Deep in the forest, where the tree limbs grew tangled and knobby and the ground beneath was invisible for the rotten leaves covering the earth, lay an old spear, half buried in the silt and grime. It had lain there since ages past, and still it was doomed to be until the iron shaft was rusted to the dark color of the dead compost surrounding it; slowly sinking beneath the eyes of the sun…
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The ancient building rose hagardly above the thoroughfare, like an old woman who had given up fighting against the encroaching rust and was merely waiting for the day when her collapse was iminent. Sergeant Brian Lodwin peered at it through the haze of heat waves mixing with the setting sun. It wasn’t too different from the thousands of other buildings he had seen in the area. After all, this barren wasteland was once a major metropolitan city, home to those who sought out the warmth and dryness of the west desert sun. Phoenix, it was called, after some fabled sun-bird capable of resurrecting itself.

Withdrawing a spraycan of blue paint, the Sergeant sighed heavily and stooped to draw the obligatory blue ‘X’ on the wall near the ground. Now, this building was marked and he could move on to the next. This mission was only about halfway done… 70 more square miles and he would be free to return to his hub and relax for a week, or until his next assignment. Maybe then he could go home to his space-city of Marplor and visit Natasha. She was always glad to see him, and though they may not ever be anything serious, he enjoyed their rendevous.

‘Snap,’ he barked suddenly. A whir of sounds buzzed around his knees and an electronic voice sounded.
‘Yes, sir.’
‘Snap, scout out the next building with a base square footage over 3000.’
‘Right away, sir.’ The mechanized robot dog closed its eyes, appearing to concentrate, and started away to the east. The Sergeant could hear the hard steel claws scraping on the decomposing cement of the overgrown parking lot.

Stark skeletons of once giant queen palm trees stood in contrast against the brilliant light of the red sun, casting long spindly shadows across the landscape. Time to stop for the night, it was, just as soon as Snap located the next building for inspection.

‘Here sir, I have located the next building.’ The voice sounded from the pad on Brian’s wrist. ‘50 yards to the left of your position. I await your next directions.’
‘Load down, Snap. I will be there shortly.’ Following the directions, Brian …..

(to be continued..)