Global warming had done its job well, making most of the surface world uninhabitable. Turning previously hot, desert climates into fields of glassed earth. Creating dry deserts where seas and lakes used to rule. Turning oceans into puddles and causing mountains to crumble from heat.

The ozone layer had been completely eradicated due to ignorance and stubbornness and the accumulated greenhouse gasses had created a thick layer covering more than a third of the whole planet, reflecting and trapping the heat between the surface and the stratosphere.

But humans, like a giant cockroach, refused to perish even in these impossible conditions. The race clung to life like a moss clings to walls, like vines cling to a wall. They did any and all possible actions to save themselves. Pouring impossible amounts of concrete into huge blocks above the ground to absorb heat, to at least delay it slightly before it reached the underground shelters. Digging as deep as they possibly could to get away from the heat. Mining vast tunnel systems and mobile cities to move according to the planets rotation to stay on the dark side of the planet. Any and all plans had been put into action, no matter how dumb they sounded they may be the thing that saves them.

The entire race had been reduced to just 1/18th of the previous population leaving humans with a population of just under 1 billion. Soon the human race was going to face total annihilation on account of the food situation. The arctic seed vault had been raided of all its useful seeds which were used to grow crops to feed the shrinking population of edible animals in each mobile city, which in turn were made to breed to produce more animals and then killed for food for the humans.

The humans were struggling to grow the plants without natural sunlight. The amount of usable crops was decreasing with each harvest and the animals were producing less and less offspring each generation. Soon the humans would run out of their only food source left on the planet.

But alas the group of geniuses from mobile city #3925 managed to create the forcefield just in time.

The forcefields were designed by using a small gravity generator to create a spherical, hollow gravity field, this field would then be connected to a device that would absorb the forces acting on the barrier and transfer it to a material used as the ‘host’. The so called ‘host’ material would be changed depending on the force acting on the barrier. A strong physical impact required a tough, almost unbreakable material like diamonds. Meanwhile, a high temperature required a material highly resistant to heat like ceramics.

The discovery and creation of the forcefield was a breakthrough for the humans, however they still had to be tested against the challenges of the surface world.

So after nearly 100 years underground the humans prepared for what they thought would be a noble sacrifice by the research team who planed a trip to the surface for a very toasty and well-deserved vacation they would not be returning from.

Taking a tunnel that had not been used for nearly a hundred years, the research team began a month-long journey to the surface where they would test the newly created barriers with many different materials to determine which could be used to support the forcefields and which could not.

The tests took a little over month. The researchers drilled holes for sunlight to pass through and set up a barrier with a different host under each hole. They then retreated far underground and waited for the day to pass. At night, they would wear space suits with cooling liquid running through it to check on the host materials, replacing any failed ones and recording the survival time of the successful ones.

Finally, after over a month of waiting only a few materials were left. A few experimental ceramic materials were left. And only one of them looked to be nearly unscathed. Next, a barrier wide ultraviolet filter was developed to protect the people inside. Trying different gasses and concentrations, the researchers finally found a combination that could imitate the ozone layer of the past while still being breathable for humans without causing health issues. The researchers jumped with joy and hastily left back to the mobile city tunnel.

Getting back to their research facilities, the researchers made plans to produce the first large scale gravity generator and a huge amount of the successful ceramic material to conduct a final city sized scale experiment on the surface.

Production of the two started almost immediately after the researchers revealed the results. Most people didn’t expect the researchers to come back at all, much less with results that could possibly save the entire race.

The creation of the generator took longer than expected and but finished without issues 1 year after it started, by that time the production of the ceramics had long finished with nearly 3 times as much as was originally planned.

The final preparations were finished and the research team as well as a surprising number of individuals willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good volunteered to head to the surface with the researchers to conduct the final test that had the potential to save the race.

Two months after departure the generator was set up underground and the host was hauled into position to be connected to the barrier. The generator was moved to the surface on a mobile platform at midnight and the special anti-UV gas was spread in the barrier. All the researchers and volunteers could do after that was wait and pray for success.

As the morning sun rose over the horizon the researchers and volunteers felt the temperature rise drastically. After merely seconds 25 C, 27 C, 31 C, 35 C, and then it stopped rising. Throwing a small, heavy-duty thermometer outside from one of the holes leading to the surface from underground resulted in a temperature reading of nearly 1800 degrees Celsius. The temperature inside the barrier reached 35 degrees Celsius and rose no more. The researchers congratulated each other and the volunteers cheered and clapped, overjoyed with the results.

A year later the signs of the first mobile city, protected by the new forcefield, could be seen ploughing its way through a cave way too small for the behemoth. The mobile cities were constructed underground, made from the remains of the giant tunnelling machines used to make the tunnels around the world.

When the first mobile city finally made its way out of its earth prison all the citizens cheered at the sight of the sun. Most had been born underground and didn’t know what the sun was, some had been told about it by past generations and some survived long enough to see the human race descend underground as small children.

After the first mobile city, the rest followed. Creating generators and ceramic hosts. Making their way to the surface. Civilisation was beginning to rebuild itself from the scorched, glassed and melted ground up.

And so, after another hundred years, mobile cities were deconstructed and stripped for parts in favour of regular stationary cities.

Nuclear fusion was also made possible thanks to the genius of the group of scientists who managed to harness the incredible power of gravity to create a stable and almost indestructible forcefield.

They then discovered that although safe and stable nuclear fusion was thought to be impossible on earth, if contained within a tiny forcefield it could be used to produce immense amounts of energy. Thanks to this group, power became almost infinite.

The newly established cities thrived on the ruined planet thanks to the barriers and fusion generators. New additions to the population were given a choice: learn and work in the labs to help better mankind or train and become a farmer. Farming had become one of the most important jobs on the surface. All food was being produced by farmers. Crop and animal farms were the only ways of acquiring food on the planet, and so it became vital that all farms are always full of workers to keep up with the growing population.

Now on the first day of the year 3286, over 1000 years after the resurfacing of the humans, technology had advanced far thanks to the almost inexhaustible power of nuclear fusion. Everything that needed any other type of fuel was replaced with nuclear powered versions. Space exploration flourished thanks to the forcefields and many new planets were found and colonised. However as of yet no alien races have been found. Medicine was also one of the core research fields, prolonging human life, cryogenic sleep, preventing and curing diseases and curing cancers. Most of the population could live to nearly 300 years old if they so choose.

It was supposed to be a normal day like any other. Wake up in the morning, around 7 because later would mean being late. Wait for the automated butler to finish his breakfast, buttered toast with a sunny side up egg, before taking a quick shower and heading to work on the newly acquired fusion powered motorbike.

After waking up Daniel felt a strange sensation, like that gut feeling that something bad was going to happen. A quite almost inaudible whisper, speaking words of a disaster the world had yet to experience.

Daniel, since young, decided he would be a researcher. Hoping to be like one of the heroes who saved humanity not with swords and strength like in ancient stories but with genius and perseverance. He loved learning new things. He wanted to know how everything worked and why it worked. How it did what it was made to do and how it was made. He would spend days on end disassembling and assembling everything he could get his hangs on.

As soon as he could choose he chose to learn and become a researcher and scientist. The world had never seen a person like him, repeating school 7 times to complete every course the school had to offer.

Before starting university, he volunteered for an experimental procedure of having a memory chip installed and connected to his brain to help him store and sort more information.

After the successful procedure, he went on to repeat 3 years of university 12 times and then on to complete a degree in each of the 12 subjects. Finally, at the age of 130, James was accepted as a core member of a research and development team researching new ways of storing huge amounts of energy.

Many of the researchers were well over 100 years old and had been part of the same team for over 30 years, working together to create the chip installed in Daniel’s head and many other advanced information storage and processing units.

Today, unlike normal, the sound outside didn’t sound like the usual sound of the city. The deep, quiet, steady hum of the forcefield generator and fusion generators was as always ever-present, however the usual sound of the city was not there. As if everyone in the city was still asleep, the streets were empty of the familiar buzz of hundreds of thousands of fusion powered vehicles. Noisy neighbours, silent as a mouse. Even the usually noisy school kids walking past his house to reach the school nearby couldn’t be heard.

(Did I suddenly go deaf or something?) thought Daniel as he threw off his covers and looked out of the window.

(Can’t be, I still hear the generators.) thought Daniel after concentrating on the familiar hum of the generators.

(What the hell is going on here?) Daniel quickly turned on the TV on the wall of his bedroom.

“We have recently received an update on the strange shockwave traveling through the universe. It appears to have passed the 74th colony planet not long after the message was sent and since it passed we have lost contact with the planet.” The news was on every channel, no matter where he looked it was always the same emergency broadcast.

The reporter looked quite shake as he delivered the news, probably knew more than he was allowed to say.

“The shockwave has caused us to lose communication with over 200 colony planets so far, yet we still do not know what caused the shockwave or how it is interfering with our communications…” the reporter looks down as he finishes his words.

“Screw this, they deserve to know in case we can’t stop it!” the reporter shouts to someone out of the view of the camera before turning back and looking straight at the camera.

“All the planets we lost contact with so far have been destroyed. That’s right the shockwave destroys everything it passes through, be it asteroids, ships, planets or even stars. Can you believe it? Its destroying stars like they weren’t there to begin with.” The reporters face sinks as he looks down.

“There goes the 3rd star ship fleet… and the 56th colony planet they were visiting. God this is horrible to watch.” The reporter takes out his earpiece and puts it on the desk before standing up and leaving.

The screen cuts to an automated message.

“The shockwave is estimated to arrive at Earth in approximately 7 hours and 28 minutes. All research personnel are requested to head to their work places. Instructions will be sent to the head of each facility.” The automated message finished with that and turned off. All TV channels remained on blank emergency broadcast standby screens.

Daniel rushed to his wardrobe to get dressed and rushed out of the door. On his motorbike, he reached the research facility in less than 20 minutes. As he stumbled through the door of the largest lab he found most of the researchers sitting in front of a computer screen.

“What’s going on?” asked Daniel looking at everyone one after the other. Terry the head researcher in charge of the facility. David, Terry’s younger brother. Jack, the oldest one of the team, nearing 260. Laura, Jack’s wife. Chloe, David’s crush.

Everyone turned from the screen to Daniel and Terry spoke dryly.

“Unless you can come up with something stronger than graphene on the fly then this is one mission we are not completing.”

“Ooh. Well how about just stacking loads of graphene sheets together. We tried that once, right? It withstood the explosion of a fusion generator no problem, right?” Daniel said hopeful of at least a semi positive answer.

“Whatever we set as a host has to be one solid object. Layers will only act as backups instead of sharing the load.” Terry shot down the idea straight away.

“Maybe…” *BEEP**BEEP* Chloe was interrupted by a loud alarm. Everyone looked at the screen once again.

[7 hours till shockwave impact]

A big red warning message showed up right in the middle of the screen.

“Well. It was nice knowing you and a pleasure working with you all.” Jack spoke before taking Laura’s hand and leaving towards the exit.

“See you later Old Man. Ill drop by later with that bottle like I promised you.” Daniel waved towards Jack as he left.

Terry spoke to the others.

“What about you guys?”

“I’m going to get drunk with Jack and Laura. See you guys later.” Daniel patted David’s shoulder and poked Chloe on the shoulder causing both of them to blush slightly.

Terry and Daniel laughed as Daniel left the facility, heading back home on his bike.

Once home Daniel searched through his kitchen looking for a very special bottle of alcohol. He found the bottle he was looking for in a collector’s case that could fall apart at any moment. The label on the bottle told anyone willing to read it what was so special about the alcohol.

The label read [1947 CHATEAU CHEVAL BLANC]

It was a bottle from before the collapse of the ancient world, kept and preserved by one of the rich collectors who got himself a place in one of the nuclear fallout shelters which later became a tunnel into the depths of the Earth. Daniel found it in the remains of an old mobile city that had been stripped of anything useful and left at the edge of the forcefield covering the new city site. Daniel had explored the entire mechanical beast, crawling into every corner he could get into. Eventually reaching the old engine room of the mobile city ruin, he found a huge safe. Spending a little over 3 days, he finally got inside.

The safe was completely empty save for a single metal pedestal in the middle. On this pedestal stood a very old, wooden case with a bottle in it. Daniel, being only 15 at the time, didn’t know what was so special about the bottle. However, considering the measures used to protect it he thought it must be something special.

After bringing the bottle home to his parents, he was told the bottle contained alcohol and judging from the date on the label it came from a time before the planed turned into an uninhabitable burned rock.

Daniel was praised for finding a priceless artefact of the past civilisation and was given the choice of selling the bottle for more credits than he could possibly spend in his lifetime, or keep the bottle.

Being the curious cat he was, Daniel decided to keep the bottle. He would save the bottle for what he thought would be the most important event in his life, his wedding day.

However, the universe seemed to have other plans and now the planet had less than 6 and a half hours to live.

Daniel took the bottle and got back on his bike. On the way to Jack’s house he thought of all the cute girls that wanted to go out with him in his first years of university. Now he would die as Earth’s oldest and smartest virgin. At least he could drink the wine with a friend before the end.

Reaching Jack’s house, Daniel noticed Jack and Laura sitting at a small, round table on the front porch. On the table were three large wine glasses and an empty chair stood in front of the two already sitting and waiting.

“Sorry for the wait, it took me a while to find it.” Daniel raised the bottle in the air.

“No problem. I wouldn’t mind waiting a little more to get some of that.” Jack replied with a smile on his face, eyes glued to the bottle.

“Dear me. There he goes again. Daniel, please don’t let him have too much.” Laura spoke softly as she looked at Jack’s smile. The same smile he had at the new year’s party, at which he managed to get so drunk he went into full old man mode and started telling long, boring stories about his research.

Daniel laughed as he set the bottle down on the table and sat down.

“This old fossil probably won’t survive the first glass.” Said Daniel with a smirk while looking at Jack.

“I’ll show you, I may be old but this corpse still has some fuel left in the old generator.” Shouted Jack as he grabbed the bottle and opened it.

As soon as the bottle was opened, a strong sweet smell filled the surroundings.

“This is going to be good.” Jack muttered as he filled all 3 wine glasses.

6 hours later Jack, Laura and Daniel took the last sips of the leftovers of the wine.

“And then… and then…and I told them you have to merge the three fields if they want to make it work.” Jack stuttered after putting the glass back on the table.

“But…but you… you said that they… did something else too.” Daniel struggled to speak.

“Sshh. He’ll get to it eventually.” Laura spoke quietly, almost whispering with half closed eyes while leaning her head on Jack’s shoulder.

Daniel nodded his head and continued to listen to Jack.

“So I… I… I told them, if you want this to work you either do that or install multiple hosts into different force transfer modules and have different hosts take each different force.” Jack continued.

“That’s brilliant. Amazing Jack I didn’t know you were the one that came up with that method.” Daniel praised while his eyes started to close.

“Let’s go and sleep for a awhile shall we? I think we’re all sleepy from the alcohol.” Laura suggested while getting up and dragging Jack and Daniel up from their chairs.

Pulling both of them into the house she set Jack in his favourite armchair, then turning to Daniel she found him curled up on the fluffy carpet. Laura chuckled and went to sleep on the couch.

Just 10 minutes after the drunk trio fell asleep, the shockwave passed Earth. Everything it touched simply disintegrated into nothing. Earth had ceased to exist and all life on the planet vanished with it.