They were visiting Earth. The skies turned a strange greenish hue, the winds went quiet, even the insects went still. The human grabbed their friends and swiftly dragged them to a metal bunker with only two words. "Twister's coming!" -- Anon Guest
Visiting the aptly-named Terra is not recommended for level three Havenworlders and above. Those undergoing resilliance training must do so under strict supervision from an epigenetic advisor. Why?
Well. Even in the most civilised and tamed areas, there are unexpected dangers.
Havenworlder Thork had been enjoying the plainlands, until a descending silence made them wonder if their hearing had suddenly become faulty. Therapist and Human Jyl was frowning and looking up at the sky. Which was turning green.
"Uh oh," said Jyl. And when a Human says that, things are serious.
Thork reflexively checked the charge and readiness of their livesuit, and Jyl simply picked them up by the handle on the back of the suit and started running.
Thork put their helmet up and their faith in their Human. Focussing on their breathing as the ground raced underneath them at a pace only a desperate Human could cover. Something had to be happening, something serious enough to panic a Human, and Thork would find out what it was when the Humans had enough breath to explain it.
There were other Humans, somewhere out of Thork's field of view, urging Jyl to hurry into "the cellar". And one of them, most ominously, shouted, "It's coming down."
The thundering of feet over a cascade of stairs. A relatively sudden change from bright daylight to subterranean gloom. The solid THUNK! of bolts sliding into their homes.
Jyl set Thork on their feet again, still gulping and gasping for air. She fell into a very rough sitting position on the linoleum flooring. "Good," she panted. "Made it."
"What is the danger?" asked Thork, reluctant to open up their livesuit.
One of the locals said a word in both reverence and fear. One that Thork would have to look up in an appropriate lab. Anything the Humans revered and feared truly deserved ready medical supervision.
Nevertheless, Thork made a note to look up this... Tore-nay-dough.
[Photo by Greg Johnson on Unsplash]
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