The unnatural gloom that had blanketed the Western Hemisphere began to lift, slowly, tentatively, as the last of the Krill 54th Battlefleet's crippled vessels vanished into the void. In cities across the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, and Argentina, a collective, ragged roar of cheers erupted from streets and makeshift shelters. People stumbled out, blinking against the returning sunlight, embracing strangers, tears of relief and sheer exhaustion streaming down their faces. The air, still thick with the acrid scent of ozone and burning metal, felt lighter.
"They're gone! They're actually gone!" a woman sobbed in downtown Rio de Janeiro, clutching her two children to her chest, her voice choked with overwhelmed disbelief.