"Countdown" is a companion story to "Departure." Andreada is only 20 and looking forward to the second half of her life before she has to step through the portal into the unknown. She's young, in love with Navine, and leads the typical care-free life of those who reside in the city. After a terrible mistake, she is left with only two choices: step into the Justice portal reserved for criminals and misfits, or flee to The Bower district, a lawless...

Twenty-three years ago, the 'Bulls' appeared in orbit and destroyed Earth's infrastructure in less than ten seconds. These days, the alien invaders aren't as much of a problem as the surviving humans are. Evan Greggs learns that things aren't always as bad as they seem, but sometimes the choices to be made are as murky as they are difficult when it comes to living on The Farm, a community of survivors near the Cascade Mountains in central Oregon. When...