The Last Dance (2999 AD)

January 1st, 2999 AD: The world is dying. What was once a blue planet is no more. It's sometimes a memory, but mostly it's just a dream. We live in domes now. They protect us. And we wait. We wait to live, wait to die.Wait for a change. But mostly, we just wait for an absolution. 


He saw her from the corner of his eye, and instinctively got up. His recklessness caused the little heap of metal on which he was sitting on to topple over. It might have been an air-vehicle once, perhaps a domestic robot. Now it was just a heap of old, rusted metal, gathering dust.
'Sorry I'm late. I was in the lab. Working', she said.
'You still keep track of time. How do you even know the difference. Its always yellow anyways.' he replied, while coughing.
'Shut up. How's the asthma?'
'Same as everyone else's.'
'Adjust the speaker on your mask. It all sounds garbled. '
He started tinkering with the controls on the side of the mask. Loud static filled the air.
'Ouch! What are you doing?' she yelled.
'Sorry, my Breather is a little fucked up. Thought about buying a new one, but I have few Credits, and its either a new Breather, or decent food,' he said smiling.
'I thought you were trying to find a job?'
'I tried. Apparently when all efforts are being put in the terraforming of a new planet, there's very little use for a writer. I'm thinking about taking up cleaning work at ISRO again.'
'You do know the substances we work with right. It could kill you.'
'My asthma is gonna fucking kill me anyways. Its just a matter of time.'
'Stop talking like that! They are in the advanced stages. It's gonna happen soon. I know it.'
'Haa! How would you know? You're working on how to grow frickin potatoes on the new world.'
'I'm working on vegetation. Stop acting this way.'
The roof of the dome suddenly started turning pale. Drops started pouring from the semi-permeable membrane of the dome. They reached the ground and slowly started burning through the ice.
'We should go inside. The canopy in this part of town is down,' she said.
'Yeah lets go to my place.'

They reached the bottom of the stairs. 'Jenny, turn the lights on,' he shouted.
I'M HIBERNATING.
'Jenny, shut the fuck up and turn on all systems, otherwise I promise, I'm replacing you,' he roared angrily.
YOU DON'T HAVE ENOUGH CREDITS TO DO THAT ASSHOLE.
Nevertheless, the computer turned the lights on.
'I'm really sorry. Stupid, worthless piece of shit,' he said to her.
'It's okay. The older the AI, the crankier it is,' she said and smiled.
'Wanna help me reboot the OS next week?'
I HEARD THAT.
'I know, that's why I said it loudly, idiot.'
She took her hand and placed it on his mouth. 'Ssh. It's just a computer. Let's listen to some music?'
He went to the control panel and touched the screen. The room was filled with a soft tones. She took his hands and put them on her waist. She put her own around his neck, and they moved gently. He leaned in for the embrace and held her tight.
'Tell me honestly,' he said in a nervous voice. 'What are our chances on getting on that shuttle? What are you're chances of getting out?'
He felt her cheeks slightly moist. Quivering, she replied 'I don't know. My boss and his family are all getting tickets. I'm not sure about me. I know they're going to hold a lottery, but its a lottery after all....I don't know what's gonna happen.' She started sobbing.
'Sshh. We'll make it. Don't worry okay. Let's just dance for now.'
'I love you.'
'I know. But I'm just dancing with you because you might get tickets.'
'Haha, jerk! I hope you burn in hell,' she laughed.

The music stopped. But they didn't let go.


PS: (So this is basically the follow up to the story written a long time ago. I actually love sci-fi, with human characters, and I'm a sucker for post apocalyptic stories. Also, please tell me if you'd like to read more stories set in this world. Cheers. 

3000 AD

(This is a short story I had written for an English paper about 3 and a half years ago. Today all of a sudden I felt like exploring the world I'd created once more and decided to write another story, a prequel of sorts. So before writing that story, here's the original :)

I could see the atmosphere affecting the plastic body of the shuttle. I ascended towards space, leaving the 'dome' and the planet behind. Safely above the acidic atmosphere, I looked back on the planet I once used to call home. Earth, they used to call it. I had studied when I was young, that Earth was once blue, the air was once clean. Difficult to imagine that, seeing that the planet I was looking at now was red with craters and 'domes'. The domes were large, semi-circular structures where people could live without being affected by the atmosphere. Suddenly my monitor burst into life.

"All space crew outside. poceed for take-off ",said the Captain."Yes sir", I responded. "Alert . All ground crew prepare for evacuation,"I spoke into the transmitter. "Take off on my command. Fly to a distance of hundred kilometres outside the atmosphere and then go to the new facility through anti-space. Over and out." The monitor was showing me live transmission of the activities on 'Core Earth', ( that was the new name of this ravaged planet). People were pushing each other to get into the space shuttles, while the ground crew to get into the space shuttles, while the ground crew were struggling to maintain order. The Earth was about to crumble but we still had not lost our primeval behaviour.
I saw the 'Shudras' huddled in a corner, silent, aware of their g=future. The Shudras were the poor souls who had been affected by the air that was filled with poisonous gases and diseases. A majority vote by the countries in the UN, ordered the Shudras to stay on Core Earth even as it was being destroyed. They need not have bothered. Most Shudras would have agreed to stay and die, rather than continue the miserable life they were leading even on a new planet. In another dome i saw the Capatalists makiing their way towards their private shuttles. Class distinction had always been a part of humanity and sadly would always remain so.

The first shuttle took off from the Indian dome simultaneously as six other shuttles rose from their respective countries. Suddenly the first American shuttle burst into flames. "The idiot punched hype-burn too early, killed fifty-thousand people in one stroke", Henry muttered into the transmitter. I smirked and said,"That's fifty-thousand and one less American idots polluting the new planet. "Thats true",replied Henry."Shit, gotta get back to commanding the French shuttle" and the transmission ended. All the other shuttles went into anti-spac without any incident.
" Last seven shuttles taking off,"muttered the Captain,"Begin the clean-up process as soon as they proceed into anti-space. Then leave for anti-space. Good luck". I saw the final shuttles above Core-Earth and then they disappeared into anti-space. "Prepare to trigger the lasers in 3...............2..............1.............now!" I ordered. At once seven green lights descended towards the planet. Silence......Then the planet disintegrated, leaving a huge patch of empty, black space. "Good work boys, meet you on yhe new facility,"I punched hyper-burn and at once I was wading through the white tunnel of anti-space.
I came out at about two thousand kilometres away from a small, blue planet. There were white clouds surrounding it and brown land amidst the blue. It was the most spectacular sight I had ever see. I descended towards this new planet. As I entered it's atmosphere my monitor showed me that it contained 32% Oxygen, 76% Nitrogen & 2% othere gases :-air.
I landed on a clean green patch of ground. I jumped out of my shuttle and breathed in the fresh, natural air. I looked around and there she stood, Mother Eart amidst her lush green forests, fresh and unpolluted air, clear running streams---triumphant, rejuvenated and happy with the fresh lease of life.

The day I was born

Okay, so I officially turned 20 about 3 hours ago. Crap. I'm so old. Buddah! Fuck. I know 20 isn't that old, but seriously its just easier being a kid. The crazy me is gonna start sobering down (I hope not). So I'll let you in on a little secret, I share a bitter-sweet relation with birthdays. Sweet because I love it when everyone wishes me and stuff, bitter cause somehow its always a little underwhelming. Maybe I expect too much. Shut up, I know its retarded. Its my birthday okay, let me whine! So anyways, I'm partially drunk, can't find a single smoke, and have plans to party hard this weekend. And I have a drunk birthday wishlist. There's no chance in hell even one of these is gonna happen, but hey, I can hope right?

1) I wanna be a part of a flash mob (honestly it seems like so much fun)

2) Someone should write my memo for the moot (its a pain in the ass, and honestly speaking I'm lost...the troubles a person in law school faces :P )

3) Trip to New York (stay with friends at NYU...and strip clubs!)

4) I want a projector (watch movies all day long on my wall..common, you know you want one as well)

5) Skydiving! (it seemed amazing in zindagi na milegi dobara)

6) All my non-college friends from around the world to be in Kolkata (I can be nostalgic right?)

7) I want the girl who I'm in love with to like me back (don't laugh, you knew this one was coming) 

Cheers :)