Guardians of the New Eden

  The wind whispered through the towering pines as Ranger Jonathan Rook surveyed the tranquil scene before him. A herd of cloned bison grazed peacefully in the distance, their massive forms slowly moving across the sprawling meadow. The landscape stretched out before him—a vast stretch of preserved land, a ten-mile-wide corridor of true wilderness that had been carefully restored over the past few decades. It was one of thousands of such areas across the globe, a testament to humanity's ability to heal the planet, despite the damage inflicted on it.

  Jonathan adjusted the lenses of his holovision drone, making sure the camera captured the scene in perfect clarity. Millions of people across the world would be watching this footage—people who would never set foot inside these protected zones but could experience the wilderness from the safety of their own homes. It was a strange and humbling thought, knowing that what he did in the field would never be fully understood by the majority of humanity.

  "Another quiet shift, Rook?" came the voice of his partner, Mara Tenzing, crackling through the comm-link. She was monitoring the perimeter from her own post, located twenty miles south, a quiet stretch of land that led into a densely forested region where the wildlife thrived.

  "Looks like it," Jonathan replied. "The fence is secure, and the bison are thriving. The wolves have finally re-established their pack hierarchy, and even the eagles are back in full force."

  "I saw that," Mara said, her voice tinged with excitement. "Two golden eagles hunting together. First confirmed sighting in over a hundred years. It’s like something out of a dream."

  Jonathan smiled to himself. He could hear the wonder in Mara's voice, a feeling that mirrored his own. "We did something right," he said quietly, more to himself than to his partner.

  The scene in front of him was beautiful—unspoiled and pristine, a piece of the world that had been lost and then reclaimed. It was hard to imagine that just a few decades ago, this landscape had been a wasteland. The bison that now roamed freely had been on the brink of extinction, as had so many other species that had once dominated the earth. But thanks to the relentless efforts of geneticists and conservationists, these creatures had been cloned from preserved DNA samples, reintroduced to their native habitats, and allowed to repopulate in their natural environments.

  Of course, not everyone was thrilled with the program. There were vocal critics who argued that cloning animals was a hollow attempt at conservation, a way to artificially recreate nature rather than allowing it to evolve and grow on its own. They claimed that the cloned species, though genetically identical to their ancestors, were somehow tainted—products of science rather than the result of natural processes.

  But Jonathan had seen the progress with his own eyes. The bison, once relegated to history books, now roamed freely across the plains. The wolves had established their packs once again, their howls echoing through the valleys. The rivers were cleaner, the forests fuller, and the air richer than it had been in centuries.

  Just then, a sharp alert flashed on Jonathan's wrist screen, pulling him from his reverie. A red light blinked on the display, indicating an unauthorized drone had entered restricted airspace. Jonathan frowned, his mind already working through the possibilities.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "Got an unregistered drone at Grid 217," he said, tapping his wrist to pull up the exact location. "Probably some holovision pirate trying to get exclusive footage. They’ll pay for it in views, but they’re breaking the rules."

  "Want me to intercept?" Mara asked, her voice steady but tinged with the hint of a smile. Mara had always enjoyed the rare opportunity to handle situations like this. She was a perfectionist, and taking down a rogue drone was a small but satisfying victory in a job that often felt monotonous.

  Jonathan considered it for a moment. The wilderness preserves were a hotbed for interest, a glimpse into a world that had nearly vanished from the Earth. Most people were content to view the spectacular landscapes through their holovision screens, where they could observe without interrupting. But there were always a few who couldn’t resist trying to get a closer look, even if it meant breaking the rules.

  "I’ll handle it," Jonathan decided, his tone firm. He hopped onto his solar-powered ATV and gunned the engine. The vehicle hummed to life, its electric motor gliding through the terrain with minimal disturbance to the surroundings. Jonathan cut through the trees, expertly maneuvering the vehicle over rough patches of ground, his eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of the rogue drone.

  Within minutes, he spotted it—an unmarked drone hovering over a newly restored wetland area. The small, sleek machine was clearly trying to capture footage of the pristine environment, but it was hovering just a little too close to a delicate section of the wetland, putting the restoration efforts at risk.

  Jonathan tapped a series of commands into his wrist console. The drone’s engines sputtered and died, and it began to plummet toward the ground. With a soft thud, the machine landed in a small thicket of brush, its rotors still spinning lightly as it came to a stop.

  He approached cautiously, crouching down to retrieve the drone. He opened up the small compartment on the underside of the machine and accessed the log to identify the owner. A sigh escaped his lips when he saw the name listed there.

  "It’s from a school," Jonathan muttered. "Looks like some kids tried to get a closer look at the wildlife."

  Mara chuckled through the comm-link. "Can’t blame them for being curious. We grew up with this job, Jonathan. They didn’t get to see what we’ve seen. They’ve only known the world as it is now. To them, the wilderness is something out of a fairytale."

  Jonathan sighed again. He couldn't argue with that. He remembered when he was a child, before the restoration programs had begun, when the world outside the cities had been little more than a barren wasteland. To young people like the ones who had sent the drone, the wilderness was something mythical—an idealized version of the world that they had never experienced.

  "I’ll send them a warning and some official footage," Jonathan said, shaking his head. "Let them see what they wanted, without the rule-breaking."

  Mara hummed in agreement. "It’s amazing, isn’t it? We almost lost everything. But now look around us. The air, the water, the animals—it’s all better than it’s been in centuries."

  Jonathan gazed out at the horizon, where a flock of cranes was silhouetted against the sky. They were flying in a formation, their wings beating in perfect synchrony as they followed their ancient migratory path. The sight took his breath away. He never tired of seeing such moments—the return of species that had once been lost forever.

  Man had nearly destroyed the natural world. There was no denying that. But against all odds, they had managed to rebuild it, to breathe life back into the earth. It was a future no one had expected, but one Jonathan was proud to help protect. And as long as he could, he would stand guard over it, ensuring that the mistakes of the past never repeated themselves.

  He sent the drone's owner a message, attaching a selection of official footage that would allow the students to see what they had come for—without the cost of violating the rules. As he secured the small machine in his pack, he took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp, clean air. For the first time in centuries, nature had a chance to thrive again—and he would do everything in his power to make sure it stayed that way.