by Vee Bosse
“I got this key from a guard who was posted outside of our rooms, as I was coming back from the secondary chow hall. I heard him brag about how he was the one who locked you guys up after you were all subdued, so I picked his pocket when the sirens went off as he was running by. Something serious was going on for them to just leave us on our own like they did, although mindless zombies stick to their routines pretty well, don’t they?” Derek said, as he looked around to see where they should go next. “We’ve just been walking the halls since then, looking for your guys’ cell. Now, here we are. The army guys are off doing something serious though, judging from that explosion that we felt a few minutes ago.”
Dane found an opportunity to ask where the weapons cache on the island was. “I think I like this guy,” said Sarge with a smile, as he thought about wielding a unique weapon of his own. “I want a giant hammer, if we are getting weapons right now.”
Christian then interjected and asked, “So, do you guys know where the weapons cache is?” However, just after he spoke, the subjects had heard an automated voice above as the sirens suddenly changed to a different, and much more frightening tone.
“Self-destruct mechanism activated. Island will self-destruct in three minutes. Please evacuate immediately.” Derek found himself in the same desperate state that Christian and his fellow subjects had suddenly found themselves in as panic began to overtake them all.
“The hell? What’s going on up there?” shouted Dane, as the group looked around for a way out.
Derek turned to Dre with a look serious enough to kill a horse. “If you wanna be reckless again, now would be a great time!”
Dre agreed, and without hesitation, she generated her psych energy into her palms, launching it with a fury at the tunnel ceiling above. The concrete was smashed away with ease, but horror struck the group as they all witnessed the wall made of Diamond Radiance not giving an inch against her power.
“We’re screwed,” said Milli, as she and Laran desperately looked around to see which way led to an exit.
“This tunnel is like a damned maze, Derek! Where do we go now?!” shouted Woolfing, to the one who had led them through their vision to one day escape their prison fortress; he had suddenly realized that their dream of freedom might be stripped away, even when they had gotten so close to finally realizing it.
“Two minutes until island self-destruction,” said the computerized intercom voice.
“Is this where it ends for us?” asked Jassa, as the team began to run together in one randomly-decided direction.
“I guess all we can do is roll the dice now. We must run at any cost! I refuse to give up this easily!!” Christian yelled to all his fellow escapees, determined not to give up hope in the face of sure death. However, sunlight suddenly met their eyes that had not seen its beautiful embrace for years. They witnessed a figure emerging from the side of the tunnel, after a sizeable hole was forcefully blasted into it from the outside.
Their eyes widened even further against the light, upon seeing the jaw-dropping image of a short, Hispanic woman that was jetting down the tunnel towards them with some form of rockets underneath of her feet; silver metallic wings equipped with jets also protruded from her back.
“Blue Misty reporting in for status check. Golden Subjects located. Evacuation fulfillment to Base Tasmania is now to begin,” she said, into a tiny black device that was attached to her shoulder.
Derek pointed his finger at the woman who deactivated her jets, and came to a standing halt in from of them. “I overheard from a guard once that Hubris was able to somehow turn a subject into a robot. Is this robotic weapon you?”
Blue Misty replied with a purely monotonous voice, “I am part of the Hubris Robot Elite Formation. No further questions will be allowed at this time. Please comply with the evacuation directives that I have been given, or I will complete this task by using force.” The desperate escapees stared at each other for a second, trying to think of any other way out other than accepting the robot’s assistance.
Benedict pleaded to the group in the midst of the sirens that still pierced their ears throughout the hallway, “Tell me mates, are we really going along with a robot like this?” Suddenly, the computerized voice over the intercom crackled to life, for the last time.
“One minute until island self-destruction. All island inhabitants remaining will now be eradicated. Have a good day.”
Winkle laughed tactlessly in the face of their situation, as the robotic message ended. “Whoever created that intercom system must have a sick sense of humor. Probably that Revenant guy that got us in the chow hall.”
Derek stepped forward, and gave the signal of compliance that no one in the group could object to. Misty then raised her arm, and shot several small pellets into the impenetrable ceiling above. “For your safety, please step back.” The group took her advice when, suddenly, the pellets exploded with unexpected fury, exposing the sky above.
“How is this going to work?” asked Haynes, curious to see how the robot would escort about two dozen people in flight, getting them far enough away from the blast in under a minute. She then satisfied their curiosity by hovering just far enough above ground to expand her wings into massive proportional beauties.
Now looking more like a small plane, the android transformed her brilliant metallic structure of the wings into multiple rows of seats and handles. “Please board in under 35.17 seconds, to ensure adequate completion of the evacuation objective,” she commanded, as all the escapees climbed on as quickly as they could.
“Robot, got any cigarettes?” Dre barked at their majestic escort who chose to ignore her quip, in favor of activating the jet boosters attached to the underside of her wings. With tears running down a few of their faces upon seeing the sky for the first time in years, they had caught a distant glimpse of Xu’s fleet of conquerers that were sailing in a direction that was opposite of the one that they had found themselves flying into.
Haynes asked, “are they the ones that caused all of the chaos earlier? What happened to the General and his staff?”
Blue Misty continued to stare forward in the direction that she was taking them, complying with his well-informed question in an unhelpful way. “No further questions will be answered at this time. Please relax and enjoy the flight. We will reach our destination of Base Tasmania, in approximately one hour and thirty-seven minutes.” Christian noticed the flag of the Western Latitude was now flying above the island in tattered flames, seemingly done in by the fleet of conquerers that had just disappeared from view.
“Wait,” something had gone from the back of Christian’s mind, into its immediate forefront upon seeing the ‘Glass Submarine’ filled with mindless subjects, helpless to save themselves from being blown into oblivion. “You have to do something! Save them!!” he pleaded to Misty in desperation, wanting to avoid seeing anyone die that day, or any other day to come.
“Impossible, the mission directives do not include the evacuation of anyone but the Golden Subjects. Please remain seated, while I provide peanuts for your pleasure of human sustainment.” The android’s metallic wings suddenly opened a small hole, revealing a bag of honey roasted peanuts in front of Christian. He grabbed them, and tossed them into the sea without delay.
“Fuck your directives, and FUCK YOU! How can you just let that many people die like this?” at this point, tears welled down the 19-year-old’s face, while the rest of the group struggled to understand what could be done about it. “Please,”
But suddenly, the tremendous explosion met Christian’s, and the other escapee’s eyes. They were able to separate themselves from the island by a few miles in that short time, yet the shockwave reached them with ease, creating turbulence that forced them all to hold on for their lives. “My God, how could something like...this...even happen?” Jassa said, also with tears flowing in heavy supply at the thought of thousands of deaths being completely unpreventable, even at the hands of a genius doctor like herself.
“I need to awaken a power of my own. I...I’m helpless.” Christian declared with wide, staring eyes. “And above all else, the jerk responsible for their deaths will pay, with his life!!!”
The group didn’t say anything more, but they all knew that his words were their new reality. Whatever their unknown destination had in store for them, they had all felt the same as Christian about the deaths of the thousands of innocents that they had been in mindless camaraderie with for years. Their decision at that moment was unanimous, irreversible, and silently understood. They would no longer choose to be subdued by the ones who stood above them, yet from now on, their path would be different. They would resist.
THE RESISTANCE BEGINS
Chapter Four
The Logical Next Step Forward
Blue Misty sailed through the air, as her enormous metallic wings gleamed in the sun that was now disappearing underneath the ocean horizon. Christian remained despondent for the enormity of the trip that seemed to go on for hours. It was a silent flight over the vast waters, given the unbearable gravity of the events that they had witnessed over the last two days, along with the annoyance of the android that had no intentions of telling them anything about why she would rescue them. They could only ponder the sunset in silence and think of wait awaited them next, as well as the massive amount of lives that had just been lost.
“Hey, are those lights that I see on the horizon?” asked Milli, as the group finally became lively to confirm her question. The night sky had overcome the twilight, as the group laid their eyes on land once again. This land that gave host to a well-lit building that appeared to be a facility of some kind. They had soon noticed that a much larger building that had resembled a manufacturing plant was slightly more inland.
“The Golden Subjects have arrived,” Misty said into her intercom, as she jutted her palms directly out in front of her to reveal two mini boosters, which served to slow their momentum. She could then lower her altitude, and come to a complete stop while hovering just above the ground. Upon cutting the fuel to all her boosters, she turned her wings into a set of stairs that allowed for the group to take in solid ground again.
“I suppose a thank you is in order, depending on what this place is.” Haynes announced, as he cautiously took in their new landscape. The manufacturing plant was larger than it appeared to be as they approached the beach shore, while also seeing that a smaller building was connected to the large plant. Blue Misty, remaining silent, began to walk forward with her constant and distinct lack of facial expressions. When she was many feet ahead of the group, she suddenly turned around at attention towards them, seemingly awaiting further orders.
“I’m feeling a bit hungry. You guys got some food around here?” Isaac said, as the rest stared on while hoping secretly for some decent accommodations.
“Welcome! Yes, you’ve all finally arrived!!” shouted a voice that seemed to approach them. They all jumped in shock when five other androids flew in to stand at attention next to Blue Misty, all equally lacking emotion or words. “Put all of those negative thoughts away, now it’s time to focus on positives!” the voice soon showed itself to be a woman in her forties. Her hair was medium length and brown, and her eyes depicted a tone of mental instability that was paired with exuberant happiness and curiosity. “Negativity can destroy us from the inside out, after all,” she further said, as they studied her black business pantaloons that complimented her white lab coat and brown business blouse.
“Are you the one that saved us from that mess on the island?” asked Derek, who appeared to consider the woman a potential enemy.
“Correct, I am the one that summoned you all here. My name is Professor Mary Hubris” she said, pulling out a white clipboard and pen from her large coat pocket while her glasses gave her a look of enlightened intelligence. “Now please remain standing for roll call.” Her words made the group look at each other in bewilderment, as she tallied through a list she had made. The concrete landing pad that they were all standing on caused her business-style high heels to tap, as she paced back and forth ahead of her android servants.
“Let’s see, we have Derek Maxwell, Andrea Sweet, and Jassa Nava...oh, good to see you doctor, I’m glad that you became golden along with the rest a couple of days ago.”
Jassa stepped forward, as her need for more information took over. “Can you please explain, why you would save us from the situation that we were in?” Just as she could pose the question to the professor, Woolfing stepped forward, showing much more hostility in his voice.
“We heard your name several times when we were eavesdropping on the guards. You’re government, so spill why you brought us here. Depending on what you say, we may let you live.” Hubris looked up, and smiled vehemently while the group suddenly felt a surge of energy hit them upon hearing Woolfing’s threat.
“Woolfing Striyed, no need to give in to those aggressive thoughts that are bubbling in your head. Time to relax everyone, I am not affiliated with the fools who operated Haven Island any longer. I came to understand what they were doing to you all...it was barbaric. I brought you all here to defy their will to enslave you.” The group was relieved to hear that perhaps they wouldn’t need to fight for their freedom again so soon after escaping, although Derek’s group remained skeptical at Hubris’ claim.
“Now to continue roll call. Christian Rivers, check. Benedict Davies, yes. Laran Espartos, check.” The group stood in silence, as the Professor continued to announce their names one by one; they were astonished at how she seemed to recognize their faces. “Dee King, Dane Wilder, Winkle Ramsay, Milli Russet, Isaac Chopin,” Dre stepped forward in the middle of her roll call, feeling the sudden urge to gather her psyche energy to silence the Professor. Just as she was about to collect on her scheming, it was Westin who put his hand out in front of Dre, stopping her advance.
“Dre, we can’t act so recklessly. These could turn out to be our allies,” he said with his words seeming to ring in Dre’s ears, as she relaxed her arm and stepped back.
“Just going through nicotine withdrawals, that’s all.”
Hubris continued, “Westin Anderson, Haynes Schmidt, Killian Sarge, Jordan Jaymes, and finally: there you are, Thomin Kasper.” The group’s eyes widened, upon hearing the extra name that they didn’t expect.
“You can call me Kasper.” The escapees all turned their heads behind them in shock to see someone standing behind them who had sported red hair, a white t-shirt, a long sleeved black jacket, and blue denim jeans. He carried a calm manner about him and that was reflected by his sunglasses, even though it was now nighttime.
“How the heck?” asked Winkle, as the group stared on, equally confused. Blue Misty suddenly answered their astonishment, as Hubris nodded in approval. “Thomin Kasper jumped on my wings as our departure ensued from the island. All Golden Subjects who had achieved awakening were eligible for the flight, as per my mission directives.” Milli threw Kasper an annoyed look, as the group began to turn their attention forward once more.
“Really? You’re just gonna sneak up, and sit there without a word the whole time? Wow,” Milli’s criticism garnered no response from Kasper, who seemed to look on, ignoring her words.
Seventeen of you, in all. Welcome to the island of Tasmania, you are my treasured guests here. Follow me.” Professor Hubris announced, as the group nodded at each other, seemingly ready to give the strange woman a chance. The androids had waited for the group to walk by, as they turned to escort them from their rear.
“So, this place is called Base Tasmania?” asked Benedict, as they continued walking towards the smaller building. Hubris acknowledged his question.
“Yes, I built this base in secrecy many years ago, on the orders of my superiors.”
Derek wasted no time in probing further. “And, who are your superiors?” Hubris opened the doors to the building, after pausing for a retinal scan that unlocked them.
“It used to be the Western Latitude government. Now, you might ca
ll me a rogue scientist.”
The grouped looked at each other, in continued curiosity. “What is the purpose of this place?” Jassa asked.
Hubris replied, “I was only allowed to do it roughly once a year since beginning, but that fool Schilling was still not completely successful in keeping my operations a secret. Yet, I have been very successful here...enhancing subjects, in the secret purpose of using them to take control of the Western Latitude government.”
The group was now being led upstairs to a long hallway, which seemed to resemble a hotel setting that was similar to Haven Island’s. “The sudden, unexpected assault from the Eastern Latitude gave us the opportunity to swoop in and save you all, the Golden Ones, just before returning to this island for a new project.”
Christian’s mental exhaustion began to overtake him, along with the rest of the escapees, yet they had suddenly felt the urge to find out more. “Why do you call us Golden?”
At that, Hubris turned to them all in the middle of the hallway, with a disturbing smile on her face. “Ah...because, you are the ones with true promise. You could truly be great on my island! You just have to harness your positive energy, that’s all!”
The answer to Christian’s question left everyone even more confused, and uneasy. “Listen, I’m sure we would all love to become your golden children, or whatever you wanna call us, but we still don’t even know what you are doing with the people that you bring to this factory. Honestly, spill it lady.” Sarge was direct with his words, and the group began to realize that they may not have been in control of their situation despite escaping from Haven Island.
Hubris, who was starting to feel a loss of control over the subjects, stepped forward to raise her arms with her explanation. “You all, you are special. With my secret probes placed throughout your old living quarters, I’ve been observing you all as potential allies that could help in my siege against the government. Derek, Woolfing, Sarge, and Jordan. You four had caught my attention early on as you were all somehow awake, in a sea of mindless others. I had to find out why.” Derek and his group glanced at each other, after hearing about how they had been unknowingly watched by some creepy lady for a long time.
