P-SMM

6/24/2020

Swift closing of the magnetic door was the first noise to fill the luxury condo. The second were the choked sobs of a man and the sliding of clothes down the door.

A quick blip, and a shining holographic figure of a woman appeared next to the door, "Welcome home Mr. Collins! I hope your day was good is there anythi-"

"NO…no, God no. There isn't anything you can get me right now. Please…please just leave me alone tonight Cherry."

"Yes sir, Mr. Collins!" Another blip and the hologram flickered away, leaving Mr. Collins sitting in the holograms fading light.

Several minutes passed in silence, until another light flicked alive. This time coming from the watch on the man's arm. It was Aeonion's most recent addition. Equipped with perfect health monitoring systems, a small particle shield that can withstand impact of up to three hundred pounds of force, and a small self sustaining nuclear reactor that would power the watch for decades to come; it was the best watch on the market costing upwards of five hundred thousand krons.

Wiping the tears away with his handkerchief he glanced at his watch and felt another wave of tears coming his way. Stifling them as best he could took the watch off and gently set it on the ground. "Cherry."

"Yes Mr. Collins, how may I assist you?" No hologram this time, just a voice echoing in the dark.

"Can you turn the plasma TV on and bring me my oldest wine from the cellar?" Mr. Collins whispered.

"Of course, would you like me to bring it to the lounge?" Cherry cheerily replied.

"Yes…bring it to my chair."

With a task in mind, Collins got off the ground and headed towards the lounge. His steps echoed about the place, making the journey seem even longer. Glancing out of the hallway window showed a world that was bustling. Flying cars cruised in the sky headed towards unknown destinations, while massive land vehicles transported goods between towering buildings. Usually such a colorful sight would've made him stop for moments admiring how everything flowed so smoothly. Now, this simple joy was ripped away from him as he recalled everything that's happened just a few hours ago.

Another magnetic door stood at the end of the hallway. With a quick palm scan, it slid open revealing a small dusty room with books lining three of the four walls, and a single chair sitting in the center facing the only blank wall. Taking his time to smell the old books brought a bittersweet smile to his face. "Paper books might be the rarest material on this planet." Mr. Collins thought.

With a quick flash Cherry was standing at his side, "Mr. Collins your wine is at your chair along with your watch. I noticed it had fallen on the ground and brought it here for you. As soon as you sit the plasma TV will turn on. Is there any show you would like to watch tonight?"

Not even glancing at Cherry, Collins said, "…Turn on the Jeremy Collins Show."

"With pleasure!" Beamed Cherry.

Staring at her disappearing figure Collins focused his gaze on his chair. As if afraid the chair would attack him, he only stared at it. Another flash in the room went off. The watch projected a one-minute timer that started to slowly count down. Grimacing at the timer, and then sighing at the inevitability of it all, he trudged towards his chair taking a seat as the timer hit zero.

A soft glow illuminated the only uncovered wall, eventually forming the image of a gentleman in a navy-blue suit. His salt and pepper beard, and slicked back hair were only two of his outstanding features. He was a man that screamed confidence, someone that could lead an army of people to righteousness. Right now, in this moment, the man on the wall was somber. Sorrow filled his posture, and defeat simmered in his eyes. With great difficulty he opened his mouth and began speaking, "I would've liked to say good evening to the Earth Federation. I would've liked to enthusiastically say Welcome to the Jeremy Collins Show. Located on the lively RQ-38 live at 1800 hours; but considering the circumstances I have declined to do so tonight. Tonight's show is a recording that was done this morning at 0700 hours. The purpose is to give those here today to rest and mourn for those that are about to be lost.

A sigh escaped Jeremy Collins lips as if remembering what's about to come, "Today, as most of you may know, is the final day for those living in Sector RQ-37. From all sorts of exotic animals, to people that have lived there life there as a resident, and even those that are on vacation to the once beautiful planet are now trapped there, stuck in a place where they can't even run away."

A soft cough wracked the man's body interrupting his speech. Regaining composure, he was about to start again when something shook the entire building. The power went out and immediately kicked back on as a generator activated. Seconds after the rumble was a loud whoosh of air that brought a roar of sound throughout the building. Every window trembled and threatened to break. Several moments later the chaos faded to a dull roar, and the rumbling quieted before dropping off entirely.

Papers were scattered, light fixtures were in shambles and cameras were askew. It took minutes to get everything back in place, and when the camera finally panned back to Jeremy Collins, it captured every feature of his horror-stricken face. His slouching form was completely oblivious to the massive cut running the length of his forehead. The blood had already started to run into his eyes. A medic hurriedly ran to the stage to patch him up. Using a scanner to analyze the blood, and then typing the information received into a kit at his hip, he produced a finger-length bottle filled with a glowing teal liquid. Spraying the liquid on the wound caused it to close at an extremely fast rate. Only dried blood was left in its place, and after a few quick wipes from the medic, it seemed that almost nothing was amiss.

Except there was.

Jeremy Collins slowly sat up and began to wrap up his previous speech, "…That was the Planet-Side Molecular Mortar. It is capable of firing a two-hundred-ton shell that will completely obliterate any planet that it comes in contact with it. The PSMM was fired on RQ-37 because the planet that was once prosperous and lively has been infected with the most lethal and contagious disease the Earth Federation has seen. Taking its most drastic action to date, they have decided to completely eliminate the planet. No people, animals, items or anything else was permitted to leave the planets atmosphere. Please take this time to call loved ones that are still alive and cherish the last few hours that you have with them. Goodnight Earth Federation."

The plasma TV dimmed, and the wall became blank again. All that was left in the room was a man with an empty wine glass, and sunken eyes. Twenty minutes passed before the man croaked out a few hollow words, "…Cherry…can you call my wife."

"With pleasure Mr. Collins! It's always lovely to hear from her."

Several moments later a ringing echoed in the room

Brrriiinng

Brrriiinng

Brrriiinng

"Hey, it's Cherry Collins, sorry I can't get to the phone right now, I'm probably busy doing something fun or exciting on the beautiful planet of RQ-37! Leave your name and number and I'll call you as soon as possible! Oh, and if this is my handsome husband Jeremy Collins, know that I'll love you forever. Talk to you later Love."

Click.