Heart-Keepers

Heart-Keepers

This day was not going how Sycus was hoping. The plan was simple; infiltrate the heart keepers, take the lockets, and get somewhat of a life back; one that didn’t hold the fear of being controlled by a corrupt organization. “Theseus what is happening down there? The captains just went by, if they spot us were sky fodder!” Sycus said. Theseus, the brains of the operation and the best hacker this side of High Chicago, was to make sure the plan went somewhat smoothly. So far he wasn’t doing that job very well.

“I don’t know! One minute it’s all going hunky dory, the captains were all in their places, but someone drew them away from the building. It looked like they were in a RHINO, but they went by too fast I couldn’t get a good look at them.”

“Why do I even keep you around?”

“Because of my supreme good looks and my hilarious jokes?”

“Something like that. Well, I guess it’s a good thing this mystery person moved them away, gives us one less problem to worry about.” Sycus said. The floor began to rumble. Another cycle had gone through the engines of the city. They would have to move quickly or they would miss their one shot for the lockets.

“Sycus, the cycle just hit. You need to move. Go to the rendezvous and meet up with Striker. You're safe on the left.” Theseus said. Sycus didn’t have to be told twice. He came out of his hiding spot on the top of a small building, most of the buildings were small but in a city in the sky they would have to be, the wind was stronger 10,000 feet above the earth. Ever since “The Collapse” 400 years ago the world had to go airborne and leave the black wasteland of the old world behind, and every major city in the world became a flying fortress. But those fortresses had to be powered and whoever thought that hearts would make a good power source was either a genius or a madman, Sycus figured it was both. The world needed a way to keep their new homes from plummeting back to the earth, where there was nothing but death and misery that the old humans brought upon themselves. An organization came out of nowhere and made sure that we would never fall back down to the “old Earth” and that we would “rise up and beyond”, as every poster and billboard would have you believe. The Heart-keepers came and gave a solution to the fuel problem. They had tech that would turn hearts into a power source. So now everyone that lived, and will live, in the flying monstrosities that fill the skies of the new world won’t have real hearts. But Sycus wanted his back. He ran in between the buildings that made up this particular sector of High-Chicago. He could hear the cheers of Wrigley Field in the distance, because no matter where humans go baseball will always go with them. Sycus made his way to the meeting place. It was a small green dumpster. He knocked twice on the top then on the side thrice. A moment went by, and a hatch opened on the inside and out came the biggest man Sycus had ever known. Striker came from a long line of heavyweight champions; his grandfather was the only man in existence that was able to lift a metric ton. Suffice it to say, Striker was the muscle of Sycus’s little band of miscreants.

“You’re late.” Striker said in a deep booming voice. He was wearing a leather jacket that made him look like an action hero from “old Earth” movies.

“I’m your boss. I’m never late. You were early.” Sycus said. Striker said something under his breath that sounded something like breaking Sycus like a twig. He knew he didn’t really mean it; he was just nervous about the mission and frankly, so was Sycus. “How many?” he asked.

“Since that chick moved the captains away, only two exo’s and one breaker. It’s an older model too, so it won’t be any trouble for Brainiac. Sycus didn’t realize their mutual friend was a woman, that couldn’t be good. Women were nothing but trouble.

“You remember the plan, right?” Sycus asked.

“Yeah, I break things, my favorite thing,” he said.

“Excellent. Thees, patch us into the network, we’re walking to the building now,” he said.

“On it boss, oh, and make sure if you find the schematics to bring them to me. It will be worth it.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that those are a myth! You can't make a real heart, only a metal one.” When the heart-keepers took over every living person had to give, willingly or otherwise, their hearts to them to use to power the engines. Of course, in normal circumstances that would leave you dead, but they would give you a new heart, one made of metal and gears. You were alive, but you were more machine than anything else. Sycus didn’t know what a real heart felt like; he only knew he needed his back. It’s amazing what you can do with a real heart. While most people didn’t know this, Sycus knew firsthand what you could do with someone’s heart. If you caused an insurrection or disobeyed the authority, the Heart-Keepers so graciously set over everything, your heart would be used to keep you in line. They would control you and make you dance to their tune. He unfortunately had experienced it himself once, and that was the day he vowed to get his heart back. And he needed that locket to do it. “Hey, you never know Sy, myths sometimes are just truths made to look like lies to keep people from the truth. Anyway, I'll handle the breaker, hopefully those captains don’t show up. I have to go silent. Once you get into the building, you’re on your own. So… just be careful Sy, I don’t want to lose you. Who would laugh at my jokes? Striker has the sense of humor of a peanut,” Theseus said.

“I heard that Brainiac,” Striker said. For some reason, the smart kid and the jock didn’t get along very well.

“Oh gosh, I thought I was muted for him.”

Sycus chuckled to himself. He loved his friends a lot, no matter how crazy things got they were always there for him. Now it was his turn to be there for them. He was going to get them back their hearts.

“Thanks, Thees. See you back at base with the lockets,” he said.

They entered the building and it wasn’t like anything Sycus had seen before. The ceiling was the highest he had ever seen. It looked like 70 feet, chandeliers hung on the walls, they were red and shaped like hearts, Sycus didn’t think that was in good taste, but he wasn’t a decorator so what did he know. The walls were also lined with the names of the original people who gave their lives to power the city in the skies, because unfortunately for them the Heart-Keepers hadn’t figured out how to make metal hearts yet. They didn’t get far before the Exo’s spotted them. They knew instantly they weren’t allowed in there, disguises only went so far when there were enforcement officers that could look up your face in a database. “Hey! Stop right there! Who are you and why are you in a Keeper facility in Keeper uniform?” one of them asked.

“Go pretty boy. I’ll handle them,” Striker said to Sycus. He hated to leave Striker with them, but Striker had handled much worse, so he quicky ran while Striker did what he did best. Break things. Poor Exo’s they don’t stand a chance, Sycus thought. He was about to get to an elevator when a walking tank came in.

Okay Theseus, any time now. The breaker, as its name suggested, was better at breaking things than Striker was. It had its sights set on Sycus and just as it was about to fire it stopped and crumpled to the floor like broken building blocks.

Thanks, Thees, Sycus thought to himself. He got on the elevator and made his way to the Heart vault. When he made it up there, he was surprised to find it was empty. The room was small but at the back was a vault door with so many deadbolt locks on it Houdini would have been proud. Alright let’s get to work. He ran to the door and proceeded to break through the locks, well he would have if the door wasn’t already open. It swung open and he was immediately punched in the face. He sprawled back more out of being startled than anything else. In front of him stood the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was decently tall, for a girl, auburn hair like autumn leaves that went down to her shoulders. She had eyes like storm clouds, full of fury and strength, and in her hands were four heart shaped lockets. Sycus knew there were only four in that vault, so this girl had more wealth in her hands than most people would see in their lives. “Who are you?” they both say at once. “I think you should go first since you were the one you punched me in the face,” Sycus said. The girl came over to Sycus and looked him over. “Ugh, a renegade. I don’t have time for this. Teriss, I got them, get out of there and meet me back at base,” she says. As she walks away, she then turns around to face Sycus. “Well, Curly, you want your heart back or are you just going to sit there on your butt all day?”

All Sycus can say is “Um, um, yeah.” He didn’t do well with girls, especially gorgeous ones. “Oh, and I’d call your Brute too. This place is about to be swarming with captains.” Sycus didn’t waste any time as the two of them went back to the elevator. “Striker, get out of there. The captains are on their way! Striker, I found someone who is helping us, for the moment at least.”

“Is she pretty?” Striker asked.

How does he do that! Striker could always tell when Sycus was talking about a girl.

“I don’t see how that’s relevant.”

“Ooh, she must be smoking! Good for you! You needed to get yourself out there. It’s healthy.”

“Striker enough!” Sycus said, blushing a little. “Head back to base. I’ll meet you there.”

The two of them made it out of the building fine. It was what was outside of the building that was the problem.

“Felicity Darrow, you are charged with stealing four heart lockets, and you shall be sentenced to immediate termination,” one captain out of about fifty said.

Well, this couldn’t be worse.

“And your cohort as well.”

Crap.

“Well, this makes things more complicated. Here Curly, take these. My friends will find you. See you later,” the girl named Felicity said. Sycus barely had time to register what she said before she rushed the captains. She reached them, and the world shifted. Sycus was suddenly not where he used to be, he was in a hanger and surrounded by people. “You must be Sycus. Welcome to the rebellion,” a man said. In Sycus’ hands were the lockets. He could get his heart back.