The Unraveling

Witness an alternate timeline in which the tension of the Cold War escalated far beyond control, resulting in an event now referred to as "The Unraveling" by the few survivors. In the late 20th century, an underground nuclear project, codenamed "Cerberus," sought to create a weapon of such devastating power that its existence would bring an end to all global conflicts. In 1986, a test detonation of the Cerberus device resulted in an unprecedented and catastrophic disaster. Scientists had gravely underestimated the weapon's quantum-physical effects. The explosion triggered a subatomic chain reaction that began to unravel the very atomic fabric of the Earth. Within mere hours, the reaction spread globally, disintegrating everything it touched. The Earth's surface was engulfed in fire and shockwaves before breaking down at a molecular level, culminating in the complete obliteration of the planet. The inhabitants of an international colony on the Moon had front-row seats to this shocking spectacle. They could only watch in silent horror as the Earth, their home, was wiped from existence. With the disappearance of Earth, its gravitational anchor, the Moon was flung into space, carrying the last of humanity with it. This calamity led the idealistic scientists, astronauts and cosmonauts who survived on the lunar colony to make a solemn pledge to abandon all weapons of mass destruction forever. In their wandering, lunar exile, these remnants of humankind became unified in a quest for a peaceful existence while relentlessly searching the cosmos for a new home and a chance to start again. Created with MidJourney, Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, and Topaz Photo AI.