Free The Earthrise Trilogy by Colin Owen

was brown. Planet Earth looked dead.
    After what seemed like a very long time, and still lying on the floor, Steve began to speak slowly. "We're all that's left...It's all gone."  
    "Listen everyone!" Clare said, clapping her hands to break the spell. "Listen! Everyone we knew on Earth is probably dead, either from the bombs or the virus. We must realise that man's stupidity has destroyed the earth, along with all of humanity, except for us. We are the stars in humanity's crown, the only shining light in all of this madness...The one thing that speaks well of the human race. Let's stop looking there, and begin to look here. This is now our home, there's no going back," and with a little chuckle she added, "we are the men in the moon."  
    Steve joined in, "Let's all get some sleep, it's been a long day. Tomorrow we will see what General Hammond really meant by Lunar Ark."
    Slowly, and stiffly, folk began to get up off the floor and wander back to their apartments. Steve and Clare where the last to leave, they were walking slowly, arm in arm when Steve began to sing. "Vinkle Vinkle Starlabs star how I w..." He couldn't finish it, crying would not let him.

Chapter Seven

    Chapter 7.  

     
    Lark

    It was late next morning when Steve opened his eyes. "What time is it?" Clare asked.  
    "It's almost noon." He answered.  
    "Funny how traumatic things really take it out of you," she said, "I haven't been up this late since I was a kid. Do you really think they're all dead?"  
    "I expect so," Steve replied, "the only way for anyone to have survived that, would be for the radiation to kill off the virus, and as you well know, a virus is much better at adapting to its surroundings than man. There may be pockets of life down there, but I don't give much for their chances."  
    "It seems such a waste; all that life, gone." Clare said.  
    "Then it's up to us to see to it that it's not wasted, we must preserve all that we can."
    Everyone else seemed to have had a lie in too. When Steve and Clare arrived at the main hall, there were still some folks missing.  
    "While we are waiting for the stragglers," Steve said, "today we are going to open up Lark. I have the access codes here on this tag." He held it up to show them. "Is everybody here?" he asked, and receiving affirmative nods and grunts, so he set off to the part of the main dome that was against the cliff face. On typing in the codes the huge steel doors swung open.  
    "Everybody in," he cried, walking into the enormous lift. "Are we all in? Good." He pushed the only button. The huge doors closed and the lift descended far below the crater floor.  
    It took several minutes to reach the bottom, and when they did, the huge doors opened automatically. They were facing a steel wall with double doors that had the letters, LARK, written across them in deep blue. Steve led the way to the double doors and entered yet another code, the doors opened, and they were greeted with a rush of fresh air blowing in their faces.  
    Beyond the doors was a control centre, much like the one above, in the base, but this one had a panoramic window that gave visual access to an immense cavern. Bill hit the lights, and there before them was the most incredible sight: fields of grass growing under artificial lights, acres and acres as far as could be seen, and on the grass, all kinds of farm animals were grazing. Herds of them.  
    "I don't believe this," Clare said, "how could this be possible Steve, how?"  
    "Hammond said they were shipping stuff up here for years. I guess he meant it."  
    "There's more." Bill said. "If you look at this plan you'll see there are several different sections to Lark."  
    He was right, this was the farming level, there was also a botanical level. "That'll be me then," Clare said.  
    Bill went on, "There is a power level, and a water level. There is even a spare level to accommodate anything we might come up with in the future."  
    Somehow, that word future had