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CYCLE III

THREE

By A. W. KnowlandPublished 3 years ago 9 min read
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Odessa & J.T.

When the CYCLE first began, our most precious resource vanished. With society unable to reproduce, the remaining children became more vulnerable than ever. Treated as commodities, they were bought and sold. The enormous desire to become a parent was prevalent, sought by the most affluent of social classes.

Caged amongst other children, a seven-year-old little girl is another casualty of the CYCLE. Her young age, precious blonde hair, innocent blue eyes, and rosy cheeks have made her valuable. Securely held in a warehouse somewhere in Europe, she waits to be bought by the highest bidder.

Heavily armed guards patrol the warehouse, waiting for the auction at a nearby building to be over. They laugh, drink, and play cards while listening to the radio. A news broadcaster reports the success of the ROC, helping ease global unrest due to the CYCLE. U.S Chancellor of Global Phenomenon, Alenor Godfringe, spearheads the mission to restore normalcy.

The quiet and easy-going atmosphere suddenly changes, ruined by the distant sounds of gunshots. Alexis emerges from his office, a serious-looking man with anger issues.

"What is that noise!?" Alexis shouts.

Judging from everyone's reaction, this was the man in charge. A guard quickly hands Alexis a radio, then hurries off to avoid his wraith.

Alexis uses the radio to contact the auction's guard, "Hello, Vitali...are you there!? What was that noise!?"

With no response other than static, he shouts for his men to follow him to the auction. Marching with heavy firearms, they head for the exit. But as they reach for the door, there was a sudden knock. They all looked at one another, wondering who was on the other side. Alexis points his gun towards the door, signaling his men to follow suit.

"Who is it?" Alexis angrily asks.

"It's me, Vitali." He answers as he continues to knock. "Open up!"

"Why aren't you at the auction?"

"It's over—a prince bought all the children." He joyously announced.

"All of them?" Alexis suspiciously asked.

All the guards cheered, celebrating the wealth they're about to receive. Alexis himself, who typically is always angry, seemed delighted as well. As one of the men attempts to open the door, Alexis stops him.

Holding his gun closer to the door. "But what was that noise?"

"W-what noise?" Vitali nervously asked.

"The gunshot noise." Alexis firmly states.

"I didn't hear any gunshots..." Vitali clears his throat. "...Perhaps it was a car?"

Alexis was infamous for being the greediest of criminals, but that never clouded his judgment. He knew something was off, firmly grasping his rifle. He looks at his men, shaking his head to inform them of his suspicions.

"Are you there?" Vitali asks as he continues knocking.

Alexis places his rifle muzzle on the surface of the door, "Come close, Vitali. I can't hear you." He insists while holding the trigger.

As Alexis slowly prepares to squeeze the trigger, the door violently bursts open. Dozens of flash and smoke grenades are thrown across the room, rolling in every possible direction. The grenades created chaos and panic, blinding the guards while also obscuring the room.

The little girl frighteningly covers her ears, muffling the sound of gunfire and screams. The room darkens with heavy black smoke, with tiny flickers of muzzle flashes. As the noise settle, the smoke clears as well. The little girl curiously opens her eyes, amazed to see all the guards unconscious.

A masked man unlocks the cages, releasing all the children. He stands before the little girl, covered in black tactical armor. He resembled a vigilante superhero, the little girl once saw on a magazine cover. She was afraid, though somewhat safe.

The man takes out his radio, "Come in, birdhouse...this is 'Blackbird,' warehouse is green for worms."

Dozens of agents enter the warehouse, wearing jackets with the letters "ROC" written on the back. They immediately start arresting the guards, tying them while using a device to scan their brains. A female agent attempts to retrieve the little girl, but she is adamant about staying. After having lived most of her life in her cage, the little girl is too frightened to leave.

The masked man takes off his headgear, revealing a dark skin man with a short goatee and haircut. "Hi, my name's J.T..." He said softly. "What's yours?"

Unable to remember her name, the little girl shrugs before crying.

The man kneels and holds her hand, "It's okay, where are you from?"

"Ukraine..." The little girl nervously replies, "...Odessa."

"Little Odessa, hmmm?" J.T. playfully calls her.

The little girl smiles and laughs, nodding her head in agreement. She clings to J.T., not wanting to leave his side. He reassures her she'll be okay now, but she still refuses to let him go.

"You want to come with me, little Odessa?" He asks, then calls over a female ROC agent. "Please take her to my vehicle." He orders.

The female agent nods. "Yes, Captain Torquinn."

Jacob Eerie, thirty-four, abandons his duty as a ROC agent, choosing to side with wanted criminal Em Walker. Jacob's ex-partner Odessa leads the pursuit, hoping to catch them in time before they cross the northern border.

Speeding in his Volantes, a specially designed ROC hover vehicle, Jacob effortlessly gains distance from ROC agents. Reaching speeds of almost 150 mph, he bobs and weaves through heavy traffic effortlessly.

"Hurry!" Odessa angrily shouts. "We must apprehend them before they reach the border." Odessa bangs on the dashboard, grabbing the radio. "Send me a Venhelm!" She angrily yells. "I don't care if it's not yet ready!"

Jacob and Em reach the city limits, leaving the network of interconnected roads behind them. The wide, long, and unobtrusive freeway elevate the vehicle's traction, providing them with even more momentum.

After seeing a black ROC aircraft overhead, Odessa quickly pulls her vehicle to the side. Cargo in the shape of an egg falls, landing beside her.

The machine on the egg-shaped container scans her brainwave, then opens to reveals the Venhelm she requested. The Venhelm is a hovercycle, enormous, intimidating, and still under development.

Rain and snow began to descend upon the land, covering the roads in ice and sleet. Dozens of ROC vehicles are left far behind, leaving Jacob and Em freely to cross the border. Suddenly, in the rearview mirror, Jacob notices a strange fast-moving object. Within a short span, it steadily closes the gap between them. Now side by side, Jacob recognizes Odessa. He slowly halts his Volantes, and Odessa follows suit.

Odessa scornfully stares at Jacob. "Where do you think you're doing?"

Jacob takes a deep breath. "To finally find some answers..."

Odessa closes her eyes to think. "Shall we settle the matter as usual?"

Jacob silently nods.

Jacob and Odessa often competed in silly games to resolve disagreements, but they knew this time would be different. Unlike their other competitions, this one would have a lasting impact. There were no winners in this race, only the repercussions of ending years of partnership and friendship.

Under a blanket of heavy rain and snow, the sounds of engines roared with anticipation. Odessa lowers the visor on her helmet, gripping the Venhelm's handle. Em quickly fastens her seatbelt, squeezing firmly into her seat. And in that split second, the time it takes for a single snowflake to hit the ground, both the Volantes and Venhelm sped off.

Both vehicles burst through the roads, barely surpassing the speed of sound. It seemed that the race would end in a draw, but Odessa activates her secondary feature. Her afterburners instantaneously pushed the Venhelm to its limits, causing a delayed sound of an explosion—the after-effects of breaking the sound barrier.

Odessa slides her Venhelm into submission, satisfied with her close victory. She jumps off the wreckage of her Venhelm, waiting to gloat at Jacob. But the Volantes maintains its speed, steering directly towards Odessa.

With steadfast resolve, Odessa stands firmly. She stares into Jacob's eyes, waiting for the inevitable collision. Em yells at Jacob to stop, but his eyes stubbornly remained glued to Odessa. But just as the Volantes approach Odessa, Jacob abruptly swerves into a frozen pond. The intense speed of the Volantes knocks Odessa, pushing her to the other side of the road.

The force of the Volantes slowly cracks the ice, leaking water onto the surface. The control system's malfunction, as Hover technology is not suited for water. Unable to brake or steer, Jacob's only hope was to drift himself into stopping. But his enormous speed made it impossible, causing the vehicle to spin in circles. Luckily the Volantes twirled itself into two large trees, wedging itself in between.

"Are you okay?" Jacob asks Em.

Em takes a moment to check. "I'm okay...But who taught you to drive!?" She angrily shouts.

Jacob playfully shrugs. "My mom..."

As Em takes her seatbelt off, it causes the Volantes to shake.

Em freezes in place. "Uh...what's going happening?"

Jacob sticks his head out the broken window. "Uh...looks like we're hanging on a ledge."

Volantes rock back and forth, slowly crushing the support of the trees. Odessa rushes onto the ice, desperately running to help Jacob. But the constant motion breaks the trees, sending the Voalntes, Jacob, and Em down a raging river.

Jacob wakes up to the sound of fire crackling, opening his eyes to see Em by a fireplace.

"Are you alright?" Em asks while pouring him a warm cup of tea.

Jacob takes a sip. "What happened?" He asked with a sore voice.

A tall Asian man enters, "Welcome to People And Patriots Against ROC!" He enthusiastically greets Jacob.

Familiar with the group Jacob puzzlingly asked. "We're at PAPAR?"

The Asian man slaps Jacob's back. "You're lucky to be alive." He laughs. "My men fished you in time before you hit the waterfall."

The Asain man hands them a tablet, showing Jacob and Em as wanted fugitives. "I don't know what you did, but color me impress..." He tosses Jacob a PAPAR uniform.

Jacob shakes his head. "Look!" He shouts, handing the shirt back. "I didn't come here to join..."

The Asian man crosses his arms. "Oh, is that so?" He said, intrigued. "Why cross knowing it's an act of treason?"

Jacob gets up. "That's none of your business..."

"Apologies..." The Asian man replies. "...But you thought I was asking?" He said threateningly. "Canada is at war with ROC, and they seem to want you. So if you think I'm letting you roam free, then you're mistaken..."

Not wanting another confrontation, Jacobs decides to tell the Asian man his purpose.

Jacob clears his throat. "I'm looking for someone in Odula."

The Asian man smiles. "Well, aren't you lucky..."

Jacob glances over to Em confusedly.

Em smiles awkwardly. "...We're IN Odula."

"So...who is it you seek?" The Asian man inquires, opening a large window. "I know EVERYONE here!"

"He's looking for Julia Torquinn." Em anxiously responds.

The Asian man's playful demeanor changes, quickly shoving Jacob against the wall. "Why are you looking for her!?"

"Get off of him!" Em yells, intervening. "She's his mother! She's his mother!"

The Asian man sits on the bed, "So YOU'RE the little boy she found..." He states, heavy with thought.

"You know Jacob?" Em asks.

"She named you Jacob?" The Asian man laughs. "Always so sentimental..."

"Where is she?" Jacob demanded.

"I'm sorry, but she's gone—taken..."

"By who!?" Jacob angrily asks. "I'll get her back!"

"By the most vicious ROC agent—someone I regrettably mentored years ago..."

"Just who are you, sir?" Em concernedly asks.

The Asian man stares outside the window. "Jacob Torquinn."

A few days after the incident, Odessa leaves her superior's office after being reprimanded. She angrily marches through the hallway, discreetly taking the elevator to the bowls of ROC headquarters. On the bottom floor within the restricted sector, filled with permanent captives of LIMBO, she finds a chamber labeled MA6987.

Odessa wipes the condensation from the glass. Inside contains a frozen ten-year-old girl.

"Hello, Julia..." Odessa greets with contempt.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Sci Fi
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About the Creator

A. W. Knowland

I live in my imagination. I write so you can visit.

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