Days in Zevlon are often long and boring. King Harvey Harrison has banned most of the fun things that were around in the 2000’s. It is now 2250, and certainly not the future of science fiction lore. If anything, Zevlon has reverted to the Dark Ages, albeit with far more advanced technology.

  In what had once been the city of Chicago, there is a group of three men that are tired of the rule of King Harrison. One of them, whose name is Dennis, often complains of it. Today is no exception. “I can’t believe what Harrison has done to Zevlon,” he groans.

  “You need to start to let that go, Dennis,” another man, called Slade, sighs. “Old King Harry did this years ago. It’s about time to stop complaining and accept it.”

  “You don’t understand, Slade,” Dennis growls. “Harrison is keeping the human race from moving forward by restricting our usage of technology. Isn’t that reason enough to complain?”

  The third man, who is known as Roger, sighs. Dennis and Slade, although they were like brothers, often fought over their political beliefs. Not to mention nearly everything that could possibly be conflicted. And it was often up to Roger to end the fight.

  “Stop that, you two,” Roger says. “Now is not the time to be fighting. Especially not with him around.” As expected, Dennis and Slade stop fighting. ‘Him’ is Richard, the King’s right-hand man, who also makes regular circuits around the empire to punish troublemakers. Dennis has already been caught once or twice and is not eager to be caught again.

  “Come on, guys,” Dennis says. “Let’s go do something.” With that, the three men leave the humble apartment they had been forced by law to share.

  They walk along the dirty, crowded streets, looking for something to occupy their time. The billboards that had once advertised countless products now house propaganda written in King Harrison’s favor. It rather sickens Dennis to see it, but he holds his tongue, in case Richard is around to hear him.

  Eventually, they come across a small shop, one of the few independent shops left. The triad decides to enter to browse whatever wares the shop owner has managed to scrounge up. There isn’t much there. However, they run into none other than Richard.

  The King’s right-hand man is busily wrestling another man to the ground. “You think you can take what rightfully belongs to the king?” Richard bellows in the other man’s face.

  “I was trying to feed my family!” the man protests.

  “That gives you no right to take what is not yours!” Richard counters.

  “Hey!” Roger calls, “The man only needed food for his family! Are you going to take away the people’s sustenance, too?”

  Richard gets up and turns towards Roger. “Perhaps I’ll take away your sustenance as punishment for stepping out of line,” he growls as he slowly leaves the shop.

  “You didn’t have to take a penalty for me,” the man says to Roger. “My family would have gotten along just fine.”

  “They would have starved,” Roger points out. “You’re lucky I stepped in before things got too bad.”

  The other man extends a hand. “My name’s Dustin,” he says.

  “Roger,” Roger replies, shaking Dustin’s hand.

  “C’mon, Roger,” Dennis calls, “We’re going.”

  “I suppose I’ll see you around,” Roger says, waving to Dustin.

  “Bye,” Dustin responds, also waving.

  Dennis, Slade, and Roger make their way back to their apartment. “Who was that?” Slade asks.

  “His name was Dustin,” Roger answers. “And Richard was attacking him unfairly. He only wanted food for his family. It was an injustice.”

  “Now we’re seeing eye to eye,” Dennis says appreciatively. “Everything Harrison does is injustice.”

  “Not everything,” Slade counters.

  “Guys,” Roger protests, “Not in the street.”

xXx

  Later on that night, as the tiny television in the corner of the room glowed with the mandatory nightly broadcast, the triad sits in silence. The nervous newscaster adjusts his reading glasses as he shuffles the papers and moves on to the next story. “I don’t see why no one even bothers replacing this guy,” Dennis groans suddenly. “He’s getting kind of old.”

  “Remember that old saying?” Slade asks. “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”

  “Don’t even start,” Roger sighs. “The news is on.”

  The other two quiet down and they become aware of the current story. “A small revolution has started up near Chicago,” the newscaster says, squinting slightly at the paper. “The mastermind behind this revolution is this man.” At these words, a picture pops up on the screen. It was of Dustin.

  “Isn’t that the guy you helped in the shop earlier?” Slade asks Roger.

  “Yeah,” Roger answers, “That’s him. Never would have taken him for the kind of guy who would start a rebellion.”

  “Efforts are being made to suppress this revolution,” the newscaster finishes. “That is all for tonight’s broadcast. Good night, everyone.” With those words, the screen fades to black.

  Since it is now getting late, the trio decides to get ready for bed. After approximately ten minutes, they shut off the lights. “You know what that broadcast did?” Dennis asks.

  “What?” Slade questions.

  “It gave me a wicked idea,” Dennis replies, grinning almost evilly in the dark.

2: Chapter 2

  “Your days are numbered, Harrison,” Dennis says into the stolen video camera. “Your rule will end.” He glares menacingly into the camera as he, Slade, and Roger exclaim, “We are the Alliance, and we will take you down.” Switching the camera off, he nods at his cohorts. “That’s good. We’ll really get some recognition after that,” he says.

  “How are we going to get that to the King?” Slade asks.

  “We stole a camera from a high security facility,” Dennis cries. “We’ll be able to get this on the mandatory broadcast, no problem.”

  “Except that the broadcast is from the capital,” Roger points out. “We’re miles from there.”

  “We’ll just hitch a ride on the cargo train,” Dennis replies dismissively.

  “You better not mess this up,” Roger sighs, shaking his head.

xXx

  The cargo train depot is quite well hidden, but, due to Dennis’s past with petty crime, the newly formed Alliance is able to find it with ease. “This place hasn’t changed a bit,” Dennis remarks, shaking his head.

  The cargo train has stopped for a quick recharge before making the final leg of its journey to the capital. The electrically-powered train is loosely guarded. However, the triad knows that an alarm will sound when one of the doors is opened without authorization. Somehow, they need to get onto the train without detection.

  “Alright, Dennis,” Roger whispers. “What’s the plan?”

  “We need to get authorization to open those doors.” Dennis murmurs. “But how…?”

  “Look,” Slade mutters, pointing. “There are three guards over there. Maybe we can take their identification cards?”

  “Not bad,” Dennis says approvingly. “Why didn’t I make you my partner in crime earlier?” Returning to business, he remarks, “But we won’t be able to merely take them from them. We’ll need to make them beg us to take them.”

  The Alliance moves from their cover and approaches their targets. “Halt,” one guard says. “You are not authorized to be here.”

  “Pardon us,” Dennis says, throwing himself at the guard. He attacks the guard’s head with his fists, clattering the helmet against the skull. The rest of the Alliance follows his lead, each taking one guard.

  Eventually, after quite a few blows from both parties, the Alliance triumphs and takes the identification cards. The train is being released from its moorings and is preparing to leave the depot. “We need to get on that train, now!” Dennis exclaims.

  Running, the Alliance is just barely able to open the door using the cards and climb inside. They pull the door closed from the inside and are instantly enveloped in darkness. Safely on their way to the capital, they settle down among the boxes and brace themselves for the long ride. The train begins to hover above the track and speed along its route.

xXx

  Feeling the train begin to slow down, Slade asks, “How are we going to get off of this thing without being seen?”

  Dennis thinks for a while. “We could hide in the boxes,” he suggests.

  There is movement in the darkness and the sound of a box being opened. “There’s stuff in here,” Slade says.

  “What did you think was in there: air?” Dennis snaps. “Of course there’s stuff in there.”

  “Shh,” Roger hushes. “You’re going to get us discovered. Slade, get in the box and shut your mouth. You too, Dennis.” The Alliance then climbs into the actually quite roomy box and seals themselves in.

  After a short time, the trio feels the train stop and the box being dragged from the train. Their box is then transported someplace else and dropped roughly onto the ground. They wait until the voices and footsteps fade into silence before venturing to peek out of the box.

  Luckily, the coast is clear and the Alliance can exit the box. “Do you have the camera?” Slade asks.

  “Now is a really dumb time to be asking about the camera,” Dennis comments. “But yeah, I have it.”

  “Quiet, you two,” Roger hisses. “We’re in the middle of a warehouse. If there was someone else on the other side of this building, they would hear you.”

  “Alright, Roger,” Slade mumbles. “Sheesh.”

  The triad makes their way out of the warehouse and out onto the open streets of the capital, which had been moved to New York City in 2179. When they find themselves among the crowds, they realize how different people act and dress in the capital. With this fact, they notice how difficult it will be to blend in.

  Keeping to the shadows, the Alliance follows the road signs pointing toward the broadcasting station. The station gives tours during the day to those interested in the history of television broadcasting and, of course, King Harrison’s role in its expansion across the empire. The Alliance then decides to lie in wait for the mandatory broadcast.

  When the time approaches, the streets empty quickly and, since the guards of the station are also required to watch, the broadcasting station is extremely easy to enter. The Alliance moves quickly but quietly through the winding hallways, not stopping to look at the various television-related items displayed along the walls. Finally, they come across a door displaying the words “Broadcast Room”. Silently thanking their luck, the triad enters as unobtrusively as possible.

  The newscaster shuffles his papers and looks into the big camera. “Welcome to your nightly news source,” he says with a nervous grin. “Our first bit of news for today is a good one. The revolution that was started last night has been successfully suppressed. The leader has also been effectively terminated.”

  Roger lets out an involuntary gasp. The newscaster looks up suddenly at the noise, quite startled. Dennis growls and steps into the camera’s line of view, roughly shoving the newscaster from his chair. “Sorry to interrupt your broadcast,” he snarls at the camera. “But we have an important message for Harrison.”

  Dennis nods at Slade, who connects the camera with the message to the control board. Slade then pushes a few buttons and checks the nearby screen to make sure that their message is playing. He nods at Dennis, signaling that they had succeeded.

  Clutching a few of the scattered papers closely, the newscaster stands shakily, his reading glasses askew. “W-what are y-you doing?” he stammers.

  “It’s simple,” Dennis answers. “We’re done with Harrison. We have formed the Alliance to overthrow him and restore order to the empire.”

  “What do you mean there’s no order?” the newscaster questions. “Everything seems to be in order from what I know.”

  “For someone who reads the news for a living,” Roger comments, “You sure don’t pay attention to what’s happening around Zevlon, do you?”

  “Richard, the king’s right-hand man, has been punishing people unjustly,” Dennis answers the newscaster’s question. “And Harrison’s been turning a blind eye to it.”

  “Well, that’s hardly fair,” the newscaster mumbles. Chancing to glance up, he notices that the original camera is once again rolling. He smiles slightly and says, “I’m afraid that’s all we have for tonight. Good night, everyone.” The broadcast is cut short and the newscaster turns his full attention to the Alliance.

  “What authority do you have busting into this broadcast room and messing with the broadcast?” the newscaster asks in a low voice. “I haven’t made a single mistake in the past twenty years! Now, you guys come along and mess it all up!”

  “Take it easy,” Roger says soothingly. “If you know what we’ve been through, you wouldn’t be so mad.”

  “Do tell,” the newscaster growls.

  “Yesterday,” Roger begins, “That man that you claimed had started a revolution was being beaten within an inch of his life. All he had wanted was some food for his family. Then, Richard hunted him down and made him pay for it with blood.

  “When we took his penalty, he thanked us profusely and ran off. Later, he was on your broadcast, labeled as a fugitive. It seemed rather suspicious to me, since he didn’t seem like the one to begin a revolution. Can you explain to me how he wound up on that broadcast?” he asks.

  “I only say what I’m told,” the newscaster replies. “They give me these papers and tell me to read. That’s all they pay me to do.”

  “Who gives you the papers?” Roger demands

  “The king’s representative, Kelvin” the newscaster responds. “He delivers the papers every day, not long before the broadcast.”

  “So you can’t change what you’re saying on the broadcast,” Slade says suddenly.

  Dennis nods. “Honestly,” he sighs, “It’s almost like Harrison wants to control what people hear, too.” He stops and notices that everyone else in the room is staring at him. “What?” he enquires.

3: Chapter 3

  The newscaster shakes his head, eying the scattered papers on the ground. “I can’t believe it,” he mutters. “I thought Harrison was my friend.”

  “Harrison is no one’s friend,” Dennis snaps. “Just look at how he has Richard treat the people.”

  “Alright,” the newscaster sighs. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “You can join us,” Roger says. “We’ll overthrow Harrison and make things right.”

  Straightening, the newscaster proclaims, “Simon Clarke, at your service.”

xXx

  The streets are dark as the foursome leaves the broadcasting station. By now, the citizens of the capital are deeply asleep. In short, it is the perfect time to sneak around. “Come on,” Roger says. “It’s not safe to stay here. Not yet.”

  “Hold on a second, Roger,” Dennis retorts deviously. “Since we’re standing against Harrison, it wouldn’t do us any harm to take a few things to defend ourselves with, would it?”

  “Dennis,” Roger warns, “We’re already on bad enough terms with Harrison and his lackeys. We don’t need to provoke them further.”

  Completely disregarding Roger’s warning, Dennis drags Slade along into an unlocked shop. “Are they usually like this?” Simon enquires.

  Roger shakes his head. “Usually,” he answers, “they are in complete disagreement.”

  The two of them grudgingly follow the rest of the Alliance. Pushing the door open, Roger questions, “Doesn’t anyone lock their doors?”

  “No,” Simon replies. “I don’t know about where you come from, but here, there’s no need. Everyone’s sleeping at this time.”

  Roger spots Dennis and Slade across the room. They are busily inspecting high-tech lanterns and other portable lighting systems. Lying near them is a small pile of other useful goods. “What are you two thinking?!” Roger hisses. “We’re going to be caught.”

“Actually,” Simon comments, pointing at a minute device clinging to the ceiling, “all we have to worry about is security footage.”

  “See?” Dennis sneers. “Nothing to worry about.” He returns his attention to the lantern in his hands.

  “Unless you take stuff out of the store without authorization,” Simon continues.

  However, no one pays any attention to the second comment. “Are you two going to help us with this stuff?” Dennis asks, hoisting a few things from the pile.

  Roger obliges, but Simon hesitates. “Hey, Simon, was it?” Slade questions. “Could you get that?” He gestures towards the floor as best as he can with an armload of equipment.

  Simon looks down at the box on the floor, sighing. “Guys?” he says as he lifts it. “I need to tell you something.”

  “Can it wait?” Dennis asks, heading for the door. “We’re a little busy right now.”

  Just as Simon begins to reply, a high-pitched screech fills the air. Small, oval-shaped drones descend from the skies, already aiming their laser blasters. Dennis is directly in the line of fire.

  Roger leaps into action, dropping whatever he was carrying. He drags Dennis behind the counter just as the first shot is fired. The deadly laser blast singes the floor where Dennis had been standing not a moment before.

  Simon and Slade also dive for cover. “Why are they shooting at us?” Slade frantically cries.

  “Harrison doesn’t take kindly to thieves,” Simon answers, adjusting his glasses. “I was going to warn you about the security drones, but you wouldn’t listen.”

  “We have you surrounded,” a metallic voice crackles from outside. “Come out with your hands up.”

  Dennis scowls at the door, having recovered from his near-death experience. “Is there a way to distract them?” he asks.

  “No,” Simon answers. “They’ve been programmed to wait as long as necessary. There have been stories about drones that waited for weeks before the criminals finally cracked.”

  “Great,” Dennis grumbles.

  “Look at what you got us into!” Roger exclaims. Dennis flinches slightly. Although he stops many fights, Roger rarely yells.

  “I didn’t know about the drones,” Dennis protests.

  As the shouting continues, Slade and Simon share a weary glance. “I’m going to go find a blaster or something,” Slade sighs, moving away. He makes sure to keep out of the sights of the drones.

  “Let me help,” Simon calls after him, following.

  Looking over the various blasters kept safe within a clear case, Slade sighs. “Are you sure there’s no way to distract the drones?” he asks resignedly.

  “Absolutely,” Simon answers, peering closely at one of the blasters. “Unless one of us goes out and allows ourselves to be arrested.”

  Slade looks up, a sudden look of resolve appearing in his eyes. Without another word, he smashes the case open and grabs a blaster at random. “Wait!” Simon yells. “What are you thinking?”

  “You guys need to escape,” Slade explains stoically. “You can’t do that without someone sacrificing.”

  Somehow, Dennis and Roger hear this through their argument, which they abruptly stop. “Slade!” Dennis cries, “Don’t do this! We’ll find another way!”

  Slade stops and looks at Dennis, his eyes showing great sadness. “I’m sorry,” he says simply. With what sounds like an ancient war-cry, he charges outside, firing the blaster at the flying drones.

  “Lay down your weapon!” the metallic voice shouts. One of the drones fires a blast.  It strikes Slade and he tumbles to the ground almost instantly.

  Dennis yells and rushes forward, only to be held back by Roger. “Dennis,” he says, trying to calm the other man down. “It’s too late. Let him go.” Slumping to the ground in defeat, Dennis shakes his head in disbelief as the drones carry Slade away.

  Roger picks him up and sets him back on his feet. Either he hid his shock and confusion well, or he didn’t even feel slightly remorseful. “Come on, Dennis,” he says. “We need to go.” He nods at Simon, who helps him move Dennis along.

  They pull him outside, having abandoned all of the equipment. Hurrying down the street, they head towards the edge of the city. The thick forests just outside the city limits seem like the best place to hide out for a while.

  Roger and Simon drop Dennis near a small river, polluted by the various chemicals periodically dumped into it by the Capital. They begin to go over plans to attack Harrison, spurred on by the fact that his drones had killed Slade.

  Dennis keeps out of it. He is too taken aback by Slade’s sacrifice to partake in the plan-making. He blinks slowly at the ground, grudgingly allowing a single tear to escape. “Why?” he whispers.

4: Chapter 4

  Over the course of the days following the fateful event, Dennis’s grief turns into burning rage against Harrison. He throws himself whole-heartedly into the planning, his enthusiasm causing fear among his fellow members of the Alliance.

  During one of these planning sessions, Roger comes up with an idea to spread their message. “Look,” he says, “We need to get more people to help us.”

  “There’s an idea,” Simon notes approvingly. “But, we shouldn’t start here, in the capital.”

  “Why not?” Dennis asks gruffly.

  “They’ll side with Harrison, no doubt,” Simon responds. “With the major authoritative base right in the city, they don’t have a choice.”

  “Fine,” Dennis sighs after a moment of thought. “We should start in the backwater towns of the empire. We’ll work our way up to the major cities.”

  With the three of them in agreement, they leave their makeshift camp and make their way back to the train depot. Dennis and Roger use their cards to gain access to one of the trains.

  One long ride later, they arrive at their first stop: a tiny village in what was once the state of Oregon. The people there are primarily farmers who receive little to no pay. As one might expect, these and other small-town villagers are easy to persuade. Their lack of adequate pay and basic luxuries press them to believe in and hope for the brighter future the Alliance promises them.

  But, as the Alliance presses on towards larger towns, they need to think of more promises. Those who live in these towns are not content with mere hope. The ones who own small businesses are only concerned with the welfare of their livelihood.

  “Your businesses will be fine,” Simon assures them. “If anything, they will be even better. Travel will lose limitations and you will gain customers.”

  However, not all of these expeditions end in success. One such town explodes with protests when the Alliance tries to expose them to their government’s evils. The men of the town even go so far as to chase them away, shouting threats.

  Once they are well away from said town, the threats quiet and the men go away. “Maybe they’re one of the few that still support Harrison,” Simon murmurs as they try to catch their breaths.

  “One of the few?” Dennis growls. “This has happened twelve times already!” He sighs, “I’m tired of running. Our numbers have grown to a hundred times of what we had before. I think we’re ready.”

  “Wait, Dennis,” Roger reprimands him. “We haven’t gotten to cities like Chicago and San Francisco, yet. Maybe we can get more supporters before we storm the capital.”

  Dennis grudgingly agreed. The last time he’d done something too hastily, someone had died.

xXx

  The Alliance has managed to befriend one of the men running the cargo trains. Thanks to this, it is easy for them to return to the place of the Alliance’s birth: Chicago.

  Once they’ve returned to the city, Roger suggests that they return to their old apartment, since it has been a long trip. However, when they come to the place, Roger’s keycard won’t work. “Is that the right card?” Simon asks.

  “Of course it is,” Roger retorts, examining the card closely. “It should work.”

  Suddenly, the door opens from the inside. A man, the likes of whom the Alliance had not seen before, appears in the doorway. “May I help you?” he asks bad-temperedly.

  “What kind of a joke is this?” Dennis snaps back. “Get out of our apartment!”

  “Your apartment?” the man roars. “We were moved in here a few weeks ago.”

  “I’ll bet Richard did this,” Dennis mutters angrily. “To get back at us for taking their precious newscaster.”

  “Maybe they also noticed what we’re doing around the empire,” Simon adds.

  “Who are these people?” a second man asks, also appearing in the doorway.

  “We are the Alliance,” Dennis haughtily declares.

  “Oh!” the second man exclaims cheerily. “I’ve seen you guys on the broadcast!”

  “We were on the broadcast?” Dennis cries.

  “Harrison replaced me?” Simon blurts out simultaneously.

  “You bet he replaced you,” the first man groans, rolling his eyes. “Richard does the broadcast now.”

  “And he says that you are very dangerous,” the second man adds. He nods at Simon and goes on to say, “He said that you are particularly unstable for jumping ship like you did.”

  “Simon, Dennis, do you know what this means?” Roger asks eagerly.

  “Richard is as terrible a person as you said he is?” Simon offers flatly.

  “Not just that,” Roger replies. “Harrison views us as a threat. He wouldn’t put that kind of stuff on the broadcast if he wasn’t intimidated by our presence.”

  “And that means we’re succeeding,” Dennis points out deviously. “Everything is going as planned.”

  “How about we continue this conversation inside,” the first man says abruptly. “Don’t want the king’s new cohort to catch you.”

  “Who’s that?” Simon wonders aloud.

  “A nefarious snake of a man,” the first man answers forebodingly. “His name, though ordinary men dare not speak it, is Slade.”