-I-

The sun dipped below the horizon as silence echoed across the land.

Large Clouds were forming in the west, glowing like magnificent paintings in the sky, filled with purples and oranges, violets and maroons. Underneath them laid fields of green, just beginning to form where streets and parking lots had once been. Tiny green shoots poking through in triumph, from the ash that blanketed the ground like snow. A few birds hung high above in the sky, keenly searching for their next meal. Riding the currents that swept through the valley they rose up, distancing themselves from the myriad of white circles that covered the forest. Unaware of the deadly device that moved silently above their wings.

Deep in the valley of the mountains, nestled in the edge of the highlands that stretched to the west, was a small town. Unscathed from the destruction, hidden amongst the pines. Abandoned by those who once called it home, the streets were quiet and still. Tall thickets of grass waved from the storm drains, producing puffs of soft downy seeds that swirled through the streets, going wherever the breeze demands.

Stretching and adjusting a meager blanket over her toes, a young girl opened her eyes, sitting up slowly and turning towards the vine covered window beside her, the end of the sunset just barely peeking through the green snakes. She reached down to the end of the bed, picking up a small green cap, throwing her head back and pulling it tight against her head. Across the room lay a man, gently snoring, one of his legs hanging over the edge of the bed oddly. "Robert." she said. Turning on his side the man let out a muffled groan, wrapping the blanket tighter over his head. "Robert, the sun is setting." she repeated softly. Robert opened his eyes and rolled over, looking up at her. "Yes Emily. Right you are." he muttered, pulling himself up into a sitting position and letting out a great yawn.

Robert wasn’t a very large man but he was tall, towering over the young girl as he stood up, rubbing his hand over his short black hair and scratching his chest. Emily stood up and walked down the hall, investigating an aquarium she had seen when they arrived in the morning.

“How did ya sleep?” asked Robert, tightening his belt and attaching a holster to his waist. Emily’s bright green eyes were almost hidden in the reflection as she stared at the fish within the algae covered tank, making faces at them as they hid amongst their rocks in disapproval. She reached into a bowl next to the tank, pulling out a handful of glass stones which she dramatically dropped one at a time into the tank, watching as the fish darted beneath the algae. “I slept really good actually.” she replied finally, “I can’t believe these fish are still living!” Robert looked down the hall are her and laughed to himself, turning his gaze over to the wall where his backup battery sat charging.

“I can’t believe these panels are still working.” he muttered, peeking out the window at the glass panels set in a line in the yard. Emily walked up to Robert with her hands filled with glass stones. “Can I keep them?” she asked looking up at him and sucking her cheeks in like a fish. “Sure.” he replied, finishing the lace on his boot and standing up.

The sun was just beneath the horizon, sending glorious colors streaming into the building. Robert stretched his arms above his head, stretching his back and letting out a satisfying sigh as his spine popped into place. He looked down and smiled at Emily, a chill running down his spine as breathed. "Alright then. Now what?” he asked, reaching down and touching his toes. "Do we have to do this every night?" she whined, following suit and touching her own toes. "I know you’re sick of it but I need to be sure that you remember what to do, in case we get separated." he said, letting out a groan as he stood up. Emily turned and walked slowly to a cabinet by the wall, mumbling to herself as she picked up a dusty book and looked it over. “I’m sorry I didn’t quite hear that.” said Robert, cupping his ear playfully.

She turned towards Robert, looking up at him blankly. "Now we power the radio and listen until the second star comes out." She turned back around and blew the dust off the book, opening it slowly and looking through it. "That right...” he said slowly, “ And why is that?” She rolled her eyes. “Because it’s the only time when we can communicate without being overheard.” she replied, obviously bored of the lesson. Robert frowned. “We only get this one opportunity each day.” he warned taking notice of her tone, “You can’t ever forget.”

As he reached down and pulled the radio out of the bag he remembered the first time he had heard those words. Closing his eyes he could see a tall, gangly young man, standing on top of a car. His eyes full of anger and determination. It was his friend Jake. The day Jake had lost his parents. Robert’s mind drifted away as he began cranking the radio.

“I know you don’t want to believe it but what I say is true!” Jake implored, his voice filling the parking lot. “Our government is planning to make moves on world domination! Your lives are no more than replaceable cogs to them! Your homes are no more than points on a map! They are planning to make their move soon and that’s why we have to band together and get out of this city!” People looked around at each other in disbelief. They couldn’t believe that he would say the things he did. Some believed him, but most dismissed him as a sick boy who had lost his parents.

His voice echoed in Robert’s head.

“Bye fish.” said Emily sadly, running her fingers along the tank as they exited the hall and left the building. The wind was beginning to pick up as the clouds began to spread closer overhead, the sunset hidden behind their dark grey mass. Robert searched for the star in the sky, but it stayed hidden. Emily reached out and took the radio from him, turning the crank slowly.

“So we should be meeting up with them tonight right?” she asked hopeful.

“I hope so.” he replied. His words made Emily’s heart sink.

He stared up into the clouds silently thinking about the night before. Images of control panels and consoles rusting away against yellowing concrete. Overlooking the resevoir, the dam’s control tower seemed like the perfect place to hold up for the day. Even if they were sighted, there was no way the G.E.B. would target such an important facility. He closed his eyes, thinking of the message they had received from base and how happy Emily had been to speak with Anna.

“Echo Bravo Class 54 passcode please." he said. He let off the transmitter and waited.

"Echo Bravo Class 54 passcode please." he repeated. "Trhen Ehelo Thant Giv loanen deen." The speaker buzzed as the transmission was lost. Robert pulled on the antenna.

"Echo Bravo Class 54 passcode please." he said once more. "Echo Bravo Class 54 passcode is Tango Charlie Bravo One Two." buzzed the radio. Robert quickly scanned the notepad, running his finger down the list of passcodes. "TCB12...that’s 45.7." he muttered to himself. He turned the dial and pressed transmit. "Tango Charlie Bravo please authenticate."A new voice rang on through the speakers. "Robert, its Anna."

Her voice brought on a great sigh of relief. “I’m so glad to hear you." he said.

"You too.” said Anna, “My dad let me receive transmissions tonight so that I could talk to you.”

“Well I’m so glad he did.” he said, grinning as he pulled out a notepad from the backpack.

She began reading off coordinates to him, pinpointing his location using telemetry from their radio towers. He smiled, marking their locating on the chart and looking at Emily.

“We’ll see you tomorrow.” he said, rolling up the chart and handing it to Emily, who had begun dancing around the room.

"Robert! What are you doing?!"

The little girl’s voice shook him out of the memory. The light on the radio shone brilliant white, indicating it was fully charged and ready for use. Robert pulled the antennae out and pressed the transmit button.

"Echo Bravo Class 54 passcode please." The speaker buzzed back immediately as he let off.

"Charlie Charlie Delta." replied an unknown voice. Robert looked at Emily, concerned. Again the speaker buzzed. "Charlie Charlie Delta."

The voice was not that of anyone Robert knew and the content of the message was strange. Robert looked through his notepad, running his finger down the various passcodes.

CCD15: 35.6

CCD34: 24.5

Robert turned the dial to 35.6 and waited. Static. He turned the dial to 24.5. More static.

He didn’t dare press transmit and give away his location again. Emily reached over and turned the radio off. The second star had just appeared, shining triumphantly in the sky.

“That’s it.” he said, putting the radio in his bag and doing a few quick stretches. "So what happened?" asked Emily. Robert looked at her somberly. “I don’t know." he replied quietly, “But we know where we need to go, so let’s just get moving.” he said, pointing up towards the edge of a nearby mountain. “Ok.” said Emily.

As the road began to turn to rubble, Emily began humming to herself, stepping from one broken piece of asphalt to the next. It was cool, with a breeze that smelled of lavender. Robert thought of the fields of lavender that had grown next to his home. Emily stopped, putting her hand in the air as she scanned the area. Robert stopped and waited looking around silently and listening. After a few moments they continued.

The moon had just begun to peer through the haze casting shadows that waxed and waned with the clouds above. Robert looked up at the sky as they went, trying to make out satellites in the darkness above. He remembered seeing satellites in his back yard when he was a young boy. He could remember his parents fighting while he sat in the backyard staring at the stars. He could remember seeing the new president elect on the television, promoting some sort of new plan to fix it all. The public was told that this new agency he was putting together, would be spread across the planet and act as a global police. That people would be fed and protected from those that might want to harm them. After a few years the new agency known as the Global Enforcement Bureau became a topic of much moral and ethical debate. After three years being active, the GEB reduced global populations by a quarter. When those statistics were released, chaos ensued. Riots spread through the streets. Spread through cities. Eventually, spreading across nations. Martial law was initiated in almost all major hubs and the GEB began ramping up its effort. Swiftly executing anyone who didn’t comply. It was only when leaders of nations threatened the use of nuclear weapons that the killing stopped. But it was short lived. Robert could remember seeing the rockets paint the skyline. The wind blew across Robert’s face, sending his body into a shiver.

They were coming up to a neighborhood littered with evergreen pines. Their branches swaying gently and whining in the wind. Robert looked up, watching as a tiny speck moved quickly across the sky. It was almost beautiful, the hidden sun reflecting off its metallic surface. Just another piece of the constellations drifting in the void. “Do you think it will ever get better?” asked Emily, also watching the metal speck float amongst the stars. Robert shifted his backpack.

“One day.” he muttered, more to himself than her.

The dirt road began to gain rubble again, followed by asphalt. A few hundred meters ahead was an on ramp to highway 37. Emily stopped again, this time taking a step back. She put her fingers to her lips and looked at Robert, who had kneeled down beside her. Silently she pointed up the road to where several soldiers were visible. Robert reached into the backpack and took out the binoculars.

There were eight men walking slowly down the ramp, six in front with rifles and two sitting back with binoculars. Robert lowered the lenses and crouched next to Elizabeth, looking back towards the forest they had come from. They couldn’t afford to backtrack. He turned to Emily and placed his hand on her tiny shoulders. “Like a mouse.” he whispered. She shook her head in compliance, pointing to a trail that ran off of the road.

-’-

“I’m telling you, it’s not a good idea."

The group of soldiers snickered amongst themselves. “You know what I think Rev?” replied a tall young man, his shiny new medallion pinned neatly to his chest. “What’s that?” replied Rev, rolling his eyes behind his helmets glass.

“I think you’re just a big pussy, who’s afraid to step up in life.” said the soldier, grinning to his buddies. Rev tightened his grip on his rifle, gritting his teeth as he listened to the men joke amongst themselves.

“How long have you been in the service and you’re still just a private?” asked the soldier, twisting the knife as his words dripped out.

“Go ahead then.” said Rev calmly, “Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.” The young man laughed, disarming his rifle and swinging it around his back. He slowed his step, falling back and moving closer to the spotters behind him.

The two commanding officers looked at each other briefly as he joined their pace a few steps ahead. “So how long have you been in Colonel Baker?" asked the soldier, glancing back slightly towards his officers. Baker lowered his binoculars and looked over to the other officer smiling.

"If you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep your mouth shut and your eyes open. Get back into formation." he replied, glaring at the young man ahead. The other officer looked at Baker amused. "Aw don’t be so hard on the kid Baker, after all, he did just get promoted." he said, trying to keep his voice serious. Baker snorted and raised the binoculars.

“That shiny pin might mean something to you, Jones, but it’s nothing but a piece of metal on the chest of an arrogant runt to me.” he said wryly, lowering the binoculars once more. The soldier lowered his head, overwhelmed with anger at the remark. “You used to be runts...” he said under his breath.

With a flash of silver Baker lunged at the soldier, tripping him and putting a knife to his throat.

Everyone froze, watching the two on the ground. Bakers knife glistened in the moon light and smelled of oil. The soldier lie motionless staring into Baker’s eyes. Eyes full of madness.

“I suggest...” said Baker slow and menacingly, “You listen to what I say, and keep your tongue behind your teeth.” The young man was silent for a moment, attempting to catch his breath as a dribble of spit fell from Bakers lips. “It w-won’t hap-papen again, sir.” replied the soldier, pale and sweating.

Baker released the soldier and stood up, placing his knife in its holster and retrieving a cigarette from his pocket. “Back in formation!” he barked. Jones looked over at Lee and shook his head, fighting back an amused grin. Baker reached to his shoulder and pushed the radio button. "Sector D4 clear, moving to sector G1." he said into the reciever. The speaker on his shoulder buzzed.

"Copy that Alpha team." Baker sighed to himself, placing the cigarette in his mouth and lighting it. “Alright, let’s keep moving.” he said, returning to his spotting.

Next Chapter: -II-