3 – Kepper and the Conversion

  After walking into the small dining room, I noticed the colorful and unfamiliar food on the table. Everyone had a small sampling on their plates, and there was one helping waiting for me.

  “So… what exactly is this stuff?” I asked.

  “A small salad,” Jess explained after munching down on a forkful of greens. “The leaves are lettuce. The orange things are carrots; the red balls are cherry tomatoes. And the roll next to it is bread. It’s a little old and dry, but still better than what most ever get.”

  I hoisted myself into the empty chair and joined in with the other six members, noticing that Ruby had put on a large coat of green fabric.

  “We used to eat this stuff a little more often before the attacks…” Ruby said. “It was expensive, but occasionally Dad would bring a carton home and we would go a night without nutriblocks. It’s been years since you’ve had it—but you have. It’s not compressed.”

  “Yeah, much better than the cubes or that crap pudding they push on you,” Sasha added as she looked over news articles on her tablet.

  I grabbed a glass of water and took several sips before trying out the small medley of raw vegetables. I grabbed the fork and pressed it straight through, crunching the leaves. When I raised my utensil, I had gotten three pieces of the lettuce, a carrot, and a small tomato. I looked over it for a moment, and then ate all of it in one bite.

  This food was watery. It had juices, and something else, something nostalgic. Biting into the meal gave me memories of when I was young. Then I remembered what that special something was: taste. Actual taste. A flood of sweetness overcame me, and I had to eat more.

  “Hey, slow down. Savor it, you know?” Ruby said with a smile.

  But it was so good… This food had texture. It had color. It had variety, and taste. It was only a matter of a couple minutes before my plate was empty. I never wanted to eat compressed food again.

  “Do you have any more?” I asked.

  “Afraid not,” Sasha replied. “We really broke out most of what we had left to celebrate Ruby’s success. Doesn’t last long, anyway.”

  “Destroying a weapons factory? That just sounds like a criminal act,” I blurted out. “But… I don’t know what you people do yet.”

  “We try to mitigate destruction,” Martin stood up and spoke to the group. “But we will do what is absolutely necessary. If taking a munitions factory offline will slow a conversion by even a day, we’ve had a success.”

  “A conversion?”

  Martin sighed. “Everyone, I think it’s time for a status update. But because we have a new member—er, guest, we’ll have to bring him up to speed. Well, actually, break him in may be a more suitable term. Vincent, I’m going to give you the facts straight. I’ll tell you what we know and what we have been doing. There’s still so much we have to find out, but what we have discovered in the past few months have been eye-openers to even us, who have come to expect the worst. Rupert, the projector?”

  “Oh,” Rupert looked up from his meal. “Yeah, sure, Boss.”

  He wiped his mouth, then took out a small computer from his pocket and tapped a few keys. The lights dimmed in the dining room, and a device from the center of the table began to emit a floating image. It was holographic—I had seen this sort of display used in the city before.

  “We are a group that works to reveal the truth about the Terra-Forces and the lies that sustain them,” Martin said as the screen displayed marching imperial soldiers. “A few years after the great peace, back around the Empire’s conception, they began operations on Mars. We don’t know why or how, but their ideals became… corrupted. And through some kind of massive military project, the Empire created the felile.”

  “The felile, sir?”

  He switched to a screen of large capsules in a lab, where sleeping humans were kept locked in small pods.

  “This is the only image we have from inside that place. The felile are the people that founded this entire movement. The Terra-Forces are slowly killing our world—the very planet that they were created to protect. We believe that they are somehow in league with our unknown alien foes, although they put that blame on us publicly. What we are unsure of is if the foreign invaders are even aware of this ‘alliance,’ but it’s evident that the Empire is doing little to protect us as the attacks grow stronger.”

  The screen switched to a city being ravaged by orbital beams, the buildings erupting into fireballs and the sky filled with a sickly haze.

  “After a set time, attacks on a certain city grow more and more common until its infrastructure is weak enough, and the people’s morale is low enough, that they can be easily manipulated into believing anything could protect them. We don’t know what happens inside a converted city, as we lose all contact with it. Do you know about New York City, Vince?”

  “Yes, it was shut down some time ago. They went under some kind of protection. That’s all they said over the network, though…”

  “Just a cover story, a simple explanation that says nothing. Major portions of New York were converted about two months ago. Its three forcefields were replaced by solid green shields. Any attempt to go through it or send or receive a radio signal is futile. The green is like nothing we had ever seen: a solid, impenetrable wall. We think that cities with a class-eight forcefield are all vulnerable—most of the major ones. We have operatives working all over the world trying to slow or at least identify the process, but it’s only a matter of time before it happens again. New York was first, and it looks like Chicago is next, but it’s too early to make out a solid pattern.”

  The screen went to a picture of one of these green forcefields surrounding an area of New York and Manhattan Island, where dark clouds loomed overhead. A solid stretch of green loomed behind emptied outlying suburban buildings. It was impossible to see inside.

  “Now the Empire’s trying to make us believe that the city has been placed on an indefinite ‘high alert’ stage in which no one is allowed to leave or enter, but we know otherwise. They want us to believe that they still get shipments of food and water, but that can’t possibly, physically be true. So what we do is disrupt imperial progress and push propaganda to the public via underground newspapers and tablet hotspot injection. We rarely get anyone to actually join, but we can usually make the public more wary and thoughtful, and perhaps get a few to leave the city before it’s too late.”

  Martin signaled to Rupert, who deactivated the holograph and turned the lights back on.

  “But it’s difficult. Too many people believe that the Terra-Forces are on their side, because they’re giving them so-called ‘protection’ from our enemies. That has a strong influence on them. And unfortunately, once a city is converted, there seems to be nothing we can do for those inside. We’ve done everything we possibly can for New York.”

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I had so many questions.

  “Oh, and about all of those ongoing Martian missions… they’re staged. They don’t really happen. In fact, there hasn’t been a rocket launch for years. That information was difficult to get hold of.”

  “Vince,” Ruby spoke up. “I’ve been working with this group for a year now. But it was only recently that my work here got so time consuming that I stopped going to the factory. I’m now loyal to these people… You see, knowing what I know now… I can’t go back.”

  I sat in my chair, motionless.

  “So… are you with us?” Martin asked me. “You will learn much more if you stay; we have only shown you the surface of everything.”

  “I… I don’t know. What could I even do?”

  “Don’t think you’re too young, or not strong enough to help. All it takes is some will and courage. We might one day know why your parents, and so many others, have had their lives destroyed because of this empire.”

  I’d be leaving my home forever, fighting against a million Terra-Force soldiers, risking my life every day, and perhaps… for nothing. If the Empire had this much power… what chance could a few stragglers stand against them? There was obviously much more to the Resistance. The six followers that occupied the room had to be backed by someone—by some larger group. Surely there was a place…

  “How strong are you—like, where’s the headquarters?” I asked.

  “Hm?”

  “The main place for the Resistance, the central operations area. Can you tell me? And… well, there is one, right?”

  “Supposedly in China, but none of us have been there, and only I have ever had contact with them—once. We don’t have any names, either. Everything is secretive, since we’ve had defectors who figure it’s worth the million for revealing a group, having their partners taken away forever. That is why we must be vigilant. I can truthfully tell you that there will be times that you feel like giving up and believing that hope, if there ever was any, is lost. But we’re friends before we’re soldiers, and we pull through together. Just keep in mind that there are never any promises. That’s all I can say.”

  I looked at Martin, breathed deeply, and gave him my answer.

  An hour after the meeting, I was looking through the small hideout to learn about the things the group had done and how they had lived while they’d been here. I gathered that the place was once a garbage-processing compound long ago that was later discovered by the Resistance and transformed into what it was now.

  I was tiredly poking around in Rupert’s vast array of computers and network cables when Ruby called from the entrance to the small dining room, “Hey, could you come in here for a minute?”

  “What is it?”

  “We just want to ask you a few questions.”

  “Oh… Yeah, okay.”

  I walked quietly into the room, where Ruby had just taken a seat near Martin and Rupert. The three kept their eyes on me as I slowly took a seat opposite the table. I was already quite nervous just looking at the setup, though I now knew that I was in something of a safe environment.

  “We would just like to know a few things about you,” Rupert said. “So we can understand… well, who you are.”

  “Ruby told us what you had to go through to get here,” Martin said. “Vince, you know, if you had stayed in that car, you would’ve been released. She would’ve been charged with kidnapping and endangerment, along with being a traitor to all of humanity of course, but you, a minor, would’ve gone free and put into a foster family. You’d have lost your sister, but you would continue living. If only, perhaps, for a little longer.”

  “Yes, but I wouldn’t have learned the truth.”

  “You believe us so quickly?”

  “Well…” I felt lost.

  “It’s okay,” Rupert said. “You were worried about Ruby. It’s familial love that brought you here—to make yourself a criminal and go through the pain of walking through a sewer with two broken legs. You wouldn’t have come if you thought you had all of the answers.”

  “I guess so.” I felt the capsule of pain relievers in my pocket.

  “So now that you’re here, what do you think you’re going to do?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe I’m here for the same reason Pelter is.”

  Martin explained, “He’s with us because he had no family, and we can’t find one for him here. That, and they could pull information from him easily if they knew he’s been with us.”

  “I guess I really don’t know why I’m here at all, then.”

  “Of course you wouldn’t—you’re still not sure what to make of any of us in the first place. But we could always use help, so what would you like to do? No task is too small.”

  “Could I ask some questions first?”

  “Yes, go ahead.”

  “Do any of you write the underground newsletter?”

  “No, but we contribute. The editors and writers don’t actually belong to the Resistance; they’re common people who write the paper in hiding after their public lives are over for the day. There are dozens of distributors, some of whom don’t even believe what we say, but do it for the money. And they’re the ones who get caught. Have you ever seen one?”

  “I think… once. Yeah, when I was younger. There was a man handing out some fliers. The police came and got him… I remember now. I could hardly read yet. I picked up one of the papers that had fallen into the street. A police officer grabbed it from me and put it in a box. A few minutes later, the scene was over with like it never happened.”

  “That’s typical—and it’s even worse for those caught now. We pay well and they know the risk. We simply send them an envelope once a week with the credits. That’s the only connection we have. They hand out papers from an alley and run off after a few minutes, or slip digital versions into magazine downloads at vendors that upload onto any tablet that gets near.

  “Pictures are hard to acquire; good ones more so. We’ve relied mostly on stories, but stories are often not enough to convince anyone. See, here’s the latest.” Martin pushed a scrap of plastic paper across the table.

  The paper was thin and light and had only one picture on it, of food being processed in a factory. But it had plenty of small text. The headline, near the Resistance icon of a blue creature with pointy ears and yellow eyes, read simply “NUTRIBLOCK LIES EXPOSED.”

  “This issue, for example, is about our ‘delicious’ provided supplements…” Rupert said. “It talks about how the Terra-Forces put chemicals in nutriblocks which affect the mind, to lull aggression.”

  “Does that really happen?”

  “It’s in the realm of possibility. We’ve often had to make up lies or half-truths. That’s how we make up for our lack of real information.”

  “If that’s all you can do, then it seems that this whole movement simply wouldn’t have that great of an influence…”

  “We want to do better, but it has had an effect. What we say is meant to stay in the back of the reader’s mind. If we’re successful, the reader may question quietly whether they’re telling the truth the next time the Terra-Forces make a bold statement on the network. That’s our goal.”

  “Does everyone here have a home? Or a job?”

  “Used to. When we found out Ruby had a brother, we were conflicted with what action we should take. Because she had to take care of you and leave the base often, we were concerned.”

  “I didn’t tell them at first…” Ruby said. “But I still wanted to help, too. I was thinking of our parents when I joined. Like Martin said earlier, I… I needed to find out why they died. I would never be able to let what happened to them rest through any legal means.”

  “Well, no offense but, with the exception of Martin, none of you look like soldiers,” I continued, just above a whisper.

  He laughed. “Ha. Thing is, this isn’t a war. We need fighters, not soldiers. Other groups are combat oriented, true, but ours is more covert. If I were in the military and had my choice, neither Jess nor Ruby would make the cut. But this isn’t an army. It’s like I said. We can all do something, no matter our background or beliefs. We find what we can do, and we do it well. In that way, everyone in my group has performed exceptionally.”

  “I see. I get what you’re saying… One last question. Why has the Resistance only been around for a few decades?”

  “Ah, that is the question, isn’t it?” Martin thought for a moment. “I guess you could say it took the efforts of the felile to open our eyes. Once we began searching, everything started to make sense…”

  I held off on asking what kind of people the felile were.

  “Everything is about to become so much more difficult for the two of us…” I sighed deeply.

  “This is no easy life, and there is no reward for merely surviving. But it’s our chosen path, and we must accept that there is no turning back.”

  “But what can I do?”

  “Are you willing to take the life of an imperial soldier? Or anyone for that matter? You are young, I know this cannot be an easy decision.”

  “If what you say is true… Then… Then I think our protectors are really just… They’re nothing more than mindless murderers.”

  “Unfortunately, you are probably right.”

  “If it means protecting those who need it, I’ll do whatever it takes.”

  “So just who are the felile?” I asked Ruby in the small bedroom that we were sharing together.

  “You should find out shortly, because we have one in our ranks. They’re a very unique race of people. Let’s keep it at that. But you have to earn their trust and respect. Most don’t think too highly of humans…”

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Humans? You mean—”

  “Yes, they aren’t the same race as we are. Not for the most part, at least. They’re the result of the Empire’s older experiments, and from what I’ve seen, they still hold a bit of a grudge for their very existence.”

  “Do you know when the first of these experiments took place?”

  “A long time ago. The felile spent much of their early days of life on Mars, undergoing changes and alterations to reach what their masters saw as perfection. But then they became self aware of their existence, their power, and their ability to think and act as individuals. That’s when they fought back and fled from the planet.

  “Apparently, one aspect of the Empire’s plans is to cover up the incident—maybe one of the reasons they stage launches to Mars, to feign progress, or act like there are still people there. We all have our different ideas, but I think that the Terra-Forces believed that the felile would attack Earth’s citizens in a rage. Time went by and they didn’t. By now, they’ve grown so numerous in population that a war, or other final conflict is inevitable. That event… could be coming soon.”

  “A war? Between human and… felile?”

  “Not quite. Any humans in the Resistance would be sworn to stand up against the Terra-Forces and fight alongside their felile brethren, or so goes the first code of the rebel movement they created. One thing’s for certain. When the Empire does decide to reveal the alien enemy, they’re going to make it the felile. All it would take is a simple news reveal, and any chances for them to be at peace with humans would be much tougher to achieve. It’s just a matter of time before—”

  There was a knock on our door. Ruby answered it to see Pelter.

  “Ms. Belfore, Kepper just returned… He has news.”

  “Oh, thank you. I’ll be out in a moment.”

  “Kepper?” I questioned.

  “Yeah, Kepper is about my age and works as a spy with us. He’s probably the last felile in Chicago, as well.”

  So this Kepper was a felile, and just a few years older than me? I instantly wanted to meet him and get a look at one of these people. Just a while ago, I didn’t even know the Resistance was started by another race.

  “I know you’ve never seen a felile, but treat him with respect, don’t ogle. He’s done us a great favor by staying with us these past few days.”

  I nodded. Ruby opened the door and walked through. I followed her back into the dining room and saw the other five members surrounding the last one of the group. So, this was a felile… What a sight. He was indeed not human. His body was thin and slender—I could see this even though he was dressed in a thick dark robe. And his skin was a strange bluish gray. I walked a little closer to get a better look.

  He was about Ruby’s height. His ears went upwards and ended in points. His eyes were wide, and his mouth and nose came out a bit. Two frontal teeth stuck out a little when he talked, but were concealed again when his mouth was closed. Upon further inspection, I saw that he was actually covered in a thin layer of dense hair. How odd. He resembled a creature I had seen before, a long time ago. I didn’t want to stare, so I looked away and sat down at one of the table’s chairs.

  He was very still. His movements were precise, and he spoke in a very to-the-point way. The five members, even Pelter, listened to him intuitively. He nodded for a moment, allowing the others to speak. Their faces held grim expressions as Ruby came over and sat next to me.

  “That’s a felile,” she whispered. “The outcome of an experiment older than our parents. They’d be human if it weren’t for a tiny one-percent genetic shift towards feline. Majestic, noble, agile fighters. They act noble, anyway—at least the few I’ve seen. Must also be the genetics. They’re better than any human with a plasma pike by a long shot; better reflexes. Except for raw power and stamina, they’re… simply physically superior to us.”

  The word “feline” didn’t mean anything to me, but I gave her a simple nod and continued to observe the discussion. After some time, Martin looked over at me, and the felile did so as well, giving me a small smile. He then came over and extended his hand, also covered in light, felty hair, with short claws for fingernails. I looked up and shook it.

  “Glad to meet you, Vincent,” he said quietly. “Your sister has told me all about you.”

  “Hello, sir,” I replied.

  “Please, you can call me Kepper,” he said with a chuckle.

  “Okay, Kepper. Glad to meet you.”

  “Greetings, Mr. Norhey,” Ruby welcomed jokingly with a curtsey.

  “Ah, glad to see you again, Lady Belfore,” he followed her act by bowing. “Dreadful weather this evening, I’m afraid.”

  So it looked like I didn’t have to treat him like he was vastly greater than myself. He was a friend, and only considered us as such.

  “I hope that your assignment went smoothly?”

  “Ah, yes…” Kepper’s smile dimmed. “Smoothly, yes. But the outlook… not so good. Despite our best efforts, I have reason to believe that Chicago will be converted tomorrow.”

  “Oh, no,” Ruby replied, putting a hand on her chest, whatever elation she felt also fading away. “No, we can’t be out of time already…”

  “The factory you hit likely only stalled them a day, unfortunately.”

  “The evidence all adds up, I’m sorry to say,” Martin added. “We’ve done all we can here, Ruby.”

  “I’ve gotten contact from Washington. Our network infiltrators there have intercepted communication about the conversion.”

  “If this information is from North America’s capital… That’s all we need to know.”

  “Should we leave immediately?” Sasha wondered.

  “No, not yet. First, we rest. The conversion process will probably begin in the morning. If they follow the trends we heard about in New York, it will begin with massive attacks from the air and orbit before the sun rises. They’ve got most exit routes from the city blocked off at the moment, anyway. Escape now would be impossible.”

  “Can’t we do anything?” I asked.

  “There’s nothing,” Jess replied. “They’ve shut down all outer networks, so there’s no way to connect to the servers and make an announcement. And there are border patrols everywhere as they’re trying to contain everyone. But hopefully, the Urban Guard should be off in the city in the morning, allowing us to move. All the people can do is use that time to escape themselves… but I doubt many more will make it out.”

  “It’s like we’ve accomplished nothing…” Rupert sighed.

  “I’m sorry about this city…” Kepper said. “But we can be glad that the rebels here have fled; we need as many as possible.”

  “Any ideas on where we should go, Kepper?” Martin asked.

  “Yes. We should take a route to meet a group of involved felile elders in Alaska. It will take some time to get up there, but it’s a relatively safe area. And I’ve got family up there. I was going to return to them, but I thought that it’d be best to help you all get out of Chicago first.”

  “And you’re sure Alaska is the best choice?”

  “It’s more than that. The village they guide has been on the run for a while, and I fear it won’t be long until they have to flee entirely. They may provide your method of passage to China.”

  “The Resistance headquarters? We actually have a way to get there? We’ve been trying for so long just to get their attention…”

  “The Rebel Core—the heart of the rebellion—is stepping up recruitment. It’s also trying to bring in and protect additional felile. My elders know this, and they’ve been planning the move for months.”

  “Right. We’ll talk this over. Thank you for your help.”

  “It’s why I’m here. Oh, and I brought a pair of mechanical legs you asked me about… on short notice. Not that I’m bragging.”

  Kepper took out a case that had been strapped to his back and opened it on the table. A pair of long metal tubes lay inside.

  “Vincent, strap these on. They’ll hurt at first, but after the pain is gone, you will walk just fine. I managed to steal a few that were taken away from the hospital. They didn’t want patients to have them.”

  “Thank you,” Ruby replied, taking the pair of shiny tubes out and noticing a nearby set of capsules. “And are those plasma pike cells?”

  “Yes, I picked up about twenty. Should last us a while.”

  The cells were liquid-filled spheres that powered plasma pikes. I had learned that the weapons were actually fairly well known on the black market. It was easy to find that out just by looking on an unrestricted network—something I did in the base a few hours ago.

  “Ruby, I stopped by your house on the way back. It was knocked over pretty thoroughly. I hope you wiped all your data.”

  “I did,” she answered.

  “No matter where we’re going, we leave in five hours. Get some sleep, everyone. You’ll need it,” Martin explained.

  Thankful for the given rest, Jess, Sasha, Pelter, and Rupert headed off into their bedrooms. Each had a look of despair in their eyes, though I could’ve confused it for fatigue. It had to be hard knowing something others didn’t and not being able to tell them. Or to run away from a home.

  Martin and Kepper sat at the table, seemingly bunkering in for a long all-night conversation. Ruby guided me back to our room. It was small and dingy, its walls covered with peeling paint and scattered pamphlets hung by tape. I recognized a few of them, from back when dissenters had a stronger presence here and it was more common to find anti-imperial propaganda around the city. The Guard would do their best to dispose of them, but I could sometimes find remnants littering the streets.

  “C’mon. Let’s get these things on.”

  I sat straight up on the bed as she held the leg devices. The metal tubes sprung open, revealing a few sets of tiny spikes.

  “This isn’t going to feel too great, but you’ll be walking in about seven hours—maybe five. Hold still.”

  Ruby held my left leg firmly as she removed the cast with a small plasma knife. It was a legal tool, though it was usually found only in construction sites. After it burnt cleanly through the cast, she deactivated and pocketed the knife, then positioned the leg shell and promptly clamped it shut. Piercing pain ensued, but it was over quickly. It felt as if my whole leg had gone numb. She did the same with the other leg. After a few moments, a feeling of warmth flowed through my lower body.

  “Right, get some rest and try not to move them during the night.”

  “Hey, who’s that a picture of?” I asked, noticing a small, tattered photograph taped to the wall of a young man in a heavy coat.

  “Oh, Buster Bowman. He was in this group before I arrived, along with Martin, Rupert and Sasha. So he’s one of the original members… But he left and vanished, when Kepper arrived. I never got to meet him.”

  “Groups shift around some, don’t they?”

  “People go where they want, and they split up if they have to. It’s part of the way of life in the Resistance. I’ll tell you some more about our history tomorrow. Let’s get some sleep.”

  “Yeah. Night, Ruby.”

  She was reaching for the light switch when our door suddenly creaked open. We both looked at it for a moment. A second later, a tiny white creature came prancing in like it owned the place.

  “Is that a rat or something?” I asked, staring at the thing.

  “No,” Ruby sighed. “It’s Jess’ kitten.”

  “Kitten?”

  “A baby cat. We used to see them sometimes.”

  I did remember just then; an image of a full-grown cat crossing a road flashed in my mind.

  “Oh… A feline.”

  “Hmm?”

  “You said felile are part feline. I didn’t actually know what you meant at first. It’s been so long…”

  The tiny creature looked up and squeaked. Ruby picked it up and let it sit in her open hand.

  “This little guy reminds me of how fragile life is right now. It’s like the world itself is dying; we hardly ever even see animals anymore.”

  “They might just be hiding…” I said rather childishly.

  Ruby smiled. “Hiding… until things get better.”

  Jess peered in through the door and quietly walked in.

  “Er, sorry about that… He’s always getting away from me.”

  “You give him a name yet?” Ruby asked and returned the animal.

  “Oh, yeah… Trisky.”

  “Trisky?”

  “My family had a cat named Trisky once… I dunno, I guess it’s just easier to remember. Nostalgia, that sort of thing.”

  “I see. We never really… had a pet.”

  “Well, we need all the sleep we can get,” Jess said rather quickly.

  “Right, of course.”

  Jess put the kitten back into her pocket. It poked its head out and squeaked again before she slid through the door and softly closed it.

  “Goodnight, then,” Ruby said and turned off the room’s one light.

  She climbed up to the bunk above me. I settled in, but I couldn’t sleep. I had too many things to think about, but my mind was so active that I couldn’t focus on any single thought. At times, I tapped the metal shells on my legs or rubbed my coat through my fingers just for some stimulation.

  The clock near me ticked to half past three before my eyes shut.

  “Come on, Vince. We have to go!” Ruby was jostling me.

  I forced my eyes open. The clock read six-fifteen. I didn’t get much sleep at all, but I already felt fully awake again.

  “The word has gone out—an enemy spacecraft was sighted and reported on the network. It should just be falsified, but it’d still be the signal. The conversion is really going to happen… Can you walk?”

  I stood up and stepped onto the concrete. It took me a moment to balance, but I could indeed move by myself, if only slowly. My legs felt like stiff rubber—sturdy enough, but not exactly trustworthy.

  “Good, I already packed everything. We’ll be riding a cycle. I’m pretty good on it, but we’ll be going fast, so you’ll have to hold on.”

  I grabbed my bag and headed out. Back in the main room, Martin and Kepper were rushing the group along.

  “Sasha, are you up yet?” Martin yelled.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’ve been ready.” She emerged from her room, in the same clothes she had on before, like everyone else. “We leavin’ now?”

  “Right away—this is all happening faster than I thought it would. Rupert, hurry up over there!”

  “Got it, Boss. I’m almost done moving my files.”

  “Up all night?” Jess asked.

  “Yes,” Kepper answered. “Safer that way.”

  The dangling light bulb above flickered a few times before it shut off. The computer monitors dimmed briefly, but then came back to full brightness as power was restored to the base.

  “They’re draining the grid to power the conversion,” Rupert explained. “Our generator won’t last long—we have to get going right away. Pelter, are the defensive turrets online?”

  “Y-yes, sir. They should fire at anything that gets close to the scrapyard. I, um, don’t know how long they’ll last, though.”

  “Good job, kid,” Rupert commended. “Ya did your part.”

  “Cycle check all done, they’re all ready to go,” Jess reported from the garage, tossing a wrench to the side.

  “Good, good. Ruby, give your brother a plasma pike. Even if he doesn’t know how to use it yet, any defense is better than none,” Martin quickly suggested.

  Ruby went to a cupboard, took out a small pike, and gave it to me.

  “Red button pops them out, green, the opposite.”

  “Simple enough,” I replied and pocketed it.

  “We ready, then?” Martin asked once more.

  “Good to go,” Rupert answered.

  Rupert walked over to the old loading port right by the computer terminals, and hopped on to a small black and silver bike.

  “Get on, short stuff,” Rupert said to Pelter and started his engine.

  Pelter climbed on and clung onto Rupert’s sides tightly.

  “Jessie,” Sasha said to her.

  “Right behind you,” she answered, getting on at the back of a green and teal sports bike and zipping up her pocket with the kitten inside.

  “C’mon, Vince. This one.” Ruby got onto a blue and black bike.

  I slid into the back, where my feet dangled just a bit above the ground. There was a racing championship on the television sometimes with these cycles, and I knew what they were capable of.

  Ruby added, “These bikes come with frontal and rear guns, and a small wave field projector for some minor protection. You can thank Rupert for those modifications. Ha—look at me, getting all techie at a time like this. Just hold on, all right? I’ve been practicing recently.”

  “I’ll… try not to burn myself,” I replied, rubbing the texture on the cotton coat for assurance, something that seemed to comfort me.

  Martin looked over the base once more before heading to his personal bike: a large, bulky, black and red ride. On the back of it was mounted what seemed to be an industrial-strength mining laser. Lastly, Kepper walked up to his sleek yellow bike, low to the ground and very streamlined. It looked entirely custom built.

  “So is this it?” Martin asked the group.

  “All ready for an early morning drive,” Sasha replied.

  Martin reached over and pushed a button. The large, hefty door in front of us grunted and began to lower. Fog, or dry ice vapor, poured in.

  “Good luck out there,” Kepper added.

  “Same to you, Kepper,” Jess replied.

  As soon as the door was fully open, Martin sped off, followed by Sasha and Rupert. The engines each let loose a loud roar as the tires screeched, the exhaust spewing gray smoke and sparks. Ruby and I put on our helmets. I braced myself and hung onto my bag.

  With a sudden jolt, we were off, closely followed by Kepper.

  The only thing that broke through the fog at first was the sound of sirens and alarms wailing throughout the city. And as it cleared, I looked back in terror. A small armada of strange black aircraft pummeled the skyscrapers with plasma, starting fires and blowing out thousands of office windows. The strongest attacks made the ground rumble below us.

  “W-what are those things?” Ruby wondered aloud.

  There was indeed something odd about them. Even though the attackers were far away, they didn’t look like the ones I saw over the moon. They hovered in place and looked different than any imperial aircraft, but not entirely alien. I had to conclude that humans made and piloted them.

  “We’re leaving the aqueduct!” Martin yelled. “Get ready!”

  Ruby leaned down on the bike and sped up. The protective fog dissipated completely, fully revealing the onslaught on the city and the dark sky above. I noticed that the emerald tower where Inkens resided wasn’t taking any fire at all.

  I then looked up and spotted a group of gray drones floating above, their signature pulsating repulsors in clear sight. They saw us and began pursuit, and I counted five once they dropped lower and began to close in. They were big; the size of a person, and well armed. Each fired a few shots that missed, blowing away chunks of concrete on impact.

  “Gate coming up!” Martin alerted us.

  Ahead was a gap in the walls of scrap that had surrounded us. Nestled at each side like robotic sentries were turrets poised to strike.

  Once we were past the gate, the turrets let loose with high-powered concussive blasts. Each one hit a drone, crippling their hulls and causing them to slam into the ground. The turrets were then promptly assaulted by the surviving drones and destroyed, after which the three remaining machines continued the pursuit.

  “Everyone—weapons out! Focus on the left bot!”

  Martin’s rear gun turned and aimed at a drone. Everyone else opened fire with their rear mounts, including the one on our bike that was no more than centimeters away from me. A stream of fired slugs hit the drone, followed in succession by a burst from Martin’s laser weapon.

  Our combined firepower broke pieces off of the target until it fell to the ground. The remaining two pursuers locked on and opened fire on the laser turret. The fire was deflected for the first few seconds of the volley, but the bike’s wave projector quickly gave out, and Martin’s weapon exploded into a fireball that severely scorched the back of his cycle. A trail of smoke started to billow from the damaged area.

  “Now the right drone! Hurry and take it down!” Martin yelled out as if he wasn’t the least bit concerned about his ride’s condition.

  “Turn coming up! We’re reaching the highway,” Rupert informed the group. “Almost there…”

  The crew reacted quickly, swerving to the left. Ruby again brought up the rear gun via her frontal console, and exhausted another round on the specified drone, but couldn’t land enough solid hits to bring it down.

  The two robots fired upon us once more, just barely missing. A bridge was approaching. It was low to the ground, so Ruby and I had to scrunch down in our seats to get under it. The water vapor and wind made my eyes tear up, but I could still see the bridge enough to react.

  Kepper fired a glowing disc out from his wrist with precise aim, hitting a drone’s stabilizer. The robot began to shake violently. Unable to move correctly, it slammed into the bridge and exploded.

  Now there was only one drone left keeping us from freedom. But it seemed that it was the commanding unit of its squad, possessing a higher intelligence and more sophisticated armor and machinery—I could tell simply by looking at its additional bulk. It managed to dodge most of what we threw at it, and it returned fire more quickly.

  “You won’t be able to kill this one,” Kepper radioed in through our helmets. “Let me stay behind and destroy it, okay? It’s the only way you’ll make it out.”

  “Absolutely not! You have to come with us!” Martin replied.

  This was in turn replied to with another torrent of bullets, further damaging Martin’s bike.

  “Trust me. It can kill all of you before you can escape. I’m not going to argue,” Kepper ended it, cutting off his radio signal.

  “He’ll be trapped if he stays!” Jess yelled.

  “There’s no use in arguing with a felile… When they make up their minds, that’s that,” Martin replied through the radio.

  I noticed the giant antennae on the emerald tower that had just elevated upwards over the city. It touched the forcefield above, creating a rippling effect through the blue dome. A green, oozy energy substance began to spread through the forcefield, quickly spilling across the entire dome. It wouldn’t be long until the field closed in front of us.

  “That’s the barrier!” Martin called out.

  Looking back again at Kepper, I saw that he had positioned himself directly under the commanding drone, standing up on his bike, plasma pike at the ready. When he knew the time was right, he jumped into the air and grabbed onto the drone, letting his bike swerve and crash.

  I watched as he climbed to the top of the machine, still chasing us at top speed. He proceeded to cut off the robot’s weapons system, slicing his pike across its frame rapidly. Then came the final strike—a direct impalement from above. It came crashing to the ground, and Kepper leapt and safely landed on the roadway. I saw him standing triumphantly, giving us one last look, before we swerved around a turn.

  “We have to go back and get him!” I yelled.

  “We don’t have time! We’ve got seconds!” Rupert said.

  The green, opaque substance continued to seep downward, covering the entire dome that ended only about a kilometer ahead. Ruby sped up to top speed as we approached the old interstate system.

  Martin was through first, creating a small ripple in the field at his point of exit. Sasha and Rupert followed. Ruby turned onto the empty highway and continued straight ahead. Right before the green field hit the ground, we slid through and came to a quick stop on the other side.

  Just a few meters behind us, the dome had sealed, and the entirety of the transparent blue field was replaced by a thick green shell. Everyone inside still believed it was a protective measure…

  At first, the seven of us remained on our bike seats, catching our breath. We then took cover and rested under an interstate on-ramp, completely unused since the city-to-city super bus system was constructed. Hundreds of kilometers of long-untouched asphalt, decaying and watched over by rusted green signs from an older time lay ahead of us.

  Ruby removed her helmet and pushed down the bike’s kickstand. I jumped off and walked over to the green barrier, where I rubbed my palm over the dome. It was smooth and cold, with no feeling of active energy.

  “Vince, careful…” Ruby cautioned me.

  I knocked—it sounded like solid concrete. I looked upwards to see the expanse of low clouds breaking off from the massive structure.

  “Kepper…” Jess murmured. “He’s… still so close.”

  “There’s nothing we can do,” Martin said solemnly.

  “There’s got to be something. Anything.”

  “Not with what we have on us. Maybe… we’ll find a way in later. When we’re with the others, and in a larger group.”

  Ruby looked to the ground and shook her head. “Damn this empire… Just look at how it treats its people.”

  “It’s only going to get worse,” Rupert said spitefully.

  “Kepper… We’ll come back for you,” Sasha promised. “Don’t let them get to you in there… Whatever they do in there—whatever terrible things they do in there, just hang on. We’ll come back.”

  “Ruby…” Jess murmured. “What are we supposed to do?”

  “We move,” my sister said as she put her helmet back on. “We can’t stay out in the open like this.”

  The expanse surrounding us was a barren wasteland of flat, rolling hills. Deteriorating roads covered in empty rusting cars plagued the interstate system. And it would be just about all we would see during our long journey. Only one thing breathed through the landscapes—the smell and feel of real air. However polluted it might be, it had new smells and wasn’t confined to the prisons we call megalopolis-class cities.

  “There’s going be imperial patrols before we get to a safer area,” Martin told us. “But if we stay close and vigilant, we’ll get to Alaska without much difficulty. I’ve been up and down these roads before.”

  With that, we began our trek to one of the last places on Earth that could still support life in abundance. My thoughts, my ideas, my entire perception of history had all changed within the last few days.

  And my new path, wherever it may take me, had just begun.