Lauren was awakened by a loud squeaking noise. Her robot, Lex, rolled into the room. Lex had been their first robot and Lauren had always preferred him to the sleek newer versions. Maybe he didn't have the capacity to travel at 110 MPH while carrying a child safely in his arms, but who cares? To Lauren, he had always been at least as good as the others,

He stood about four feet tall, a ball of silky metal atop the square tin can holding the computer which operated him. Underneath were the whining wheels that swiveled around to face the direction he was travelling. A cheerful smile protruded from the round head, but today Lauren thought she saw anxiety in the painted face.

"Good morning, time to get up," came the deep monotone. Lauren sighed and disentangled herself from the twisted sheets. Today is the day, she remembered, as metal claws tugged her blankets into order. Her brush slipped through her hair as she gazed into the mirror. Lauren's stomach went through an olympic floor routine when she realized it would be for the last time. Slowly, without turning back, she stepped into the transport system and was downstairs.

Her family was already there, waiting. Lauren braced herself between her mother and sister on the comforting couch. She held her youngest brother tightly to her chest as her father flicked a switch activating the computer screen in front of them. Everyone stared at the robot tirelessly reciting current news from Earth, the Lunar colony on the moon, and Mercutio, the only established city on Mars. They huddled together during report after report on pollution-poisoned water, cities being evacuated because of high radiation levels or toxic air, and starvation in overpopulated areas.

It was time.

Lauren shuddered and turned away, her eyes passing over the dusty window. A dark cloud covered the sun from view. Lauren's generation had never actually seen the sun. They felt lucky when occasionally the clouds became a light grey haze. A clear blue sky was only a myth from the past. The ground was completely covered by cement. Two even rows of boxed dwellings stretched on as far as Lauren could see. To Lauren, the outside had always been this way. She remembered a time when her great-grandmother had explained to her how she had grown flowers in her back yard. Now, the only plants were raised for food in supervised greenhouses, unopen to the public in order to keep away contamination. Lauren had sometimes gazed at pictures but she had never seen a living flower.

Yes, it was definitely time.

It had taken years for this day to come. Many still opposed the decision, but they were now a minority. At first, it was considered a crazy idea, people had laughed, but as time passed the opposition shrunk.

Suddenly the screen flashed and the Supreme President of the Solar System began his speech. Lauren's sister began to cry. Tears streamed as the family clutched together for comfort. Doubt screamed through Lauren's brain and she squeezed her brother.

The President spoke calmly, congratulating the human race on their decision. He continued soothingly and Lauren knew that it had started. The outside dimmed smoothly. Panic and regret invaded the depths of her mind. An image of bright sun and sparkling water brought relaxation and soon Lauren was still.

Black mist swirled across the galaxy dissolving and changing substances.It painlessly put everything to sleep, and swept away man and its inventions, and the end finally came ... or maybe it was just the beginning. n