Dawn Formation

 

There is a tree in our Commune called the Tree of Plenty. It reveals its first leaf in the spring, as soon as the snow begins to melt. In the fall, its leaves turn a fiery red as it drops its fruit, losing its final leaf every Fall Equinox. The rich man may sit in his chair in front of the tree all year round, admiring the tree’s beauty and wonder. However, the poor man cannot, because the moment the first leaf emerges is the moment his plow must break the thawing earth. By the time the last leaf hits the ground, he must have produced enough food for himself and for them. This is the new era we were promised. This is the age of the Forsaken.

 

-Adin Moralis, Commune A36

 

Chapter 1: September

 

…

 

         The pheasant was a hard creature to catch. He did not expect that it could fly. As soon as it had seen him had emerge slowly from behind a fallen pile of branches, the thing had taken off into the dense forest.

 

        Pushing his way past the outstretched branches of saplings, which pawed at his face like needy pets, he ran after his quarry, crossbow in hand. The dead leaves crunched beneath his worn leather boots. The bird was beginning to tire. But so was he. For over an hour he had been persistently stalking the animal, keeping it on its guard, worrying it, and forcing it to keep flying against its will. Now, it was a war of attrition in which only one side could emerge victorious.

 

         Eventually the pheasant landed on a large rock sticking out of the ground at the top of a gentle knoll in the forest. The young man threw himself flat, fighting to keep his ragged breaths at a low volume so as to not scare his target away. Slowly – painfully – he began to inch uphill towards his prey. He could hear the leaves crunch and feel them through his coarse white shirt as they ground against his chest and stomach. But he didn’t mind. Neither, it seemed, did the pheasant.

 

         Just as neared the top, however, the pheasant flew off yet again, disappearing behind the hill. Gritting his teeth in frustration he immediately pulled himself up and ran after it. The ground beneath him changed; now he was running downhill. He wiped at the sweat streaming down his face and neck as he picked up speed. Tripping on a tree root randomly sticking out of the ground was the only thing that stopped him. Regaining his balance before he fell over, the hunter ground himself to a halt. He couldn’t see the bird, though he could hear the beating of its wings getting further and further away. Ahead lay another endless sprawl of trees with leaves in various shades of red, orange, and yellow. There was also the soothing sound of a calm stream running at the foot of the hill. At least this nice view offered some consolation to an entire morning wasted.

 

         Suddenly a loud explosion rang out, startling him. He craned his neck to see a young man his age – lithe, with jet-black hair cut short – materialize from the trees in front of him, the pheasant in one hand and a black powder rifle in the other.

 

         The second one spoke with a smile. “You’re lucky I was just taking a stroll through the woods there, Adin.”

 

         Unloading his crossbow, Adin made his way down the stream, where his lifelong best friend was standing, dressed in his usual military jacket and gray cargo pants, his signature army cap hanging slightly to the right. Un-nocking his crossbow, he accepted the limp bird. “Thanks, Gen,” he panted gratefully. “I nearly lost him.” He eyed the old rifle the one called Gen was carrying. “That thing’s loud. You should to be careful about shooting it during the daytime. Someone might hear you and turn you in. You know the law.”

 

         Gen Chang laughed mirthlessly. “Laws like that only prevent honest people like us from starting a war. Anyone still living in this dump is too busy scraping out their own living to report someone to the authorities. Besides, I’m practicing my aim for the raid tonight.”

 

         “The what?” Adin asked, but Gen abruptly changed the subject.

 

“It’s about noon,” he said, looking up at the sun, an orb of fire blazing in the clear blue sky.

 

“You hungry? I have bread,” Adin offered.

 

         “Yeah,” said Gen. “Let’s eat here.”

 

         Adin took a large, dome-shaped loaf and a dented aluminum canteen from the dirty gray hunting pack he carried with him and tore it in half. Then he uncapped the canteen and filled it in the stream. The two sat by the quiet waters and ate.

 

         “Did you say ‘raid’?” Adin asked.

 

         “Yeah,” replied Gen. “Hey, this bread’s really good. Tell Jackie I said thanks.”

 

         “Will do, man,” Adin nodded. “What raid were you talking about?”

 

         “Oh, yeah, that,” Gen replied through a mouthful of soft bread. “About an hour ago I received data from our reconnaissance team that the Colonists are setting up headquarters in the region between Communes A36 and A37. So far, it’s only half-finished, but the foundation’s been laid out and from the intel we gathered this thing is gonna be huge. They’ve already got a team of builders housed there along with a garrison of soldiers, which means food, weapons, and supplies. I was thinking we go in there and steal some of their stuff before they populate that base with troops and vehicles. We can distribute our loot among the local population afterwards.”

 

Gen was famous in the area for his reputation as a guerrilla leader. With his band of forty or so like-minded volunteer followers, Gen planned and launched assaults, set ambushes, sprung traps, and even sabotaged Colonist outposts and resources. Though Adin was just as vital to the team in terms of organization, leadership, and fighting – the two were practically their own unit – Gen was commonly acknowledged by both sides as the leader of the pack. It was pretty impressive to have your name appear on a WANTED notice before you turned twenty, although, of course, most people couldn’t read anyway.

 

 

         Adin looked up with a shock. “Ground forces?”

 

         Gen shrugged. “Possibly. Nothing’s for sure yet. I’m guessing it’s just another police force, to make sure we’re producing enough food for the Colonies.”

 

But Adin wasn’t entirely convinced. “Did you know that the Colonies have started cracking down on Sector D’s grain farms?” he asked.

 

         “Where’d you hear that?” Gen asked intriguingly. Sector D was the continent’s breadbasket. With vast, rolling fields of golden wheat, it produced some of the finest flour in the Forsaken world. Sector A, where Adin and Gen lived, got much of its grain from Sector D. Most people in Adin’s sector hunted or farmed oats and barley. Others grew apples and gathered wild honey. Wheat flour was always in high demand, because it produced much finer bread than Sector A could produce with its tough barley and oat crops.

 

         “From a Sector D farmer in the Intercommune Market. I went there with Jackie the other day to buy new batteries,” said Adin.

 

         Gen shook his head, looking deep in thought. “This is serious. What’s your point? Are you trying to say that you think this could be the beginning of an invasion of Earth? That you think the base the Colonists are setting up here is part of a full-scale attack?”

 

         “Yeah,” Adin nodded. “Think about it: you and I both know that the Colonies have been dying for an excuse to invade us again. They’ve probably assembled an enormous army to drop down from space and take us by force. The only thing stopping them is probably a shred of morality on their part.”

 

Gen snorted. “Right, moral. If an invasion happened though, the people have to be ready to fight. The Earth government is completely controlled by Colonist puppets so it wouldn’t care even if everyone starved to death tomorrow.”

 

        “The farmer told us that the Colonists and the Earth Assembly have been staging ‘talks’ to stop the invasion from happening. Just another way to pin the blame on us when negotiations break down,” Adin sighed.

 

         “What was wrong with the grain Sector D was producing, anyway?” Gen asked.

 

         “Apparently there’s a population crisis up in space,” said Adin. “The Colonies have too many people and not enough food, so apparently their Minister of Agriculture proposed that the Colonies sell their genetically-modified grain crops to Sector D so the farmers could grow it, you know, because this crop yields twice the amount of grain than what we’re growing. They’ll set a price and force us to buy their grain, and then after we’ve grown it it’s the same as always: during Harvest Week they’ll send down the collectors to take however much the Colonists want…”

 

         “And?...” Gen asked, twiddling his thumbs impatiently.

 

“…And basically, Sector D refused to play that game.”

 

         “Why can’t those lazy parasites just grow their own food for once?” Gen asked.

         “Punishment,” replied Adin flatly.

 

         “Yeah, well, we should just poison the stuff we give them just to teach them a lesson. I can’t believe the people on Earth are just gonna roll over and take this.”

 

         “That’s what got us into this mess in the first place…” Adin began slowly.

 

He paused. Neither boy wanted to mention the brutal conflict four autumns ago that took the lives of their parents and established indirect Colonial government on Earth.

 

         “Those corporate filthmongers took over the whole world in less than a year. At least you have Jackie. I have nobody.” Gen muttered. Adin was sorry he had opened his mouth. The Autumn Uprising was still a hard topic for them even four years later. The war had prompted the pair to wage war on the Colonial government. Since then, Gen had abandoned COM-A36 and moved out into the woods, where he lived in a residence so secret that not even Adin knew where it was, tirelessly planning the next move against Earth’s oppressors even when Adin was hunting and fishing for the day’s meal. Sometimes Adin would have to meet Gen at an agreed location somewhere deep in the woods to give him things like food, water, and other basic items because Gen’s insane work ethic was preventing him from trying to survive alone in the wilderness.

 

The pair sat in silence for a while. Then Adin spoke up again.

 

“Um, so, it’s terrible. Farmers and villagers are organizing riots and stopping food production altogether. The uprising already has a name. The Colonists call it the ‘Harvest War’. No one’s been killed yet, or so I’ve heard. But Sector D is on lockdown. All trade has been stopped until further notice. They’ve set up a perimeter of soldiers around the entire Sector and only a few farmers, including the guy who told me and Jackie all this managed to escape without being shot.”

 

Gen finished his bread; Adin could see the familiar glint of revolution in his friend’s eyes again. “I’ve been hearing people in the Communes gossip about some unrest in some other Sector,” Gen mused. “This is the most active I’ve seen anyone be in a long time. Good to know people are getting inspired again.

 

“Oh, did I tell you I traded three bags of oats for this book by John Locke?” Gen digressed, “He’s this philosopher who talks about how a government rules only by the consent of the populace. If it’s not serving the people, the people have the right to overthrow it. I’ve been trying to tell everyone about him, but everyone’s too busy trying to stay alive to act upon some dead thinker’s words, you know? And no, you can’t borrow the book. It’s in terrible condition and I haven’t finished it yet.”

 

“Wasn’t going to,” replied Adin. Gen was definitely the more politically-minded of the two. Personally, Adin preferred poetry. He was too impatient for politics. Besides, it was nice to come back from a long day of hunting and read something that sounded niced instead of having to rack your tired brains over theories and philosophies. Gen was the only other literate person Adin knew. Books had been banned centuries before the Space Colonies even existed. Literature, by their logic, was not only dangerous, but also contributed to massive social inequality. It divided society along the lines of education. Education was expensive; it was better to do away with the whole concept anyway. Most scholars didn’t survive the genocides. A tiny black market on literature was the only place to go in order to get books now.

 

         Gen’s hand tightened into a fist. “I really wish Earth just had a military, with guns and helmets and spaceships and everything. That way we could fly to the root of the problem and end this once and for all.”

 

         Adin clapped a hand onto his friend’s shoulder. “I agree. But until then, Earth will just have to do with us.”

 

         Gen smiled. “Another reason why you’re my best friend, dude. What you told me changes everything. Originally I was planning on just stealing food and water and distributing it to the locals, but now I’ve decided on a change of plans. Tonight we have to find out one way or another if Sector A is in danger of a full-scale invasion. If so, we need to evacuate all the Communes in the area as soon as possible, ‘cause this place is gonna turn into a war zone in a few weeks.”

 

“Let’s hope not. I don’t want to go home to bread that was grown in space,” Adin remarked, half-joking, half-serious.

 

         “Me, neither. So, you in for tonight’s raid?” Gen asked. “You know you wanna come.”

 

         “Always,” Adin said, determination in his voice. “When have I not?” Adin had been aiding Gen’s guerrilla activities for over three years, which is a lofty accomplishment for when you’re only seventeen. But when the situation is that bad, children tend to mature faster.

 

Even though they were always in this together, Gen always asked for Adin’s participation first. It was the same process with each and every one of his troops; almost every operation was case-by-case. Gen respected the fact that everyone had families and obligations. Never had he assumed that anyone was available to fight, though Adin knew a couple in the gang who were willing to die for the cause without outside bidding. Many people respected Gen, whose circle had grown so tight that volunteers were almost always the same people. Adin was no exception; he loved to get his hands around the throats of a few Colonists as well. They were, as Gen had said, corporate filthmongers, who cared about nothing except for their own personal gain and security.

 

         Gen threw a mock salute. “Welcome aboard once again, soldier. We’ll come by to get you at ten o’clock tonight.”

 

         “Sounds great,” Adin replied, making a mental note that it was the same time the local Harvest Dance started. He decided he would use that as an excuse to get out of the house. Jackie had never found out about his other life, but he knew that she be furious if she did.

        

“So ten o’clock sharp, okay? Does your clock still work? Or did you guys use up your monthly electricity ration already?” Gen inquired.

 

         “Still works,” Adin replied. “Jackie and I built a sundial last week. That way, we can shut the clock off when the sun is up. It’s cut our usage by half. You should try it.”

 

         “That’s genius!” smiled Gen. “We’ll pick you up then, behind the tall rocks near your house. You’ll probably need more firepower than your crossbow, but that’s just a suggestion. Oh, yeah, bring a helmet if you can. Things are gonna get real ugly tonight. Well, I gotta head off now. Thanks again for the bread. Oh, and you might want to take care of that pheasant. It’s starting to gather flies.”

 

         Half an hour later, Adin made it out of the forest, the pheasant in his grasp.

 

~

2: Go Quiet

Chapter 2: Go Quiet

 

…

 

         It was a long walk back to Adin’s Commune. From the day he could wield a crossbow, he was walking the literal path of the hunter – a one-hour trail which wound its way this way and that until it finally reached the nearest forest. Somehow, sand from the road had made its way into his worn boots, grinding between his toes, though by now it was something he barely noticed.

 

The walk back was quite scenic. The trees had partially grown back over the land, like new skin over a freshly-healed scar. At one point the path ran by a decaying town at the foot of the hill. Adin had explored the place once or twice. Most of the buildings were rotting away, their roofs torn off, their windows smashed by years of hail and neglect. Climbing plants engulfed the houses, as if to drag them down to their final resting place. A crooked sign, which Adin could make out the words “WorldCorp Family Mart”, lay in the tall grass near a rusty WorldCorp Zephyr A300 hovercar. It would be a nice place to write poetry in, but right now Adin was too tired to feel any inspiration.

 

         The region where Adin lived used to be a thriving metropolis hundreds of years ago. As time went by, the entire area deteriorated into a series of shantytowns and slums among the rubble. And now, even that had atrophied into a mere shadow of itself.

 

         An emaciated old man walked by opposite Adin, pulling a cart full of hay bales. He looked at Adin through sunken, but hopeful eyes, expecting to sell. However, Adin averted the vendor’s gaze. He kept no livestock. However, there had been incidents of desperate vendors killing people who refused their goods and stripping them of whatever possessions they had on them. Adin was not about to take any chances. He hurried on.

 

Finally, the single path turned into four, and Adin took the second one to the right. The road led up a barren hill, where the path turned into a flight of dusty stone steps. At the top of the steps was a rickety sign made salvaged metal pipe and a wooden plank on which, for the sake of the literate, was scrawled: Welcome to COM-A36. Here, in a clearing, was home.

 

         Home was a jumble of houses, scattered at random. There were about five hundred houses in the Commune. Most were made entirely out of moldy plywood and sheet metal – the result of a halfhearted Colonist attempt to create housing for the Earth’s destitute denizens. Charred fire pits lay here and there, like little craters made by meteors. Some people were returning from the Communal fields with their share of wheat for the winter slung over their shoulders in dirty burlap bags. An old woman sat on her front porch, chatting with a man in dirty clothes. Adin could see workers pushing wheelbarrows full of centuries-old WorldCorp litter into large piles to be burned after hours when the place was asleep. The Commune had been built on top of mountains of the stuff. Most Communes were in a similar predicament. Only recently were people beginning to realize the problem the Colonists left behind when they moved to space.

 

         It wasn’t hard for Adin to located where he lived. A lack of planning in the Commune meant that there were no discernible streets. Everyone went by memorable. This was pretty remarkable considering the Commune had almost two thousand people. Other Communes, which were actually considered “big,” could hold several hundred thousand people. In the wake of the Colonist Migration and the crumbling of Earth’s cities and civilization, people tended to band together at random. Some Communes just got more people than others. Overpopulation was a persistent problem. Despite the Migration, the Earth still had over fifty billion people on it: fifty billion unknown faces hanging on for dear life.

 

“I’m home!” Adin shouted, as he neared his house. The maroon paint had been peeling off for years now, and a defunct water spigot stood resolutely in front of it. The front stairs creaked as Adin used them to climb onto the porch. The front screen door was dangerously loose. Adin opened it and went inside.

 

         The front entrance immediately led into the main room, which contained an ancient wood stove for heating, a decrepit electric oven, a moth-eaten family sofa, a small radio (every family was required to own one), and a few other small items. He took off his torn shoes and socks, and emptied all the sand and dust onto the floor, which made almost no difference since the floor was made from dirt as well. All the windows were open to let in some light. There were batteries lying on the table they ate at. These were small, thick disks with tiny lights that would glow bright green when they were charged. Their lights were currently off. Adin would have to wait another week. When October started, they could go to the Intercommune Market and recharge the batteries at the energy stalls.

 

There was a note next to the batteries. Charge these next weekend! xoxo

 

Of course, Jackie, thought Adin with a smile. Jacqueday Luna was a close family friend and Adin’s guardian. She was a stocky young woman of medium height, and her hair was almost always tied back in a brown ponytail. Most likely, she was out back, tending to the private garden, trying to coax sustenance from the arid soil. Though Jackie had given so much to raise Adin, she didn’t baby him. In fact, she had learned to read and write just enough to tell Adin that, for example, he had to recharge the batteries next week.

 

         Adin loitered around for a little, still clutching the pheasant. Making his way over to the small table where they usually ate, he picked up a small, stained picture frame, examining the photo it held. A small boy, with a shock of blonde hair…and a man and a woman, obviously the boy’s parents…he had his mother’s eyes: bright blue.

 

         A flood of memories came back.

 

         He was six…playing on the floor of their house…the leaves outside were falling…a knock at the door…his mother went to get it…

 

         “Hello, Mrs. Wurz”…”Hello, Artemia, something terrible has happened…found out why crops won’t grow…poisoned by a century of chemicals and plastic litter…we dug a lot of it up today…these were WorldCorp products…two people dead from food contamination…that’s how we found out…be safe, all of you…”

 

         And then she was gone. That night…father came home…

 

         “Hello, Hiram, dear, how was work?”…”Berated by supervisor, as usual”…”you’re not cut out for this job, dear. You’re a scientist”…”I know, honey, but our people mistrust science, religion, everything…know why they call us earthdwellers the Forsaken?...we’ve been forsaken by everything…we have nothing…”

 

         He turned to Adin.

 

         “Son…bad news…your friend…Erlen Greene…his father…moved family to space today…first family in our Commune to do so…we’ll never see them again…”

 

         Adin felt hot tears running down his face. “Why can’t we leave, Daddy? I hate this place…”

 

         Hiram pounded the table…”No money! No respect!...They don’t want my talents!”...Adin was frightened…ran to family bedroom…listening through the door…

 

         “I’m sorry, Artemia, I just…I swear we’ll leave…better life…start saving money…I’ll make connections…they always need food scientists up there…help their people…I’ll do it…for our child…for our family…for our future…”

 

         Fast forward eight years.

 

         Sitting at dinner table…eating food Adin hunted…father is excited…

 

         “I did it!...saved us enough money…working two jobs…sent lab results to Colonies…better food will improve their lives…they said I had good credentials…send for us in a month…no more hunger…no more starvation…I’ll be working for them…then we can send food down to Earth for our people”…

 

         “That’s wonderful, honey!”…

 

         That night…told to evacuate village…headlines: SEVEN COLONISTS DIE FROM POISONED FORSAKEN CROP…Autumn Uprising begins…invasion of Earth…

 

         “Father, where are we going?…”

 

         “A refugee camp…this should be over soon enough…”

 

         Not over soon enough…camp found…flames everywhere…Colonists started shooting…

 

         “Run, Adin! Listen to your mother!”

 

         He ran…but looked back…villagers rounded up…including mother and father…cut down by bullets…he screamed silently…then fell…

 

         A hand grabbed him…he recognized the face…the ponytail…the bright green eyes…

 

         “Come on, Adin, let’s go!”…

 

         Fast forward one month.

 

         “Breaking news, Sectors T through V, the most populous Sectors in the world, have fallen to the Colonies. Our officers are meeting with WorldCorp ambassadors to sign the peace treaty…”

 

         “Adin, what’s wrong…”

 

         “We were supposed to go to space today, Jackie…”

 

           â€‹And ever since then, Jackie became the only family Adin had.

 

         “Adin, is that you?” a husky female voice called from the rear garden, making him turn around.

 

         “Hey, Jackie,” Adin called back, replacing the pictures of his parents back on the side table. “Yeah, it’s me. I’m back early.”

 

         “Did you see my note about the batteries?”

 

         “Yeah.”

 

         “Why’re you back so soon? Did you forget to pack extra crossbow bolts?” asked Jackie, emerging through the flimsy back door. Her ponytailed hair was wrapped up in a cloth headband. Wiping sweat off her brow with a dirt-stained hand, she smiled at Adin: a set of perfect, white teeth.

 

         Adin held up the pheasant. “Actually,” he grinned, “I finally managed to bag one of these. I brought it back so you could get the feathers off. I’m gonna head back out in a little bit…”

 

         Taking the pheasant, Jackie mussed up Adin’s unruly blonde hair affectionately. “Take a break, little trooper,” she said, genuine warmth in her voice. “These things are hard to catch…” Adin detected the skepticism rise in her voice as Jackie plunged a pair of old pliers in to the bird’s wound and pulled out a bullet.

 

         “This is a weird-looking arrowhead,” Jackie exclaimed overdramatically, fixing Adin with a mock look of surprise, expecting an explanation.

 

         Adin turned red with embarrassment. “Yeah…it got away, to tell you the truth. Luckily Gen was there. He shot it.”

 

         The two laughed it off. “I keep saying that Gen should live with us,” Jackie said, washing her work-worn arms in a bucket of cold water. “You guys are inseparable. Plus, I could always use another hand around the house.”

 

         “C’mon, Jackie, you know why we can’t do that,” Adin sighed. “We’ve been through this. He’s an outlaw. The Hunter Patrols are still looking for him. I can’t even be seen with him in public.”

 

         “I know. The poor kid,” Jackie answered, pulling the feathers off the bird. “Sixteen and marked for death. What is this world coming to? Well, don’t just stand around. Help me peel those potatoes over there. Got them at the Market this morning, after you left. Traded five ears of corn for them. I’m going to try my hand at making stew for the first time in months.”

 

         “Actually,” said Adin as he searched for a proper knife, “I was gonna see if I could go to the Harvest Dance tonight. You know, the one that’s happening over at 138? Starts tonight at ten. And don’t worry, I don’t need a ride.”

 

         “Well, I guess you could go, since the harvest is over and everything,” Jackie muttered. “Wait, why are you suddenly into dances? I thought you hated dancing.”

 

          Adin had prepared for Jackie’s typical line of questioning. “Well, it’s not so much for the dancing. I just want to meet some new faces, that’s all.”

 

         Jackie shook her head in disapproval. “At least you could’ve told me earlier. I would’ve patched up your other pair of pants. I mean, look at you. You look absolutely filthy!”

 

         “It’ll be dark, we’ll all be sweaty and drunk on Barleymead. No one will know,” Adin said casually without looking up from the potatoes he was skinning.

 

         “And you don’t even have a date!” Jackie pointed out, as if this were something unbelievable. “I thought you were taking Ursia Nevans!”

 

         Adin was definitely not prepared for this line of questioning. “What? Are you out of your mind?! Who told you that? She’s got pit stains and she’s about fifty Libras overweight.”

 

         Jackie tossed a dirty rag in Adin’s direction. “Hey, don’t say that about a girl, Adin, c’mon. I could stand to lose a few Libras, in case you haven’t noticed.”

 

         Adin fumbled for words. “Yeah, well…that’s different. You weigh more because you have muscles.”

 

         “Thanks,” Jackie rolled her eyes. “I’m gonna punch you in the face.”

 

         Adin smirked wordlessly.

 

         “Well, you have fun tonight,” Jackie added. “I’m not going. Someone has to look after the house. Just promise me when you’ll be back for dinner, alright? And take a bath while you’re at it, alright? There’s fresh water in the well.”

 

         “Gotcha. Thanks, Jackie. Gonna head off now to bag some more food. See you tonight for dinner,” said Adin, getting up and heading for the door.

 

         “Be safe, Adin,” Jackie called after him as the screen door slammed shut.

 

…

 

         After washing himself clean and eating dinner, which was by all accounts delicious, Adin retreated to the bedroom. The sun was setting. To save them some electricity (the timer installed on the wall said they had thirty-three hours left), Adin lit a candle and started preparing for the raid. After pulling on the only jacket he had and readjusting the sights on his crossbow, he was ready to go. Hiding his things under his bed, Adin set the alarm for 9:45 PM and closed his eyes. He would need the little nap for tonight’s events.

 

         At the alarm, he woke up. Blood pumping, adrenaline rushing, Adin grabbed his things and went to go bid Jackie goodbye. But Jackie, he found, was already asleep on the other side of the bedroom. Being careful not to wake her, Adin tiptoed out of the house and immediately ran for the tall rocks just off to the side of the Commune to meet Gen. This was their normal pickup and dropoff point. Adin waited, entertaining himself in the cold by exhaling and examining his own breath. When that got boring he resorted to another ritual: taking out his otherwise empty wallet, he unfolded it. Inside was held a crumpled picture of his parents.

 

         “This is for you,” Adin muttered, gazing at the photograph.

 

         To him, his mother and father seemed to smile back.

 

         The sound of an approaching vehicle and the sight of a pair of circular yellow lights made Adin look up. In front of him was an old army scout car, its engine thrumming. Gen was sitting at steering wheel, black paint smeared over his face. Sitting in the back were a handful of familiar faces: Gus, Wreck, Speed, the lot – a grand total of six.

 

         “Ready to go, soldier?” Gen asked cheerfully as Adin climbed in the back.

 

         “Only six of your guys signed up for this?” Adin asked, somewhat disbelievingly.

 

         “Well, you know, the others are still lying low after what we did to that Collie supply dump last month,” Gen replied ruefully, using the slur the Forsaken frequently used to describe the Colonists.

 

         “Collie-collie sheep dogs!” one of the soldiers – maybe Wreck – shouted jovially.

 

         Gen held out a small can of tar. “War paint?”

 

         “No, thanks,” Adin refused. “Jackie’ll flip if she saw me with this.”

 

“Oh, hey,” Gen said, gesturing towards a wooden crate in the back, “we managed to get our hands on a few grenades. Take as many as you want, dude.”

 

         “Let me see that?” Adin told one of the guerrillas, who moved aside so he could get his hands on the contraband items. They were these silver spheres, slightly illuminated in the night by blue electricity coursing through circuit patterns etched on their surface.

 

         “Pretty cool, huh?” Gen grinned. “It’s the new NG-16 we’ve been talking about.”

 

        “The new nuclear grenade? How’d you even – ” the NG grenades were primarily used as “crowd control” during the Uprising. Filled with minute amounts of uranium, a single NG could cause a tremendous explosion, which not only vaporized or severely burned anyone with forty feet of the blast but would also leave small clusters of radiation on the land. Hundreds of acres of once-fertile earth were morphed into chemical wastelands sustained only by the remains of a few Forsaken rebels who died on the field.

 

         “We got it during month’s raid, remember?” Gen asked, pressing the gas pedal. “You were there. Anyway, we picked up a few energy rifles and some charge clips to go with it. You’re free to take one if you want.”

 

         Adin shook his head as the car rolled along the coarse road. “I’m gonna stick with the crossbow tonight.”

 

         Gen shrugged. “Your choice. As long as you don’t die.”

 

         Finally, they reached the outskirts of the Colonist base. Gen drove the car into a shadowy patch of trees and turned off the engine. The guerrillas crouched behind the car. “Can’t get too close,” Gen muttered. “They’ve already installed search lights and a siphon tower. Luckily I don’t see any radar towers or electric barbed wire yet.”

 

         Everyone started chattering excitedly amongst themselves.

 

         “That place is enormous!”

 

         “Look, they’ve built hangars already for the GunHelis!”

 

         “Wait,” whispered a guerrilla, looking up. “What’s that?”

 

         “Looks like some sort of drop ship.”

 

         “Are they landing soldiers already?!”

 

         “Shh, shh,” Gen hissed. “Just be patient for a second.”

 

         They watched in the shadows as a white-haired young man exited the ship, followed by a group of Colonist soldiers. Adin could see the base’s lights reflect off the soldiers’ eerie gray body armor and metallic blue visors.

 

         “Nothing to worry about. Looks like they’re just here to oversee preparations,” observed Gen, motioning for everyone to stay put. He turned around. “Alright. Not the best timing, I admit. But we’ve got to sabotage this base before things get worse than they already are. Hate to be part of the problem, but I want you to use as many NG’s as you can. Irradiate this place. It’s the only way to stop them from landing more troops.”

 

         “How do we get inside?” Adin pointed out.

 

         “Glad you asked,” Gen answered without hesitation. “Really simple. There’s about forty guys in that base. We’ll go quiet. Adin and I will start with the guards on the outside. The rest of you spread out and stay hidden. We’ll trick them into thinking that we’ve got them outnumbered. When we kill that white-haired officer, open fire. No prisoners. Got it?”

 

         Everybody nodded.

 

         “Alright. Got your weapons? Safeties off? Good. Let’s kill some Collie scum.”

 

~

3: Discovery

Chapter 3: Discovery

 

…

 

         Bathurius Cavendish had only been down to Earth a few times. And every time he went he hated it more. The place was filled with beggars, drifters, and bottom-feeders who eyed him like birds of prey. And now, for his first task as a newly-promoted Lieutenant Colonel, he had to inspect some half-built base. This was an outrage. He should have at least been told to kill someone.

 

         Pushing his strangely white hair out of his eyes (some of his men said he looked like something out of a cartoon), Cavendish proceeded to make his rounds (as fast as he could). He was staying for a night and a day. There was a cozy bed for him back at the ship, with actual heating and privacy. He planned to spend most of his time sleeping.

 

         “Had a smooth trip down here, sir?” asked an anonymous soldier.

 

        “Yes, great, thanks,” Cavendish muttered, guessing correctly that this guy was probably going to walk him around the camp.

 

         “…And here, sir, are the new rations to be issued to the men. Our new food formulas are lighter and more compact than ever, with more essential vitamins and minerals per unit…there’s our siphon tower, extra tall to produce more water essential to our forces…”

 

         Cavendish eyed the tower. It looked at odds with the landscape – too perfectly symmetrical when compared to the gnarled trees and even the camp’s semi-finished buildings. But his musings were silenced as he noticed something even more out of place. Cavendish silenced his tour guide with a quick hand motion. “Hey, you!” he barked, walking out the open door towards a lone guard in the night who was slumped against a tree. “Sleeping on the job? Not on my watch! Command will hear about this!”

 

         Walking over to the still form, he viciously smacked the culprit’s helmet-covered head. “Wake up!”

 

         The groggy guard got up slowly.

 

         “That’s more like it,” Cavendish muttered. Suddenly, there was a muffled yelp behind him, quickly followed by the rustling of bushes. The Lieutenant Colonel whirled around to see nothing but darkness. Drawing a pistol from his hip, Cavendish turned to the guard he just cuffed awake. “Cover me.”

 

         As he advanced away from the safety from the fortress into the gloom, there was another noise behind him. Cavendish whirled around. His tour guide was gone.

 

         Just as Cavendish was putting two and two together, something buzzed by him in the darkness, just grazing the commander’s cheek before it lodged itself in a tree trunk with a sound THOK!

 

         This was followed by Gen’s frustrated shout of “C’mon, Adin! You’re a better shot than that!”

 

         Immediately, all the searchlights at the base widened their range, illuminating the guerrillas forming a perimeter around the base. Shouts of “take position!” could be heard among the Colonists.

 

 

         “We have them outnumbered!” Cavendish shouted, wiping the blood back from his cheek while running back towards the outpost. “Open fire!”

 

         “You’re a better leader than this, Gen,” Adin shot back, as the sound of the Colonists’ SC30 Carbines filled up the woods.

 

         “Push forward! Let’s end this right here, right now!” Cavendish shouted.

 

         One guerrilla fell, shot in the chest. Two of his comrades dragged him to safety while others returned fire. But the light was in their eyes, completely throwing off their aim.

 

         “I can’t see!” Gen groused as he fired off a round and ducked to reload. “Where are you going?!” he yelled, as Adin started running back toward the scout car.

 

         “Shoot their searchlights!” Adin yelled as he climbed in the driver’s side.

 

         “Got it!” shouted Gen, aiming at the enormous spots of light in the darkness. He fired with pinpoint accuracy, taking out all the lights one by one. Cries of confusion could be heard among the Colonists. Having spent most of their time training in brightly-lit space facilities and digitalized simulation programs, they were not as used to fighting in the darkness as Gen’s warriors were.

 

         There was a loud roar as Adin revved up the engine of the tiny squad car. Turning on the high beams and momentarily giving the guerrillas a clear shot at the enemy (which they took complete advantage of, taking down two).

 

         “EVERYBODY WATCH OUT!” Adin yelled, flooring the gas pedal and sending the car careening in a straight path towards the Colonist base.

 

         Gen threw himself out of the way as their scout car shot by. “Why would destroy our only means of transportation?!”

 

         Cavendish saw the car coming at him from about a mile away. He dove out of the way as the empty vehicle slammed into the base.

         Adin hit the ground hard. A Colonist soldier had his weapon pointed at him. Thinking fast, Adin aimed his crossbow and put a bolt straight through the adversary’s visor.

 

         The Colonist soldiers had now turned on the flashlights on their guns, making them easy targets for the guerrillas, who drove them back with a volley of gunfire.

 

         But Gen knew that his friend was in trouble. Leaping from his hiding spot, he ordered his comrades to charge forth and get Adin out from the tight spot he was in. The battle was in full swing. One guerrilla was killed and two more were wounded. Struggling to his feet, Adin ran back towards his comrades.

 

         “What were you trying to achieve with that?” Gen demanded as Adin scrambled to safety.

 

         “Desperate times call for desperate measures,” panted Adin, taking down another charging soldier. “We’re winning now, aren’t we?”

 

         “First you screw up the assassination, then you wreck our ride out. We’re gonna be slaughtered!” Gen shouted. But his complaints were drowned out by the the chatter of guns on both sides. On a more positive note, the guerrillas were indeed winning; Cavendish’s forces were being pushed back up against the ruins of their base.

 

         “Well, this little raid got completely botched. We’ll have to kill ‘em all,” Gen told Adin. “Hope you can still shoot, Trigger.”

 

         Then, the unfathomable happened.

 

         Bathurius Cavendish’s eyes glowed a fiery orange as he suddenly lifted a dramatic hand in the air. Streams of molten magma, probably from the Earth’s core, shot up into the air in two rows in the direction of the guerrillas, who were falling back once more. One of the volunteers, who was wounded earlier, screamed as a molten jet shot up from under him, lighting him on fire.

 

         “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Gen asked Adin, his eyes wide. “He’s gonna tear us apart!”

 

         “Still, we gotta kill him. No prisoners, as always,” Adin replied, gulping with fear.

 

         “You’re right,” said Gen, aiming his rifle carefully at the mutant Colonist’s head. But before he could pull the trigger, Cavendish pitched an enormous fireball at the two, forcing Adin and Gen to duck down. The fireball hit a large oak tree, eating right through the tough wood. Adin fell flat on his back. The tree toppled down towards him. He shielded his face…

 

         He never felt a thing.

 

         Adin unshielded his eyes. “Gen? How…”

 

         But Gen’s eyes were glowing too – glowing a bright green as the enormous tree seemed to hover in the air in front of him. In one smooth movement, Gen pitched the tree back at Cavendish, who sliced the thing in half with a swift slash of fire.

 

         “What’s going on? What’s happening to me?!” Gen was screaming, staring at his hands. The guerrillas had joined the two and were laying down fire on Cavendish’s remaining soldiers, but it seemed that no one wanted to get too close to the two boys.

 

         “Do that again!” Adin shouted back, noticing that Cavendish was charging towards them at an inhuman speed.

 

         Gen pointed his open hand at another tree, but the tree didn’t budge. “It’s not working!”

 

         “Well, do something,” Adin cried desperately, “or we’re all gonna be dead!”

 

         Automatically, Gen’s eyes glowed green again. In a flash, Cavendish stopped charging. Thick tree roots had somehow sprouted from underground and had wrapped themselves around his legs, holding him still.

 

         “Quick! While he’s stuck!” Adin shouted to the guerrillas, firing off bolt after bolt at the immobile Colonist. The shocked fighters quickly complied, shooting at Cavendish, who blocked all their efforts by conjuring shields of flame that melted their bullets.

 

         “Uh, Adin, I can’t hold him there much longer!” Gen warned, as the green in his eyes started to flicker.

 

         “Hang in there, man, we’ve almost worn him down!” Adin assured him through gritted teeth, launching another bolt at Cavendish’s impenetrable shields. “Hold on! Throw a grenade – ”

 

         With a roar of fury, Cavendish seemed to emit fire from his entire body for a second, searing through the thick roots which held him down.

 

         “Oh no, he’s free!” Gen cried. “What are we – ”

 

         Suddenly, Adin felt a warm sensation through his entire body. Images of pounding waves submerged his thoughts. His eyes glowed, his hands raised…

 

         “Your eyes…your eyes are glowing blue!” he heard Gen shout.

 

         Then, an earsplitting crack was heard as the siphon tower – the Colonist garrison’s only water source – exploded. Water shot from the ruined machine, knocking down soldiers like rioters facing a fire hose. Cavendish screamed as a massive shower of water hit him, turning his eyes back to their normal color and rendering his powers useless. With a groan the siphon tower teetered and fell towards Cavendish and his troops, causing them to scatter.

 

         “Oh man! Way to go, Adin!” Gen shouted with glee. But Cavendish wasn’t finished yet. He drew his pistol and pointed it at Adin, murderous intent in his eyes. In a flash Gen’s eyes glowed again. One of the two halves of the tree trunk Cavendish had severed earlier sprang up and flew towards the Colonist officer, slamming into the back of his head with amazing force. Bathurius Cavendish hit the watery ground face first and lay still.

 

         “Is he dead?” Adin asked, breathing hard. But before he could answer, there was a familiar, fearsome whir of mechanical terror above their heads. A flash of light blinded everybody. There, in the sky, was some sort of manmade monstrosity, its twin propellors buzzing madly, its massive blasters ready to fire.

 

         One of the guerrillas gasped. “Run! It’s a – ”

 

         “GunHeli,” Gen finished for him. “Get out of here! Fall back! Everybody, retreat! Throw your grenades and RETREAT!”

 

No one needed any second bidding. The survivors pitched their NG’s at the base, which went up in an enormous explosion. They tore off into the woods, the GunHeli – and a small mushroom cloud – hot on their trail.

 

         “Where do we go?!” a guerrilla cried out. Adin gasped audibly as a burst sounded from the GunHeli’s concussion cannon, kicking up a storm of dirt right in front of him.

 

         “Over there! In that patch of fallen trees! We’ll lose them in there!” Gen cried. They dove into the dense mess of branches and thickets, crouching low as the GunHeli made one pass, two passes, three passes above their heads before the noise of its engines faded off into the distance.

 

         The night was eerily quiet now. Adin’s ears were ringing shrilly. Pressing his hands to either side of his head and pumping some air out of his ears, he could hear the sound of crickets and an owl in the distance. Gen was next to him, panting heavily, an expressionless look plastered on his face.

 

         Now that the adrenaline had worn off, everyone was too shocked to speak after what had happened. Adin stared at his hands, trying to figure out how he caused that water tower to explode.

 

         “This isn’t a dream, right?” he asked no one in particular.

 

         His words seemed to galvanize Gen into action again. The guerrilla leader stood up, very much his old self. “No, Adin, this is real. The soldiers were real. The GunHeli was real. And if we want to get out of this alive, we’re gonna have to face reality. They’ve launched an invasion, and this place is gonna be crawling with Collies in few hours. We can mourn our dead later. But right now…right now I need Adin to come with me. We’re gonna evacuate A36. The rest of you, evacuate A35. We’ll meet up together at 3 AM near the fallen tree on the path between the two Communes and head south to evacuate A37 and A38 together. Now come on, move out! Thousands of people’s lives potentially depend on us at this very moment! Move it! Go!”

 

         The remaining guerrillas nodded and ran off into the night on foot.

 

         Once Gen was sure they were gone, he turned back to Adin and laughed hysterically. “That was amazing!” he screamed, in a manner completely contrary to the serious, no-nonsense image he was conveying just seconds before. “Did you see us back there? Never seen anything like it in my life!”

 

         Adin got up in a daze. “We should evacuate my Commune,” he said tiredly, beginning to walk towards home.

 

         “Yeah, you’re right,” Gen agreed, tagging along. “But seriously. That was some surreal stuff we did back there…”

 

~

4: Strange Figures

Chapter 4: Strange Figures

 

…

 

         The moon had finally emerged from its hiding spot amongst the clouds. It lit the way for Adin and Gen, as the two, tired from sprinting, walked back towards COM-A36. Adin’s head was filled with questions. What had just happened? How would this affect him? What of Jackie and the rest of his Commune? Would anything ever be the same?

 

         “No, it couldn’t be a Colonist experiment,” he found himself reasoning to Gen. “Why would they test this experiment out on us?”

 

         “Could be the food, then,” Gen suggested. “Maybe there was something on the market that they sold us and we ate.”

 

         Adin shook his head. “Something that gave us superpowers? Doubt it.”

 

         “You never know?” Gen countered feebly. Then his expression changed again. “Ahh, you take things a little too seriously sometimes, Adin.” With that, he started dancing around his weary friend. “But hey, while we have these powers, let’s use ‘em! Who knows? We could wake up the next day and they’d be gone.”

 

         “That is, if we wake up,” Adin muttered. The image of the dreaded GunHeli was still burned into his mind. Maybe word of their powers got out. Maybe a Colonist patrol would start hunting for them tonight. The thought of it all was too terrifying for words.

 

         “…Think about it. Adin Moralis and Gen Chang. Superheroes of the Forsaken world! We’d be saviors! No more running and hiding. We could fight Collie scum out in the op – ”

 

         “STOP!” Adin cried, grabbing his friend by the shoulders and shaking him hard. Was Gen actually dancing around him? He relented after seeing the shocked look on Gen’s face. “Stop, okay? I don’t know what’s happened to us but whatever it is, I hate it and I want nothing to do with it, got it? We’re just two kids trying to get by in a poverty-stricken world. You’re wanted for countless acts of subversion, sabotage, and murder, and I have to keep myself and Jackie alive. Our parents are dead and we nearly got killed tonight ourselves! And here you are, treating it all as some kind of big joke. Seriously, Gen, get it together!”

 

         Gen looked stricken. “You’re right, I’m sorry. Maybe we should lay low for a while.”

 

         “Probably,” Adin nodded. “Now come on, I recognize where we are. The Commune’s only a few more miles up the road. Let’s go. We still need to meet up with the others to evacuate the last Commune.”

 

         With that, the two broke into a run again.

 

…

 

         It was way past midnight by the time they reached the Commune. Every single light in A36 was on. People were flooding out of houses with what little possessions they had. Among the shouts and the movement, Adin and Gen looked around, slightly bewildered, trying to find someone to explain everything to them.

 

         A disheveled old man showed up just in time. “Ah, Adin. We were told to evacuate the village half a few hours ago. All dances were called off and everyone’s been told t’ leave. You might wanna go home and help Miss Luna pack. She’s been really worried about where you been. Another moment an’ she woulda got the whole Commune out searchin’ for you.”

 

         Adin swallowed hard. Gen thanked the old man and the two hurried off. “Someone was already here,” Gen said. “Looks like they did all the hard work for us.”

 

         “Oh, no. Oh, no, no, no, no, no,” Adin groaned, smacking himself in the forehead several times. “What am I gonna do, Gen? Jackie’s gonna kill me. This is gonna be the end of our friendship, I swear.”

 

         “Don’t say that. Maybe you should just tell her everything,” Gen said, trying to help. “Then she’ll understand what all this means to you and you’ll be let off easy.”

 

         “Maybe,” Adin replied, not even half convinced. “Or maybe she’ll skin me alive. Oh, well, I’ll try your advice, now that we’re at my house.”

 

         There was a strange-looking van parked outside the Moralis household. But that didn’t worry Adin. What was more important to him was the fact that the light inside the house was on. Adin was beginning to feel terrible. The Harvest Dance was well over and Jackie was probably worried sick about him. He looked at Gen for reassurance.

 

         “Go on, man,” Gen encouraged him, patting Adin on the shoulder. “I’ll be right here. Call if you need me, okay?”

 

         Nodding, Adin climbed up the rickety steps to his porch and was about to enter when he heard voices coming from the back of the house. Curious, he took his hand off the door handle and stepped back off the porch, cautiously making his way around the side of the house, crossbow in hand.

 

         Gen leaned to the right, trying to figure out what Adin was doing. “What is it?” he asked. “What’s going on?”

 

         But Adin wasn’t listening. He had already rounded the back. To his shock, Jackie was standing there, talking to two unfamiliar figures. In the faint light coming from the lanterns the two strange men were holding, he could see that one was this enormous figure with unkempt, frizzy hair and an extremely shaggy beard. The other one was clean-shaven and looked younger and meaner. Both were better-dressed than common Earthdweller, in worn leather jackets and heavy-duty boots. Adin wasn’t sure what to make of this.

 

         “Who are you?” he asked loudly, being careful to keep his distance. The men seemed to not notice him and kept right on talking to Jackie, who seemed to nod along to whatever they were saying.

 

         “Who are you and what do you want?” Adin asked again, raising his crossbow. For someone who had just fought Colonist foot soldiers and a GunHeli head-on, he was surprised that two unarmed strangers were making him so nervous

 

         Slowly, the two men turned to Adin, not because he had shouted at them, but because they had finished their conversation with Jackie.

 

         Then they walked straight at him.

 

         Adin took a step back, but he did not lower his weapon.

 

         The tall, bearded man had a smile on his face, which Adin could see as he got closer, was covered in wrinkles and other signs of age. “You’re not going to shoot me with that, are you, Adin?”

 

         How does he know my – but Adin decided that Jackie must have told the men his name. “I will if I have to,” he retorted, trying to sound brave. Well, that sounded a bit dumb, didn’t it?

 

         “Where’s the other one?” the younger man asked.

 

         The older man smiled. “He’s near. I can sense him.”

 

         “Hey, man, everything alright?” Gen asked, coming around the side of the house. “I heard voices…” He stopped when he saw the two men. “Who’re they?”

 

         “Ramsai Elias,” said the older man, holding out his hand (which Adin did not shake). “The man behind me goes by Tresh.”

 

         “Look, what is going on?” Adin demanded, completely confused.

 

         “We’re here to take the two of you away,” Ramsai stated plainly.

 

         “And you can’t say no,” Tresh added icily.

 

         “Are you Colonists? What do you want with me?” Adin asked, blood running hot through his veins.

 

         “Good heavens, no,” Ramsai chuckled amiably. “And you must forgive Tresh. He’s had a long day on the road scouting for Sprouts. Haven’t we all?”

 

         Adin and Gen exchanged glances with each other. “You still haven’t told me why you’re here or what you want with us. Tell us know!” Adin snarled, his crossbow directed at this Ramsai’s chest at point-blank distance.

 

         “Put that thing down!” the man called Tresh yelled, storming towards the youth, but Ramsai held up his hand. “It’s alright, Tresh. Listen, Adin, you and your friend there – Gen – have Discovered your elemental powers tonight.”

 

         So that’s what it was, Adin thought. He looked at Gen out of the corner of his eye. Like Adin, Gen was trying to remain expressionless.

 

         “…Therefore it is not safe for individuals like you to stay here with normal human beings. You are needed by your brethren, the Elementas. Congratulations, and welcome aboard.”

 

         Though Adin instinctually believed Ramsai, part of him was not about to let himself and his best friend be taken away by complete strangers. “What is this?” he demanded. “Some kind of joke?”

 

         “Not a joke, Adin,” Ramsai explained, with the patience of a saint. “A gift. You and your friend are both to come with us. We will show you how to master the elements…”

 

         “What if I say know?” Adin snapped. He noticed his crossbow arm had been relaxing. That wasn’t good; he pointed it up again with renewed vigor.

 

         “Shut up!” Tresh yelled.

 

         “We’re not coming!” Gen shouted.

 

         “You can’t make us do anything!” Adin added.

 

         “Everyone stop!” screamed Jackie shrilly. “Adin,” she said, looking directly at him, “you have to go with them. It’s for your own good. And for Gen’s.”

 

         Adin was shocked at what he was hearing. “Wait…what? You too?!”

 

         “Don’t we have a say in this?” Gen protested, looking around. Adin glared at Jackie.

 

         “Did you do this?” he shouted furiously. “Did you bring them here?”

 

Jackie looked as if she was about to cry. “No, Adin. They showed up when we started evacuating the Commune. You have to believe me, please. They found us. You have to go with them.” There was a slight hint of pleading in her voice.

 

         “What?” Gen asked incredulously, “You’re just gonna let them take us away?!”

 

         Ramsai held up a hand for silence. “You will be taken to a camp in our world, Gaia. That’s what we call our world. There will be trainees your age. Some younger and some older, too. There you will learn to harness and develop your newfound gifts, and – ”

 

“You’re just gonna let me go like that?” Adin shouted at Jackie, exasperated. “After four years of struggling through this life you’re just gonna let these guys who we never seen before take me and Gen to join some cult?”

 

“Adin! It’s not a cult! It’s real! Trust me!” Jackie cried, she herself close to tears now. “You have to go! Please!”

 

         “This is so messed up,” Gen said, shaking his head.

 

         “Look, I know you’re done for today. Why don’t you Portal back to camp and get some rest? I’ll see you in Gaia in a few days,” Ramsai told Tresh off to the side.

 

         “You’re all crazy. Look, I told you,” Adin yelled, losing control, “I’m not going! Whatever this is, I’m not doing it! We’re not doing it!”

 

         He didn’t see the look that passed between Ramsai and Tresh before it was too late. The last thing he remembered was a hard blow to the side of his head. Then everything went black.

 

~

5: Persuasion

Chapter 5: Persuasion

 

…

 

         The first thing Adin felt as he woke up was a burning pain in the side of his head. With much difficulty, he managed to sit up, using his hands to push himself upright. As his bleary vision cleared, the room in front of him began to fall into shape. Obviously, this place had been abandoned for some time now. Concrete and general debris littered the floor, which was flooded by sunlight. The large window, with its tattered artificial-green curtains, was smashed, leaving the room to the mercy of the elements. The entire place smelled like mildew, which shared the walls with the cobwebs.

 

Despite the disrepair, Adin had never seen anything so luxurious. The room was bigger than anything he had ever experienced. And what was this? He felt his hand sink down into something as he pushed himself upright. Looking down, Adin realized that he was sitting on a bed bigger and more welcoming than anything he had ever seen in his whole life. There was even a plasma lamp nearby. He had only seen those in the pamphlets advertising life in the Space Colonies that his father kept. Adin pressed the device’s single rusty button, and marveled as the thing lit up…then went out.

 

         Adin rubbed the bump on his head as it all came back to him. Last night was definitely not a dream. He had definitely had some sort of supernatural revelation. And now, with Jackie’s blessing (if one could call it that), he was on the road with Gen, going to some parallel universe –

 

         Where was Gen?

 

         Adin scrambled to his feet. His friend was nowhere to be found. There were three hardwood doors in the room – two located on the wall facing him, and one on the wall to his left. There was a worn-out rug lying at the foot of the left door, which Adin figured was the exit. Walking across the room, he slid the second door open, taking a step back as he was hit by the powerful stench of an alcove long untouched. A moldy rack of coat hangers greeted him. Water had eaten through the floor, and a few termites chewed at the decrepit wood in the corner. Adin shut the door to the closet. Finally, he pushed open the third door. There was the bathroom, complete with an automatic toilet, a sink, and a once-shiny gilded bathtub – three things that Adin had only seen in pamphlets and transmissions.

 

         The mirror was cracked and dirty. Still, Adin could see his grimy face, still streaked with soot and dirt from last night’s raid. He noticed the funny mini-spigots and the basins lying before him, and decided that they were faucets and sinks, respectively. He turned handle. A single drop of muddy water oozed out of the tap and splashed into the dirty basin.

 

         Rubbing his parched hands together and grimacing at the sensation, Adin exited the bathroom and nearly jumped. Ramsai Elias was sitting on the  bed, a heavy burlap sack lying next to him. “Ah, Adin, you’re awake.”

 

         “Where are we?” Adin asked icily.

 

         “The Cloudline Hotel,” Ramsai replied. “Maybe you’ve heard of it? It’s in the old city plaza. We haven’t traveled far; we’re still in Sector A. It was late when I got the pair of you and I myself was very ready to sleep for the night. Have you seen the view? Well, it really is quite nice.”

 

         Adin had heard of the place. Cloudline was a subsidiary of WorldCorp, now responsible for designing the interiors of the Space Colonies. Moving to the damaged window, he looked out to a vast wasteland of ruined metal and stone. Mold and trees sprouted out of the asphalt on the old highways. Climbing plants were working their way up the shattered skyscrapers. The old marble statue of the city’s founder had been completely misshapen by centuries of pollution and elements. The entire place, once a teeming metropolis with over three million inhabitants, was now completely silent.

 

“Where’s Gen?” Adin asked, looking over at Ramsai.

 

         “Gen is in the other room, still unconscious.  We didn’t want to hit the two of you so hard. But, understand this, it really is not safe for young Elementas like you to be around the Forsaken. We had this one child once two years ago. Seven years old, with beautiful turquoise eyes. When the neighbors realized that she could control which way the wind blew, they wrapped her up in a bag, took her out into the middle of nowhere and left her to die. Her body was found five months later.”

 

         “Elementas?” Adin inquired disbelievingly, recalling the word from the previous night, “What’s all that about?”

 

         “That’s a long story,” Ramsai chuckled, motioning for Adin to come sit with him. “Too long to be told on an empty stomach, anyway! Are you hungry?”

 

         Adin shrugged. “A little,” he said indifferently.

 

         Ramsai tossed him something wrapped in metal foil. “For you. Eat up.”

 

         Adin unwrapped the little package to find a sandwich with what he recognized as ham slices and cheese. He took a tentative bite. It tasted quite good, and soon he found himself chewing and gobbling voraciously. No one ever put that much meat and dairy in one little roll of bread all at once.

 

         Ramsai laughed, his brown eyes twinkling, though he sounded a bit sad. “I’ve found so many Sprouts on this planet, and so many of them just maul through the food I give them like hungry wolves.” Adin smiled back for the first time.

 

         “This is really good, Mister…”

 

         “…Elias, Ramsai Elias. But just Ramsai will do.”

 

         “Yeah, this is really good, Ramsai, thanks.”

 

         “When you live in a simpler world,” Ramsai smiled, “you get to enjoy the little things a bit more. You’re eating the finest bread, oven-roasted ham, and goat cheese, all fresh. On Gaia, we only take what we need.”

 

         “Otherwise you’d end up like what’s out here,” Adin finished for him. “It got so polluted and overpopulated here that the ones who could afford it moved to space ages ago.”

 

         “I know,” Ramsai nodded. “It’s getting hard for us to go up to space now when some Colonist youth Discovers their powers, but we manage. It’s very nice up there – too nice. Every wish is granted, every want fulfilled. They never know anything outside of that little bubble they’re in. It’s amazing that Sprouts would be found up there.”

 

         Adin smirked. “Sprouts?”

 

         “Elementas have just Discovered their powers – just like you, Adin,” Ramsai informed him, getting up and starting to walk around the room. “Ah, Gen, welcome. You must be hungry. Have a bite to eat…”

 

         Gen entered, still a bit unsteady. He nodded when he saw Adin. Adin’s guard sprung back up immediately.

 

         “I was just giving your friend Adin here a little history lesson about the Elementas,” said Ramsai casually. “Come, sit. It’s best if you understand your universe before you enter it.

 

         “You see, nature is actually composed of elemental forces which sometimes manifest themselves in people. Nature is not picky; she can manifest herself in anybody. As human civilization grew, and people grew to depend on nature less and less, we became relegated to our own world. Yet our worlds are always tethered together, governed by nature, which sometimes tethers herself to individual beings…

 

“As time went by our worlds grew apart. Your world focused on the progress, excellence, and efficiency of your lifestyles and machines, while we lived with nature, seeking to understand it and to maintain its delicate natural balance. But our worlds are never completely isolated, the best example of this being that every now and then, someone from your world will one day display abilities to harness elemental powers. We call this process ‘Discovery’.”

 

         Adin had a ton of questions to ask, but he was cut short as Ramsai leaned forward, a serious expression on his face.

 

         “Now, I need you boys to tell me how you Discovered your powers.”

 

         Taking turns (and sometimes interrupting each other), Adin and Gen related their backstory as raiders to Ramsai, telling about how they encountered a white-haired Colonist who was probably an Elementa, and how they miraculously found their abilities mid-battle and used them to narrowly escape.

 

         Ramsai was pensive for a moment after they had finished. “Are you talking about Bathurius Cavendish? Young man? White hair?”

 

         The pair nodded.

 

         Ramsai sighed. “Bathurius was a Lava Elementa – the Dark deviation of Fire. He was one of my very own top-notch students as a matter of fact, before his lust for power made him start using his gifts for the wrong reasons. Extremely powerful, very cunning, and completely arrogant. It’s a wonder you boys defeated him.”

 

         “Dark?” Adin piped up, the urge to ask a million questions threatening to burst forth again. “You mean there are two sides to – ”

 

         Ramsai simply held up his hand and Adin fell silent. “It’s a wonder you boys defeated him,” he repeated once more, “It really is.”

 

         Adin and Gen looked at each other and laughed tentatively. “Wasn’t really easy, to tell you the truth,” Gen joked.

 

         “But this is interesting”, mused Ramsai. “Very interesting indeed. Very few Water Elementas – you and me both, Adin – are able to make water burst out of a metal tank like that and not many Tree Elementas – which is what you are, Gen – can lift a full-grown tree off the ground and throw it the moment they Discover their powers. I’d say you boys are talented, and that’s what the Council decided too. Otherwise they wouldn’t have assigned me to be your mentor. My job at Camp Skyriver is that of ‘Counselor for the Select and Gifted’, which is the blasted title they gave me – I have no idea why.”

 

         Adin shifted. “To tell you the truth, Ramsai, it was really just an accident, what we did.”

 

         “Yeah,” Gen added. “Spur of the moment, if you will.”

 

         Ramsai chuckled again. “All the reason more to put you two in my group. I don’t believe in such things as accidents. At Camp Skyriver, you’ll meet and interact with Elementas of all different backgrounds and types. And I’ll help you develop your powers and abilities to their fullest extent. But…” he paused, “…only if you are willing to learn while you are there.

 

         “Wait, how do we know that any of this is true?” Adin asked, deciding that nothing was confirmed yet.

 

         Ramsai nodded as if to say “so that’s how it’s going to be.” He looked Adin in the eye. “Are you thirsty?”

 

         Adin nodded. “Come with me,” Ramsai told him. He looked over at Gen. “You too.”

 

         They followed Ramsai into the bathroom. Adin watched as the wise man moved towards the sinks. “The water doesn’t work…” he began.

 

But Ramsai ignored him, and instead produced two clean mugs from the inside of his coat. “I’ve done this at least several thousand times,” he winked roguishly at the pair. Holding the mugs under the faucet, his eyes suddenly glowed blue, like Adin’s did last night at the Colonist base. The next second, pure, fresh water was flowing out of every tap – the faucets, the shower, the bath, the toilet, everything. It splashed out onto the floor, washing away the old splotches of dirt, dust, and mold, revitalizing their surroundings, giving everything a new, more lively quality.

 

         Ramsai’s eyes reverted back to normal. “Now do you believe me?” he asked.

 

         Adin and Gen both just stared, thunderstruck at the realization that they were indeed part of something much bigger than they could ever hope to comprehend. Unless, of course, they gave it a chance…

 

        Ramsai smiled. “Good. Now we must go. I’ll answer more of your questions on the road if you have any. There’s a lot to tell. But I understand that you are wanted by the law, are you not?”

 

         “I am. Adin probably is,” Gen smirked.

 

         Ramsai nodded. “Just as I thought. Can’t keep a boy out of trouble. Anyway, we also have to pick up one more person.”

 

         “Anyone we know?” Adin asked, as they exited the bathroom.

 

         “Most likely not,” replied Ramsai. “Come along now, and bring that bag of food with you.”

 

~