Time Traveling Hero

Once more, I felt an almost overwhelming sense of vertigo as we were transported through time (although it didn't feel like forever this time, since the author is actually writing consistently) before I collapsed onto my knees, gasping for air.

"Ugh, I thought you said it got easier Anna…"

"Anna never specified how fast it takes to get used to it."

"I-I can't even retort to that…" I said, managing to get back to my feet. There were two things I first noticed; that it was now ȯbsċėnėly hot, the temperature spiking at least 30 degrees Fahrenheit, although it was probably closer to 40; the other thing being…

"Why the hell is it so bright all of a sudden? I can't even see my own two hands!"

"You'll get used to it soon kid." I heard a familiar voice nearby, and I turned to it, squinting at them. "Anyway, can you walk? I gotta show you something."

"Uh, yeah, I can walk, but what's the matter Roberto?"

While I couldn't see him, I most definitely felt the eye roll. "Just follow my voice already. The rest of you prepare for the mission!"

"Yes sir!" I heard the rest of them walk away to an unknown destination, before Roberto sighed.

"Follow me."

I hesitated, still unable to fully see anything. "I swear if you're leading me off a cliff, I'll haunt you by making sure you trip every 100 steps."

I slowly walked forwards, following the sounds of his footsteps in front of me. The ground underneath me felt solid enough, although I could feel a grainy substance as I continued to walk.

"Hey, seriously, I'm not blind now or anything right? Although that could mean I'm about to be one of those badass blind folks like in anime, so maybe this isn't such a bad thing?"

"Seriously? I honestly don't get you sometimes. Anyway, you're not going blind, it's just a side effect of the atmosphere. Your eyes should be fine in a couple seconds."

Wait, side effect? Before I could think about it further, I heard his footsteps stop.

"We're here."

I stopped as my eyes slowly started to focus, blinking to try to deal with the brightness of the area.

I was on a roof of a dilapidated building, close to the edge of it, but that wasn't what was important.

The important thing, was what my newly adjusted eyes tried to deny, what my brain didn't want to process, and yet, it did so anyway…

It was, for preciseness and conciseness's sake, a wasteland. .

Sand covered everything the eye could see. Sunken buildings buried in sand, sand dunes, even the very air itself was filled with sand; no, that wasn't exactly right, was it?

It wasn't that the entire world was filled with sand, it was filled with the particles of everything humanity had created over the millions of years. Metal dust, rust, sand, and rocks (oddly enough, not glass though) filled the land, covering everything, pulling it downwards as if trying to eat away at humanity's accomplishments, trying to erase that we were ever here.

The concoction of grainy material eradicated all hope of life; there were no trees, no grass, no fauna or flora to speak of, and certainly no water. It was an arid, dry, hot wasteland as far as the eye could see. The only building not taken over by the wasteland seemed to be the one we were at, although it seemed to be leaning ever so slightly to the right, to the point where it was almost unnoticeable.

"Every time I come here, I always take a long, hard look. Everything that humanity accomplished, whether in the past, present, and even future, all of it leads to this outcome." Roberto sighed, leaning against the railing. "Seeing this truly humbles a person, regardless of what they believe in. Believing that something like this is bound to happen and seeing it with one's eyes are two completely different things.

"People turn into sniveling messes, go into denial, lose hope, fall into despair, and break from seeing this hellscape. It's not easy, nor is it easy to believe, but what you see in front of you is the culmination of humanity's 'accomplishments.' It's almost laughable, although quite a few people do laugh at this, long after they've broken, losing their will to live, and giving into despair.

"But for those select few, who don't lose sight of that hope, who feel something beyond the overwhelming despair, who still wish to do something, it is those people who become stronger for it. Doesn't matter what emotion you might feel, so long as it overpowers that feeling of despair." Roberto glanced back at me before starting to walk.

"You can explore the place as much you like with that Model of yours; she should know how far out you can go. When you return, hopefully you'll have found the emotion that pushes you away from the brink of despair." He patted me on the shoulder before walking away.

I simply stared off into the distance, watching the grainy concoction shave away at the remnants of human civilization.

"Master, are you ready?" As if on cue, Anna showed up next to me, trying to get a look at my expression.

I nodded, turning away from her.

"Very well, let us be off then." I followed her into the building, where more of the grainy concoction was layered heavily across the rooms. The rooms themselves had nothing to offer, having long been degraded away by time.

The stairs we went down were still in surprisingly good shape and were made of a different material than what the walls and floors were made of, although what material they were made of, I couldn't tell at the moment. Soon, we reached the bottom, which seemed to be where our little base of operations would be at. Holographic screens were put up around the place, with various information about the mission. Weapons and other essentials were laid out on some old boxes, made from the same material as the stairs. The only thing strange about our base was the people, or the lack thereof.

"Everyone is getting briefed by the squadron leader Master," Anna said, "But Anna will brief Master on the mission while we explore."

I nodded, and we continued our way outside into the dusty wasteland.

The wasteland looked far worse up close than it did from above, although I probably should've figured that.

It has hotter on the ground, probably because of the dust particles blowing about, condensing the heat. And considering how there are no clouds in the sky, I have to ȧssume there's little to no water.

"Does Master have a specific place Master wants to go?"

I looked around the place, seeing mostly crumbled pieces of buildings everywhere before I noticed something that immediately caught my attention.

Anna caught me looking and stared in the direction I was looking at. "Ah, let us go there first."

It was about a 10-minute walk, but it felt like hell the entire time due to how harsh the environment was. I couldn't even be certain that breathing in the air was even safe.

Before I could think about it further, we had arrived at our destination. It's honestly surprising how I hadn't noticed this before, seeing how it was the only piece of greenery around. What was more surprising than that, however, were how many there were.

"Anna was shocked when Anna saw them for the first time as well. No one knows how it happened, nor why it is here, but it is nice, right Master?"

I stared at the giant hand, sprouting out from the ground. Now, that wouldn't be unusual, but the strangest part is that the hand was made entirely of a rose bush. Red roses dappled the hand, as it reached out towards the sky, clenching something in its hand, although what it was clenching has long been lost to erosion. It didn't help the hand was massive, probably about the size of a fast-food restaurant, but what was even more surprising were the sheer number of them. They littered the landscape everywhere, and from just what I could see, there were about 50 of them (although there were probably more), all doing the same thing.

I continued to stare at the hand made of roses, before noticing something else.

In the corner of my eye, I could see steam rising in the distance, and without missing a beat, I tore my eyes away from the hand and started to walk again.

"Master…" Despite the emotionless tone, even I could tell what was on her mind, but I couldn't let it distract me just yet.

I clicked my tongue, quickly realizing what this was.

"This is an oil well Master," Anna said, as we peered down into the sinkhole together. At the bottom was bubbling black oil, the cause of the rise in temperature. "There are many like it during this time."

I nodded, deciding to scan the area once again, looking for something specific this time. Anna noticed me looking towards the east and shook her head.

"If Master Hiro is looking for the sea, then Master has already found it. Master has probably already suspected this, but there is no water left in the future. The topography has changed immensely as well, hence why Master doesn't see the mountains anymore. What happened to the mountains and sea is beyond the knowledge of our organization however."

I could only stare out into the wasteland in front of me, the feelings I had been keeping at bay starting to emerge. I gritted my teeth, before taking a deep breath.

"Master?"

I exhaled slowly, before looking over at Anna. Her yellow eyes had focused in on my face, wavering just underneath the surface of her usual emotionless expression.

"I'm alright Anna, let's head on back."

"Alrighty then, let us go Master." I watched her walk ahead before I followed behind, letting all the feelings wash over me.

Burn it Hiro.

Burn this imagery in your memory, for as long as you need too.

Burn it well and good, let these emotions carry your resolve well.

And as much as I was loath to admit, the emotion that carried me through the brink of despair was not the one you would think.

It wasn't fear.

It wasn't happiness.

It wasn't sadness.

It wasn't anger, and it certainly wasn't love.

No, the emotion I felt, viewing this scenery, was one I don't want to admit.

I'll keep this emotion locked, so no one may know.

But…

I glared at the wasteland around me, letting out a small growl.

I swear, I will stop this from occurring, no matter what it takes.

This, I swear from the bottom of my heart, from the emotion that is locked away, from the very depths of my resolve.

This, I swear.

---------------------------

I watched the two walk away, only recognizing the one with silver hair.

"She found a partner then? Well, that doesn't matter. Judging from his outfit, they must've finally found a new Hero."

I took the lollipop out of my mouth, standing in the glassless window.

"It also seems he doesn't have that as well. Do they really think they can get me with such pathetic odds?" I put the lollipop back in my mouth, letting the taste roll over my tongue before I broke it apart with my teeth.

"At the very least, it'll prove my worth to those in the ATF."

I let out a grin, letting the stick fall back into my hands.

"Let's see how well you do, Hero."