Seriously, there is no way in hell I actually own this stuff.

This fiction isn't great, but... if just one person likes it I'm doing something right, aren't I?

I dunno, just... just read and respond. Please don't flame.

April 15, 2030

Dear Diary,

Today, I finally found a reason to go on. It all started at an arkfall...

~~Start of day~~

"Damnit!" Claudia yelped, having cut her leg on the twisted metal of the ark. She sat down and got a bandage from her pack, dressing the wound. "Ark hunting, it's easy tech, what a load of shtako. I miss the days when easy tech was an Amazon order."

The days where the redhead needed only place an order online were long gone. In fact, all she had left of that time was her roller and a locket with a picture of all her closest friends.

The friends-who were like family to the woman-were all dead, thanks to the damn Pale Wars. Artie was killed by a Sensoth thug who was clobbering any human he found into an early grave. Said Sensoth had met his end at the hands of Claudia, with a little help from a Tesla and a certain doorknob. Pete and Myka had died protecting the president, having been in DC for an artifact at the time of the attack on the White House, they did what Secret Service agents are meant to do. Steve died while saving a Castithan child from a burning building. Her own brother, Joshua, was killed in a bombing at CERN. And HG, she had taken her own life when she found out Myka was dead. Even the Warehouse was gone, Claudia had initiated Falcon Scott protocol to protect it, and since then it had been covered with terraformed earth.

Claudia shook her head, chasing away the sad memories. She stood up and resumed her hunt for useful Vo-tech, as she used it to make convenient gadgets to sell.

After scrounging some usable tech from the ark, left the fallen ship and headed to her roller. Her roller was the only thing that still made her happy, it was her old Prius, she had modified it to survive the new world. With so little left that brought her joy, the woman often pondered whether there was any reason for her to even exist anymore.

As Claudia tossed the salvage into the back of her roller, something made her freeze. Suddenly she was slamming the back of the roller, leaping behind the wheel, and driving as fast as she could towards her goal.

She had heard something she could not ignore.

She sped towards the sound.

It was a child's terrified scream.

~~Irisa~~

"Shut up you little bitch!" hissed an Irathient man in his native tongue, slapping the recipient of his words.

Said recipient was a tiny Irathient girl, only six years old, battered and bruised, tears streaming down her little face, wrists bleeding from the chains that bound her.

"You're worthless, girl. You bring our family nothing but shame for being a tiny little insect. You'll never even grow big enough to make something of yourself. Not only that, but you were born in a way that stopped your mother from ever being able to have a proper child! Yet you resist your just punishment? Today you will die for your sins." snarled the man, his face cold.

The child wailed in terror.

~~Claudia~~

Claudia parked her roller a few hundred meters out from a hut she spotted. The child had to be there.

A terrified wail confirmed this.

She sprinted onward, Tesla in her belt, Autopistol loaded in her hands.

Hold on little one...

~~Irisa~~

The little Irathient girl was sobbing. Her parents had charge blades. They were going to kill her. Irzu please help me!

And then it seemed her prayer was answered.

Claudia kicked down the door-I finally mastered that move, thanks Myka-and gasped in horror at what she saw.

A tiny Irath girl, emaciated, beaten, bleeding, sobbing, chained to the wall. Two adult Iraths with charge blades ready to tear the child to ribbons.

She raised her Autopistol and fired two shots.

The adult Irathients dropped to the floor, dead.

The child began shaking and sobbing even louder. "Please... don't hurt me..."

Claudia's heart broke. "Shhh, shhh, sweetie, I promise I won't hurt you. Let me help you, please?"

After what felt like an eternity, the little girl nodded. Claudia set to work releasing the kid from the shackles immediately. She winced at the little mews of pain the girl gave as the cuffs tore scabs from her wrists.

"Thank you..." the child whispered, her eyes shining as she gazed at her savior.

"Of course, baby. May I dress your wounds?" Claudia said gently, her eyes watery from both the horror she had seen here, and also from the sweet child's adoring gaze.

"Dress them?" And Claudia's heart promptly broke again. The child had never had her wounds treated before? What the hell was wrong with her parents?!

"Make them hurt less and get better, I mean." Claudia offered hopefully.

"You can do that?! Are you a goddess?" the child gasped in awe.

Claudia blushed furiously. "N-no, honey. I'm just... Claudia."

After an hour and almost all her bandages and ointment, Claudia finally had the girl all patched up. She had also put one of her pajama shirts onto the little fiery maned Votan like a dress, as the child's clothes were little more than threadbare strips of blood-soaked fabric anyway.

"Now, little one, would you like something to eat?" asked the human, even as she dug a meal bar from her pack, and pulled out her water bottle.

The kid scarfed the food down in under a minute and downed the water just as fast.

Thank you, Irzu, for sending miss Claudia to save me. Finally tomorrow isn't scary, it's-

Tomorrow.

"Miss Claudia?! What's gonna happen to me now?!" the child's golden eyes were wide with panic.

Claudia gave a sad smile. "C'mere. Gimme a hug." Claudia opened her arms to the Irath, who dove into them. "I'll make you a deal," began the woman as she embraced the child. "I'll take care of you, raise you like my kid, protect you, never let you get hurt like this again," the human then locked eyes with the child. "But you gotta do one thing for me."

The tiny girl nodded furiously.

"Just tell me your name." Claudia grinned at the kid. The kid grinned back.

"My name's Irisa. And you're the best momma ever, and we'll be together forever and ever!" Irisa exclaimed, hugging Claudia tightly with her little arms.

Claudia was surprised at being called momma, but she did say Irisa would be her kid, and frankly, she liked the feeling it gave her. "From now 'til the arks rise again, you'll be my little Risi." Claudia planted a kiss atop the messy orange mop of hair on the girl's-her daughter's-head.

~~End of day~~

And that's how I found my purpose in this new world. Protecting my baby.

-Claudia Donovan