A thin layer of rain gently kissed the worn pavement of the city streets. Silhouettes of the city folk passed under low quality dimming street lamps. The moon had risen, but was still unseen in the thickness of the clouds. What little light passed through cast an erie glow on the dark city.

The lights of the high rises were usually on after dark, but after the temperature had dropped significantly no one was left to turn them on. The rush to get home was now over, and most families were now snug in their toasty homes. Either eating dinner or reading stories by the fireside.

The temperature in the city had dropped significantly since the collision. No one had seen it coming, not even the scientists that swore they should have. A giant meteor knocking the Earth out of orbit had just seemed to far-fetched to believe. Now that it had happened, the people felt that anything could happen.

It was a known fact that no one knew where Earth was headed, or if the people would survive. Somehow, the World Council had managed to stop the chaotic reaction to the collision, and restore hope to the people’s hearts. In return, sacrifices would have to be made and they were.

A pair of silver eyes were set on the sky. The eyes of a young woman, no older than twenty five. Narrowed slightly in thought, the eyes closed at the woman tilted her head back to the ground. The pale skin that was meant to be hidden beneath an umbrella was slowly becoming increasingly damp. Her ebony hair was flattened with moisture, and droplets ran down her high cheekbones.

The footsteps echoed in the street alongside the whispering wind, but no one really listened anymore. As she sighed her breath became a small gray cloud in front of her. It had been that way for so long, it scarcely seemed new to her. As did the steady pounding of the Support Plant just outside of the city.

She stopped in front of a burned down building, and tears mixed in with the rain as she saw ashes melting in with the rain. Someone stopped next to her and shook their head, “It’s a shame they haven’t cleaned this place up.”

Her emotionless expression became angry and her pale complexion became more rosy, “What if they don’t want to clean it up?” She avoid looking at the stranger beside her.

The stranger looked at the woman, “Well they should. It’s useless, there’s no reason to have a burned down old building dirtying up this city.”

The cold gray eyes met the clueless brown ones. The other eyes belonged to a middle aged woman with a set of grocery bags, “You should know that.”

The younger woman’s lip trembled, “You don’t know what happened. You don’t know what this building was, or the people who lived in it! Don’t you tell me what I know and don’t know!” The steadiness of her voice faltered toward the end of her sentence.

“No, I don’t. But I do know it’s just a pile of rubble now, and it’s not getting and better.” Said the woman rather snottily as she brushed past the younger woman.

It was a while after the older woman had left that the girl had started moving again. As she entered the lobby of an apartment building she stopped near the windows. There was an area for people to dry off before going to their homes and that was where the woman stood. Her coat dripped onto the tiles as she moved to the window. She stood there until she was dry enough to move onto the plush carpet to the stairs.

On her way up she passed several neighbors heading to the building’s personal first floor library. She usually spent her evenings there as well, but tonight she didn’t feel in the mood. Moving down the hall on the fourteenth floor the woman couldn’t help overhearing conversations of passing children.

“I’m gonna do it!”

“There’s no way you could set a fire!”

“Sure there is, dummy! All you have to do is get your mother’s lighter!”

“Why would you do that?”

“Because, it’s fun to break rules!”

“Stupid! You can go to jail!”

“Yeah! Especially with those chemicals!”

“I’m not afraid.”

The voices faded as the children headed down the stairs.

The woman slid the keycard through the slot on her door, and shifted he weight as she waited for the program to respond.

A low hummed emitted and the key pad lit up. A small hologram of a woman’s face was projected, “Image recognition complete. Voice input required. Please state your name and title.”

The woman sighed, “Charlotte Winters, Engineer and Researcher for S.P.A.C.E. Enterprises.”

“Confirmed, welcome home Miss Winters.” The door opened as the woman proceeded inside. The place seemed somewhat empty, but was well furnished. There was a office to the left of the door. A large desk with a number of strange equipment was in the corner of the small room. Which was also furnished with an overstuffed love seat, side table and book shelf. A wall separated the office from the kitchen, which opened into a dining area across the hall. To the right of the door was a guest bedroom, that on;y had a bed, small sofa, and a night table. There was also a dresser, a mirror and small closet in the bedroom. Beyond the wall of the kitchen was a living room area, complete with a plasma television, and a sofa. A recliner was in the corner by the fake tree. A table sat beside it littered with magazines. The wall to the right of the recliner was practically made of windows, and opened onto the balcony.

Across from the living room and through a closed door was Charlotte’s bedroom. The bedroom had it’s own full bathroom, where as the other was shared between the dining room and the guest bed room. A walk-in closet was also included. Charlotte pushed the button on the answering machine as she headed into the closet to put her coat away and change into something more comfortable.

“Message One: ‘ Miss Winters, this is your therapist Rhonda Muchivine confirming your appointment next week, please call me. ’ Save or delete?”

Charlotte rolled her eyes and pushed aside her dresses and pressed a button on the back of her closet wall, “Terminate program: H.O.U.S.E.K.E.E.P.”

“Terminating.”

“Activate program: K.A.T.E.”

“Activating.”

A metallic sound of processors speeding up was heard, and then, “It’s good to be back, Char.”

“It’s Miss Winters if anyone asks, Kate.” came the voice of Charlotte Winters from the closet, “Better save that message from Muchivine, I’ll forget.”

“Saving!” came the automated voice.

“Could you play the rest, I know there’s more.”

“Message Two: ‘Worker number 2883, Charlotte Winters, you have a meeting with Supervisor William Yarvinsky at 0900 hours on Friday, September 21, 2087. Please be prompt.’ Should I delete, Char?”

“Just remind me in the morning, Kate.” said Charlotte pulling on a pair of fitted jeans that flared at the bottoms.

“Will do! Message Three: ‘Charlotte Winters, this is Agatha Buyot from the Chemical Lab at S.P.A.C.E. Enterprises. I’ve been informed that the lab work on the chemicals has been returned. In order to receive your results you must come to the lab within a week of receiving this message.’ That sounds important, Char, what did you give them?”

Charlotte emerged from the closet, “Nothing that’s safe with you.” She grinned, making her way to the kitchen, “Remind me tomorrow to go visits Agatha after my meeting.”

“Now do you want me to remind you at home, or at your office?” the voice was almost real.

“At work, if you don’t mind.” said Charlotte with her head in the refrigerator.

“Message Four: ‘Char, big news! I got D.R.E.W. working at home! Oh, man this is incredible! You have to come and see! Uh, by the way this is Jamie, ok, uhm bye!’” The computer laughed, “A little behind the times, isn’t he?”

Charlotte put a chicken dinner in the microwave, “Sh, I haven’t told them about you.”

“Well why not? I’m a stroke of genius!” the computer said with a hint of pride.

“Because you’re not finished, I still need to add security touches, and holographic drivers.” The microwave beeped as Charlotte pulled her dinner out, “Is that all of them?”

“Nope, three more. Message Five: ‘Tenant Charlotte Winters, your medication is in at the front desk from AutoDrugRun, please come pick it up.’ You can pick it up when your done eating, Char. Message Six: ‘Charlotte, this is your Aunt Bertha, I’m just calling to make sure you’re okay, I know today must’ve been hard for you. Hang in there, sweetie. Take your medication, and be a good girl!’ What’s with today, Char?”

“I thought I programed it in, so you wouldn’t have to ask.” Charlotte said digging into her dinner.

“Sorry, No, it’s not on my agenda or in my Database.”

“Ten years ago today, the building on Klarkson Avenue burned down.” Charlotte threw the rest of the frozen dinner in the trash and grabbed a bottle of soda.

“So, it’s an old building.”

Charlotte sighed, “My parents were in it. My whole family was there. We were having a reunion.”

“Charlotte.”

“Someone set a chemical fire, and I was at the grocer getting milk.” She swallowed a gulp of her soda, “To this day no one knew what chemical did it, I don’t think it’s natural or Earth made. The building burned on impact. No one survived.”