts, but both Adam and Quinton Miskelly shifted in their chairs along with the audience.

"All of you," General Reed went on as he leaned against the table. "Are the Earth's last hope for life. It is inevitable – this planet will soon be in the thralls of a global nuclear war, and when that happens next to nothing on this planet will survive. We are preparing for the worst case scenario. The ship you are about to board is equipped with revolutionary technology that will take you into the future, far enough to escape the nuclear winter that will grip this planet for years to come. Remember, we are assuming there will be no survivors on Earth, so you are the first generation to repopulate the planet after the war. The scientists and biologists that are part of your crew will ensure that there will be animal and plant life to return to the planet's ecosystems upon your return.

"It will take an estimated six years to reach your time destination. Halfway through the voyage, about three years from now, your ship will turn around and travel back to Earth, another three years. This will complete your trip into the future and end back here. After that, you're on your own.

"I hope you all understand the magnitude of this mission. Each of you have been selected with extreme prejudice; your admission for this trip was chosen based on your genetics, intelligence, personality, and family history to generate the greatest chance of creating a thriving population back here on Earth.

"There is nothing more I have to say; may God be with you."

The television screens flicked off and the murmurings started up again in the common room. Pryce looked around, the strange feeling that he was among the last people he would ever meet in his life coming over him again. He was certainly glad he had his father to be with on this voyage.

Back in the broadcast room General Reed left without saying another word. Christopher and Xerxes were right behind him, and after a moment, Ebony. One by one, the officers left, most without even saying a word to each other. The meeting was over, there was nothing else to do here and they all had duties to attend to. Eventually only three were left, Adam, Victor, and Quinton who were talking together in a group. Quickly the subject of the conversation turned to the engine that Victor and Adam designed that would be powering their ship.

"I'm really curious to know, how does it all work?" Quinton asked of the two scientists.

"Oh, it's all very complicated, Victor explains it better." Adam started.

"You know, it's better to explain while showing it to you in person," Victor said. "Adam and I actually have to check the engine before launch, if you don't have any other commitments we'd be glad to show it to you right now."

"Hm, I should report to the bridge for some pre-launch testing. Perhaps once we're under way you can give me a tour?" Quinton asked.

"It would be our pleasure," said Victor.

"I'll catch up with you, I need to pick up my son," said Adam suddenly, who had been checking the time.

The three then parted ways and Adam set out towards the common room where he had left Pryce. When he got there it was difficult to pick out his son from the crowd, because all of the occupants of the room were being ushered out of the building and towards the boarding area; it was getting close to launch. Eventually Adam spotted Pryce waving at him from across the room. The two met up and Adam led his son out through a side door. "You get the backstage entrance," he said.

"Sweet," said Pryce as he lugged his bags along.

Soon the two were outside, and as the sun was just beginning to light up the sky Pryce got his first view of the spaceship he would be boarding soon. It was the most magnificent thing he had ever seen in his life. It resembled one of the old space shuttles used by NASA back in the early 2000's, but so much bigger and bulkier. It had to accommodate a crew of up to one-hundred and about three-hundred passengers, with room for living quarters, an infirmary, a command bridge, mess hall, areas to store supplies, several science labs, and more. This ship was massive, and it made the old fashioned space shuttles look like frail little toys. No wonder the space program had been shut down so many years ago, the government was putting all of its efforts into building this. The structural integrity of the hull had to have been completely redesigned so it didn't break apart once the ship reached velocities near light speed, and so that the passengers on board weren't killed by the breakneck pace of the voyage. Other revolutionary technology had to have been developed, such as how to simulate gravity, how to generate and store enough rations for the entire crew for the entire six years, and most importantly the engine that would be propelling the craft. Along the hull of the ship the words "The Ark" were emblazoned in bold letters.

Pryce wasn't sure how they had gotten the shuttle here without the public knowing, or if they had simply built the entire thing right here, but the fact of the matter was that it was here, it was awesome, and nobody knew about it except for them. And he was about to live on this thing for the next six years of his life. He was confident in any technology his father had a hand in creating, and he was definitely excited for the voyage to come.

As the two rode the elevator up to the entrance, Pryce couldn't stop gaping. "We're getting in here first," Adam stated as the elevator stopped at an entrance considerably lower than the main one where the rest of the passengers would be boarding. It was strange entering the ship because it was currently standing vertically for launch, thus setting its interior at a sideways angle. But temporary walkways had been set up, here and in other places, so the crew could board and perform pre-launch inspections like Adam and Victor would be doing on the ship's engines.

Pryce followed his father as they met up with Victor. He stood by and admired the massive core reactor while the two men checked its calibrations, temperature readings, and began the warming up process. A massive clear cylinder, with a smaller metallic tube inside of it, ran from floor to ceiling. Large pieces of machinery connected the cylinder to the floor and ceiling, each machine displaying an array of panels and monitor screens. These features were impressive on their own, but the most intriguing part of it all was the huge metal sphere that engulfed the very center of the cylinder. Two massive pipes ran through each side of the sphere and connected to both the floor and ceiling. Decking systems had been set up to give access to the sphere and top machine. This entire device was the core reactor, and it's what provided power for the ship and its multiple engines.

After nearly an hour of testing, adjusting, and more testing, the two scientists finally deemed the engine good to go.

"Alright, the other passengers should be boarding by now," Adam informed Pryce as Victor wrapped the inspection up. "We need to get into our places."

"So, are you guys going to be with the other officers?" Pryce asked.

"Victor will be," Adam responded. "But I'm going to be with you and the other passengers instead."

This made Pryce smile. He was a big boy, he could have handled launch on his own. But it just seemed like the kind of moment to be with your family for.

Adam led his son out of the engine room and back outside onto the elevator. Up above them they could see where the passengers had taken a different elevator and were busy boarding the spacecraft. Adam and Pryce would join them while Victor took a separate elevator to where the officers and crew were already onboard.

"Come on," Adam said. "Let's go find our seats."

o~o~o

It was 8:39 AM, and all passengers and crew members were seated and ready. Both the take-off engine and the spaceship's engine were warmed and deemed ready for action by onboard scientists and engineers.

In the control room, team members sat behind computers, monitoring the ship that was about to take off. General Earnest Reed stood in the back and watched from above, but otherwise left control to the Director. For this launch, Mission Control consisted of only one floor of workers, all in one room; much different than the space launches of older times. This was a top secret flight, so those monitoring it were a select few of government trained workers, and because this was a one way trip on this end, there was really nothing to monitor after takeoff; once the spaceship was out of the atmosphere, it was out of the hands of Mission Control.

At 8:40 the Director gave the signal to begin the launch sequence. Captain Angle on board gave a confirmation and with a few taps on the keyboard the engines of the ship fully powered on.

8:50; the launch team gave the "go for launch" and countdown started at T minus 10 minutes.

8:52; the ship was separated from the access arms that allowed the crew to board the ship. All other connecting apparatus's were pulled away except for the structure that kept the shuttle standing in a stable position. Now, as the sun rose in the new sky, the ship stood alone and waited as the countdown continued.

8:55; on board the ship, on the command bridge, Captain Angle gave the signal to activate the Auxiliary Power Units. As a crew member flipped a switch, pressure began building in the engines and all occupants of the ship felt it as the launch engines began their activation sequence.

Crew members and passengers alike hunkered down. Five minutes to go, and for some passengers reality struck as they remembered that a flight like this had never been tested before. Some families held hands while others just gripped the arm rests of their chairs. Adam placed a hand on Pryce's arm. Pryce, who was one of those having a reality check, didn't protest.

Steam rolled from the engines as excess gasses were purged.

Back on the command bridge Tyrone Megason tested various flaps, rudders, and brakes as a last affirmation that everything was in working order.

8:56; the main power being fed to the shuttle is switched over from ground power to internal power.

8:57; the pumping of oxygen and hydrogen into the fuel cells halts and a chemical reaction begins to take place inside the thrusters.

8:58; gasses inside the thruster tanks come to full pressure.

8:59; T minus 31 seconds, terminal launch sequence begins. Mission control and space shuttle officers watch closely for any problems that might arise.

T minus 28 seconds; the thruster boosters are initiated.

T minus 10 seconds; mission control gives the "go for engine launch" command. Beneath the ship, blinding flares bloom from the thrusters as excess hydrogen is burned away.

T minus 7 seconds; the Director gives confirmation to Captain Angle to initiate the engines.

Captain Angle reflected the command to his crew. Xerxes Lemieux helped ignite the engines alongside Tyrone and other crew members. All onboard felt the ship as it rumbled in response; there was absolutely no turning back now. Those on the ground had to cover their eyes from the light of the flares under the thrusters, as well as their ears from the deafening rumble that emanated from the activated engines.

T minus 0 seconds; all hold down bolts are blown away from the ship in a shower of sparks. The flares under the thrusters grew in volume until smoke was billowing from the combustion. In one glorious moment the ship lifted from the launch pad with a kind of grace that no one expected from a spaceship that was so big. All onboard hunkered down once again; on the Command Bridge, crew members watched computer monitors nervously for any error messages. Similarly in Mission Control all was quiet and tense as the teams observed the space craft rise into the air, leaving behind a trail of exhaust.

The ship rose higher and higher, arcing slightly as it drew closer to leaving the atmosphere. Slowly it disappeared into the fresh, blue morning sky. When it became clear the launch was a success, those on the ground cheered and clapped in celebration. But it was still quiet in Mission Control; there was just one step left now, and it was completely out of their hands.

Finally the ship, The Ark, left Earth's atmosphere, the shuttle shedding its large engines that were only needed to get it into outer space. The engines separated and fell back down to Earth. Onboard, the passengers were getting ready for one last launch, not to escape Earth's gravity but to jump to near light speed.

Victor Borske on the Command Bridge was giving orders and instructions to his crew in the engine room, while Tyrone prepared the ship's navigation systems for its jump. Engineers scrambled to get the shuttle's internal engine ready. It was already warmed up; it just needed to be activated.

Finally Victor received confirmation that the engine was ready. He gave the "good to go" signal to the Captain, who alerted all passengers to prepare for the jump. After a few more commands and more than a few switches were flicked, the final crew members settled into safe positions, and the shuttle was sent into super speeds.

A brilliant blue light emanated from the ship's main thrusters as the engine kicked into gear. A split of a second later the entire ship slipped out of sight as it rocketed away from Earth.

Back in Mission Control, the shuttle disappeared from all computer monitors and signals from the ship faded into the blackness of space. Mission Control could only assume the jump was a success, and they celebrated.

From the back of the room, General Earnest Reed stared at the large screen that a moment before had tracked the whereabouts of the space shuttle. He didn't celebrate alongside those below him, who were patting each other on the back and shaking hands. Instead he muttered to himself: "Never before has the term 'Godspeed,' held more meaning."

Suddenly the screen in front changed its image. The new display showed a map of the world, and there were seven blips of light slowly moving towards the United States.

"Sir, there are seven inbound missiles from four countries," a worker spoke up.

The General stood straight, staring at the screen. He wasn't surprised at all about this turn of the events; this was actually the real reason why he was here. Things were so tense between countries today that the launch of anything into the Earth's atmosphere would never have gone undetected and ignored by other nations. Ironically, the spaceship that was the hope for Earth's future was the very thing that was going to bring about its demise.

"And so it begins," he muttered as those blips moved ever closer to the United States. Now other blips were appearing and heading towards different nations. The General gave the signal, and several buttons were pressed. Several more blinking lights appeared on the map, originating from the United States and spreading out on the map. "The apocalypse starts now."

Author's Notes:

I just want to say, the sort of "end of the world" situation I had set up at the beginning of this story is not meant to reflect my own personal views or beliefs. At the time I wrote this chapter I was taking a "Business and Society" course at college, and there was a chapter in the textbook that talked about some of the worst case scenario plans businesses had developed when it came to the energy crisis. For example, (and I can't remember the details, I took this class about a year ago and I've hardly thought about it since and of course I don't have the textbook because I returned it), a business that deals with fossil fuels (such as mining oil, refining it, or actually distributing it) has to plan for possible paths the energy industry might take in the future. So oil might become more scarce in the future, some countries might open up or close their oil industries to the rest of the world, and alternative fuels may or may not become more available. And it was reading about all of this that inspired me to set up the beginning of this story. So don't worry, the whole "end of the world" thing merely exists as a way to set up and drive the story onward. It'll come up again, but not as part of the main plotline.

And finally, I can't give credit to myself for coming up with all of the time travel concepts that were presented in this chapter (and will continue for quite a while into this story). There's a great website called HowStuffWorks where I read several articles about theoretical ways to travel through time. I'm not trying to say they're true (they're all just theories), but I tried to find the most believable way to explain how one might travel into the past and future. And then for the space shuttle launch sequence, I found an article on a NASA website that describes everything that happens, minute by minute, before a shuttle launch up to the point of launch. It was a pretty sweet find! So thank you HowStuffWorks and NASA!

And I think that's enough commentary. I hope you're intrigued by this story and continue on. As I said at the beginning of this chapter, this is going to be a bit more of an unconventional story. Yes, we're going to be following these humans around for a while yet, so be prepared for that. Please let me know your thoughts, and along the way I'd love to hear your theories for what's going to happen with these guys in the future! And if you're reading this, thank you for slogging through all of these author's notes, I don't usually write long commentaries like this, I swear! And that's it for now, hope to see you in future chapters!