THE BIG LIFT

It's not easy being left behind.

Looking back on March 11th 2103, that date we all learn in the brainpod, it’s easy to see why Earth Before seems so far away. The Star Initiative took an overpopulated sick planet and lifted humanity into space to colonize the new worlds. What it left behind was painful at first, disastrous for many but uniting for all.

Many billions of mechanized and autonomous AI units remained on Earth, unwanted in the next journey, but self aware and still wanting purpose. Humans struggled in empty vast urban cities that were soon overtaken by nature, and for years it was touch and go as the planet found its balance. We migrated into new cities on the coasts where humans and AIs made uneasy alliances as equals and stepped into the next century with a glimmer of hope.

Some cities like Metropolis prospered, other cities fell to the old ways of war and became human only or AI only safe zones. Metropolis remains as the last free city were every soul is equal and everyone has a soul.