This is a story about people rebelling in a world where Xana rules. Consider it a sequel to "When They Fell", okay? Expect a lot of action, uprising, rebellion, love and existential speech. Oh, and I'll explain the names of the characters later; they aren't random by any stroke.
One more thing; I may or may not add a soundtrack to this. More on that on my profile. More on that later. For now, enjoy the beginning, for it never lasts long.
Wide-open sky? Check. Green, grassy knoll? Check. Sun-browned skin? I turn slightly to her, and my forehead touches hers. Her eyes flicker over my features. I smile at her relentless curiosity.
Check.
I reach across her frame to her right pocket, fish around for a bit. There. The square. I pull out a simple GPS navigator, shake it to life, and hold it up to the sky, blocking the sun momentarily. The screen spits out a couple of numbers, then a couple more. Data flows down its screen, and coughs, rattle and dies. I look at her again; she nods. We figured this would happen.
I try to slide the navigator into her pocket; the case is rugged and rubberized, so it tugs against the canvas; she lays her hand over mine, and we insert it together. She laughs. I laugh. It helps take the edge off the horrible conclusion we confirmed.
We're Iris and Retina, and we're alone here, in a world full of danger.
About a week ago, the old world ended when SF6 – solar flare number six – lashed against the earth. Anything electronic, worldwide, immediately ceased to function. Cars went dead, radios went silent, mainframes went inactive...
More importantly, there weren't any connections anymore. Xana got her wish, neh? The Internet was nonexistent. Phones were nonexistent. There were no electronic connections between anyone; no digital umbilical tethering the young to the walls of the digital domain. There simply was.
And so, at least Xana got one thing right. Laying here on the grass, with Retina by my side... life felt good, for once. There is no stress, just a caress, across her face. There is no harrying, only tarrying, for there's nothing to worry about now, is there? There aren't any distractions, just this small reaction, between us.
And yet, all good things come to an end. I pull Retina to her feet, and into a tight embrace. We needed to move quickly, before any of those drones show up. Rumor had it that the schematics on the web were in production and had grounding tethers. If that was the case, they would be impervious to the effects of SF6, and any future flares. That was worrisome.
We both had a lot of questions, at first. Were the drones real? Who really was the woman named Xana? What was her true agenda? And most importantly, what were we going to do with ourselves? With our lives?
I took Retina's hand and pulled her towards the suburbs. After all, we had a civilization to rebuild.
