The world was torn apart by the greed of the human race. Could the world have been better off without us? God had made a mistake, he himself- No, its our fault. We cannot even ask for a second chance for anything, as we have gone too far. I just wait sweet death to embrace me and this cursed world, all of it, and hopefully start anew, with another chance without us in it.

I opened my eyes slowly, wondering what time it was. It occurred to me that there was no work to be done by me today... a long awaited vacation for a whole week had finally come to me. But I still worried that I might have slept the whole day away anyways.

I reached up, pressed my hand against the bottom surface of the ceiling... I slept in a bunk, with me sleeping on the top. The one below me had been modified to become a desk.

When I pressed a little harder on the ceiling, a portion of the ceiling moved out and pivoted on hidden gears, revealing the surface of the GHI... Graphical Hologram Interface. The screen was a little more than an inch thick, with lasers pointed inside the screen, allowing there to seem to be depth as the lasers converged upon each other and little scratch marks set up inside the screen. To me, it looked like everything I saw was popping right out at me, but someone next to me would either see it as something almost flat or blank.

Technology.

I inserted my password, then waited as the GHI loaded the main screen. It showed the time to be eleven in the morning.

I lay there for about thirty more minutes, browsing the news. There was not all too much, just the norm. Fires aboard the Helios ship, which was a cargo ship that helped give supplies to those aboard the Icarus, a space station that could sometimes be seen at night moving along the sky. There was a few times I had to work in the Icarus as a guard... that pretty much describes my job.

There was also plans for the disassembly of a smaller series of space stations, the one most notable of which being The Obelisk, aptly named for its long, column like structure that helps with making detailed photographs of things close by or farther away. If the plan is enacted, the parts would be used to create a larger space station, or to help in any repairs for other ships or stations.

Dust storm warning. A serious one. The storms on Mars can be bad enough that the dirt and rocks would fly around, cutting through all sorts of material like a knife.

Temperature for the outside world was to be -12 F. Considering how Mars used to be, this is pretty warm... Its almost bearable without protection. At least for a little while.

I yawned loudly, and closing the GHI, I stepped out of the bunk and made my way to my bathroom. This place I called home was relatively small, just a bedroom, guest room that merged a bit too seamlessly with the kitchen, and a small bathroom. Well, you can't really expect much from an apartment.

After I relieved myself at the toilet, I stepped into the shower, washing myself thoroughly. Great gods, the humans have it easy. A single tuft of fur on their heads was all they had to worry about. Try having big, fluffy fur that attracts every single mote of dust in the air. Especially since this is Mars, and no matter how sealed the oxygen domes of the many cities are, mars dust still finds its way inside.

The soap I was using was not exactly as flashy as the humans shampoo or body-wash. Bright colours, photos of happy faces, they all never seemed to make their way on the shampoo bottles I had, unless I was feeling rebellious and decided to use one meant for them, not for my species. But it seemed to make my fur look... I dunno, less shiny and healthy. I, like many others, prided myself in how my fur looks... shiny, healthy, clean, and fluffy. Fluffy especially because it made you look bigger.

After spending the amazingly long amount of time drying myself off, I went through my other morning ablutions in the bathroom. Picking up a hand towel, I wiped through the condensation on my mirror, although the mirror stayed somewhat blurry. Through it, I could see myself. Grayish-black fur now looked mostly black from the moisture still in my fur. It was somewhat hard to see it while it was damp, but there was also a few splotches of white, not just gray. My eyes were a bright arctic-blue, and mark resembling a white check-mark on both sides of my muzzle, almost touching the tip of my nose.

I took my toothbrush, added toothpaste, and continued to brush my teeth, filling my mouth with a spicy cinnamon flavour as I began to think yet again about what I was going to do today. No work for a whole week, how was I going to spend it? Probably should work on doing those bills that are about to be due so I won't have to worry about them the rest of the week. I spit out the toothpaste.

I put a towel around my waist, doing as I usually do, which is let myself dry off the extra dampness before brushing out my fur. I opened the bathroom door and stopped in my tracks.

Amillia Lasson had opened my door and stood there now at the entrance, casually looking at a small, dull object in her hand. Amillia was... is... the second in command of a segment of the army. And also has a hand with S.H.A.D.E, which is the relatively small training program and business for defense. I am almost ashamed to say that it is a terrible company, seeing that I do in fact work there.

I actually knew of Amillia because I had been in the army for a few years, and then when I decided to work in SHADE, well... I regret everything.

Amillia stopped whatever she was doing with the object in her hand and stuck it in her side pocket. She stood taller, giving me a straight, serious look. Although, it might have been something else... she was 100% human, after all. You would think that it would be easier for me to read emotions considering I have been around humans and some of the many anthropomorphic dogs like me all my life, but not exactly. And I am not even dog.

"Markov, good afternoon. Your vacation is going well, I take?" Amillia asked, walking further into the room until she was about center.

I gripped my towel, feeling that sudden loosening as my towel began to slip, "I was doing fine until you showed up, sir."

Amillia gave the slightest smile, one I could almost not catch. We had known each other for a pretty long time, and had become pretty close friends outside of our job responsibilities. "Well, my job is to rain shit upon your lives after all."

"Could you have at least knocked, or closed the door behind you?" I gestured towards the door, which was still open and showed a couple coming out of their apartment on the other side of the hallway.

"I did knock. I guess grooming yourself takes all of your attention."

I sighed, "What did you come here for?"

Amillia didn't shift her weight as she said, "We are getting reports that the Icarus needs more supplies, and that some of the people on the space station must be moved over here to Mars, due to overpopulation." Icarus is one of the few and largest space stations still orbiting Earth. Still searching for a place to put a huge amount of people back on Earth without any radiation poisoning.

I blinked, feeling uncertain for some reason. We stood in silence for a moment, with me fidgeting. I could not exactly tell what was bothering me, and it was clear to even Amillia that I was tensed up. Although her face did not show it, her powers of perception make it impossible to lie.

I tried to hide my unease by going to the door and touching a wall panel next to it. It slid a little further into the wall as the door slid closed almost soundlessly as I asked "So... no vacation?" I could have sworn I saw a little child's head sink behind a pillar outside as the door closed. If it was who I thought it was, there was no doubt he probably heard every single thing so far, and more if I did not close the door.

"In a few days we leave... so you better get you vacation out of you by then. It might take a while to get to the Icarus, but the ship we will be aboard will have plenty of things to do and keep up with by the time we get there. Three days lucky boy."

Amillia held out a gloved hand. I reached out, and she dropped a dull object I seen her toying with in my hand. "Congratulations, you now have the authority of squad leader. Because of some small issues, like time, the ceremony will not be officially held until we get on the Boston ship." With that, she went to the door. It was strange, how short our conversation was. It was terse... like there was a hidden meaning looming right out of my reach.

The thing she dropped in my hand was a dull golden medal. Two parallel lines that seemed to almost make an arrow with the... oh, maybe it was meant to be that way.

"Wait..." I tried. She stopped at the door. "I... Im not in the Army anymore. Im just a guard. Squad leader... this badge is only for explorers and-"

"Exactly. Turns out, fortune for our races has just turned its bright o'l smile on us. And we get to keep that smile burning bright," Amillia turned around at the door, "You can guess why, can't you?"

I blinked, "Earth...?"

Amillia nodded. "But... its up to you if you really want to go." Next question would have to be how I realized what she was referring to without any strong hints.

"Sounds like your still giving me an order, not a choice," I said. I saw a small smile flash on her face before it was replaced by her somewhat infamous stone-serious look.

"Well, I figured you still would want to be a part of this anyways. And in all honesty, while I can recruit anyone in the army, I wanted to ask you first," She saw me about to speak and stopped me "because you are an acutal friend, and someone I can personally trust."

That stopped my words in their tracks. I looked down at the medal I held in my hand, then I nodded to Amillia "Thank you, but the medal... I don't think I can have this if I'm not in the-"

"Right now your with me and my second hand man, now enjoy your break. I must go personally recruit a few more people. And we will talk again the night before the big day, alright?" With that, she turned on her heel and left. The door closed behind her, plunging the little apartment of mine into silence before I could speak.

It took a moment before it registered in my head... I am going to Earth. The place where we all came from. The pictures of running streams and blue skies I had seen in books or wherever else flooded over my head. The once-charred Earth must be safe enough to live on again... I hoped.

And Amillia seen it in her to personally invite me along.