Chapter One: Transmission

28 years after the destruction of Venjix…

The current temperature is 78 degrees farenheit, with clear blue skies with a chance of rain late tomorrow evening. Wind to the south east at 10 miles per hour. Temperature dropping to 65 tonight still warm and comfortable. Roadways are looking good and no accidents to report at this time. The current time is 2:34pm, we'll be back with the next update at 3:05. Have a great day Triyon.

Trinity rolled over on her stomach and fiddled with the dial on the small portable radio sitting on the corner of her blanket. She turned it back and forth, the radio static and spliced seconds of songs and talk shows in between pauses as she went on searching. Pushing her sunglasses up and onto the top of her head she squinted at the tiny numbers. With pause came a new song and new boring newscast. Nothing was peaking her interest though.

It was yet another boring day in the City of Triyon. Another perfect and still dull frame of time that helped to compose Trinity's existence. Everyday was normally the same deal, and summer didn't make things any better. She was out of high school ready to start college in the fall, but it didn't quite matter. College would probably prove just as dull and embarrassing as high school. Not to mention Aaron wasn't attending the same school she was. Trinity had gotten into Triyon University while Aaron was currently a junior at the community college. He was going to take over his dad's business anyway; a college degree didn't really matter too much.

Trinity still wanted to go to college with her best friend. Thinking of Aaron in that moment Trinity wondered what he would be up to at this moment. Probably still working at his dad's auto shop where he had been slaving away practically all summer. Trinity sighed and gave trying to find a station she liked and decided to leave it in the middle where static and feedback rang through the airwaves.

"I give." she muttered rolling over on her back. She starred up at the sky, there weren't even clouds to stare at, just a blank canvas of blue. The feedback started to get worse to the point where Trinity couldn't handle it anymore. She reached behind her head and grabbed the radio. The noise blared causing Trinity to close her eyes and make a face of pain. Quickly she fumbled to turn the dial. Her hand hit the dial. "Stupid antique."

"Hello? Hello is anybody out there?"

Trinity froze and blinked. Her mouth hanging slightly open, her eyes glanced around the back yard thinking that her mother or aunt had called out to her. There was no one around. Trinity finally decided it had come from the radio. It must have been a station too far away that was barely coming in, some kind of talk show. She turned the dial slightly trying to tune it in better. There was something there some kind of voice.

"Hello…"

The white noise was too much and the dialogue wasn't coming in as clear as it had the first time. Maybe she shouldn't have messed with it. Still, Trinity tried to catch more of the male voice.

"Hello….assistance...Corinth…Dillon..."

Trinity nearly tossed the radio away from her like some kind of deadly snake. She starred wide-eyed at the thing; she had to be hearing things. It sounded like the voice said Dillon. It was impossible for it to be true. Literally impossible, and yet Trinity had heard the oddly familiar voice on the radio speak the name Dillon. A few more crackling unrecognizable words made their way through but Trinity had heard all she needed. Jumping up from the blanket she darted across the back yard not bothering to put her sandals back on. She tore through the house skidding to a halt in the living room where her mother and aunt sat.

"Trinity what on earth are you—"

"He's alive." she shouted above her mother.

Summer looked to Tenaya and then back to her daughter, concerned. She licked her lips and waited a moment to see if Trinity would say anything else. When she didn't speak Summer pulled a smile to her face and shook her head.

"What are you talking about, who's alive?" She asked.

Trinity drew in a breath, "Dad. He's alive. I heard him on the radio."

Summer sighed and stood up approaching Trinity. "On the radio?"

"My radio. I heard him he's in Corinth and he needs help."

"You must have been hearing things." Summer reached out for Trinity but she pulled back and moved around her mother. Trinity thought her mother would be happy to hear that her own husband was alive. She was treating Trinity like a child and didn't even look happy or tearfully surprised at all.

Tenaya sat up in her chair, "Your mother is right, it couldn't have been Dillon."

"Why aren't you happy? He was dead and now we have proof he's alive. I know it was his voice." Trinity said getting excited again. Then again how could she not? Summer continued to look at her daughter with a sad and knowing expression. Trinity looked back form her mother to her aunt.

"Dillon is gone, and he's not coming back Trinity. He left knowing he wouldn't be coming back." Summer said trying to calm trinity down. It was easy to gain false hope whenever the name Dillon was mentioned in town. Summer paused realizing what she had just said and the way she had worded everything.

"Left?" Trinity repeated. "What do you mean left, you told me he was killed. He's not really dead, he was never dead is that your getting at?"

"I meant to tell you one day." Summer said in a soft voice.

"When? When you were sure I'd forget about him anyway?"

It was chaos. Everything had turned to chaos. Trinity tried to quickly process the news that her father had left and not actually been killed. While getting over the issue that her mother had lied to her for the past 14 years, it wasn't exactly the worst news in the world. It meant that there was a better chance the voice on the radio was her fathers after all. She looked away from her mother even as Summer tried to explain, Trinity wouldn't hear it. The new hope began to build in her despite the anger toward her mother.

"He said he had something to do, something important and her left for Corinth. I knew he wouldn't come back and I had to tell you something." Summer explained on the bridge of tears.

"So you killed him off? Nevermind. It doesn't matter; this just means it was dad. The voice was him. And I'm going to find him." The decision was made on the spot as she spoke the words.

Summer and Tenaya both reacted to what Trinity had said, they started protesting their words beating off the others so Trinity could only make out a few similar words. No. Dangerous. Absolutely not. Trinity held her hands up as if trying to defend herself from the words batting at her at that moment. She tried to signal them to stop but they wouldn't take the hint.

"Just hold on a minute." Trinity said, she waited till they were both silent before continuing. "You won't do a thing to save him if you had the chance? Cause this is that chance mom. 14 years he's been gone. And know he's asking for assistance and you won't answer? And Aunt Tenaya, you can't honestly stand there and tell me you wouldn't rush off to save him if you could."

Tenaya starred with her blank eyes in another direction. A sad smirk crossed her face and she gave a nod. "I would save him. I owe him everything."

"Then let me go." Trinity begged.

Summer stood back looking at Trinity as if she had just slapped her across the face. What she had said more than stung, of course Summer would rush out to save Dillon in less than a heartbeat. She recovered from the shock after a minute and shook her head vigorously side to side. Trinity turned her head back to her mom her eyes searching for a reason behind her mother's stubbornness.

"No. It's not him Trinity. You were hearing things."

She starred her mother down hoping it would weaken the decision. After a minute her mother's cell rang. Summer reached into her pocket taking a deep breath to calm herself before answering.

"Hello? Oh, hello Mr. Turner. No absolutely nothing. Yes. I can be there shortly. Mmhmm, you too." Summer closed the phone and turned back to Trinity. "Mr. Turner needs me to go into the office for a few hours. I'll be back later; you'll stay here with your aunt won't you? Won't you Trinity?"

Trinity clenched her jaw and stormed off up the stairs and to her room. She couldn't remember being so angry in her life. Flopping down on her bed and grabbing a pillow, Tritiny placed it over her face and let out the loudest scream she could. It was muffled but it felt good to let her frustration out on something. She heard the distant sound of her mother getting into the car and pulling out of the drive-way. Removing the pillow and hugging it close to her Trinity starred angrily up at the ceiling.

"I'm not crazy. I know what I heard." she said convincing herself.

Trinity rolled over on her side and looked to the picture frame sitting on her side table. It was a single person in the middle of the frame, a picture of her father, his face starring out at her with a crooked smile and the eyes that were her eyes. Trinity slowly sat up and leaned over to pick up the picture. She held it for a minute smiling back at the practical stranger in the frame. She hardly had any clear-cut memories of her father. Trinity could recall the tone of his voice though; he used to sing her to bed every night. At least, Trinity liked to think it was every night. She couldn't be certain anymore. Her mother had said it was the truth, but after discovery downstairs minutes prior Trinity had to wonder what was real and what a fabricated memory by her mother.

A few minutes passed and Trinity had made another rash decision. She went over to her closest and pulled on a pair of her tennis shoes and a t-shirt over top of her tank top. Throwing the pair of sunglasses that were still on her head onto the dresser, Trinity pulled her long blonde hair back into a low ponytail and raced back down the stairs. Tenaya was sitting in the living room listening to music and trying to nap on the couch.

"Trinity is that you?" she asked when Trinity failed to sneak past her. Stupid creaky floor boards.

"Yea it's me. I'm going to walk over to Aarons. Is that alright?" she asked.

"You're not—"

"Going to Corinth?" Trinity finished with a scoff, she laughed. "No. I'm over that. Mom was right I must have been hearing things. I just wanted to see if Aaron wanted to grab some pizza after work. Is it alright if I go?"

Tenaya was silent in thought for a moment before she nodded form her spot on the couch. "Just be back before your mother gets home."

"I will." Trinity lied through her teeth. She left and charged down the street toward McAllistair Body Shop. It was only a two blocks away luckily, and being on the track team in high school meant this was just a simple jog to Trinity. She rounded the corner, darting her way around people on the sidewalk as she went. She ignored their stares. Finally she arrived slowing in her run as she approached the repair shop. On the lot was a beaten up piece of junk that Aaron liked to call his car. The hood was open and her was stuck underneath. What else did Trinity expect to find?

She huffed out a laugh drawing closer and hearing him singing some song to himself as he tinkered on his baby. Trinity stopped on the opposite side of the hood she watched him for a moment.

"Hey Aaron." she said in an overly sweet voice. She even rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet and dragged her hand on the side mirror.

Aaron stopped singing but didn't look up from what he was doing. "What do you want this time Trinity?" he asked in his thick Scottish accent, much like his fathers.

"Why do you assume I want something?" she asked using the same sweet voice.

"Because," Aaron said with a careful tone, "You always want something when you use that voice. Mostly its to use my car."

Trinity hesitated. He hit the nail right on the head. He was always good at figuring her out by now. She should have known better than to try and tip toe around the situation. It would have saved her even the slightest bit of time. She sighed looking at the top of Aaron's head.

"So where do you want go?" Aaron asked still enthralled with what was under the hood of his car.

"Corinth." she replied at a length. Trinity waited for Aaron's reaction, but didn't need to wait long.

His head popped up causing him to hit it on the top of the hood. He swore and rubbed the back of his standing up straight. Aaron starred across at Trinity baffled his mouth hung open slightly. She looked innocently back at him a cautious smile on her face.

"What?"

"You have heard of it haven't you?" Trinity said in a slight condescending tone.

Aaron glared at Trinity, "Of course I have Trin, and you know that. Who in this bloody world hasn't?" he pulled a towel from off his belt and began to wipe his hands clean of grease. As he did Aaron shook his head not bothering to keep a polite smile on his face. "What do you want to go there for anyway?"

"My dad. He's alive." she said shortly and with a composed expression. She tried not to betray her eagerness to get in the car and go or her growing frustration with the questions.

"Your dad?" Aaron stopped cleaning his hands for a second, "Alive? How do you know?"

Trinity could tell Aaron wasn't buying into the whole thing, she could see the doubt in his eyes and the undertone of his voice that mocked her. She messed with her hair for a second and glanced around to make sure no one else was looking.

"I heard him on the radio, look I know this sounds weird—"

"Weird? It sounds insane Trinity. He was on a talk show was he?" he interjected closing the hood. He rested his elbows on the roof and leaned forward. Aaron saw that Trinity wasn't trying to play a joke on him. Her face was too serious for that, and she never was good when it came to a lie. Her eyes always gave her away. But as Aaron looked into them he saw that Trinity was telling the truth and that she was even a little scared by it all.

Trinity tilted her head back in frustration. "Look I know what it sounds like Aaron, but you have to believe me. I was sitting in my backyard and I picked up a signal on the radio amongst the white noise, like a transmission or something. I heard a man's voice say something about needing assistance and Corinth, and then the name Dillon."

The two of them kept eye contact for a minute before Aaron tore away and turned back to picking up his tools and cleaning up the mess made. Trinity watched him and waited for Aaron to say something, anything.

"How do you know it was him, and not someone asking for Dillon?"

"I just know. He's my father for god-sake Aaron." Trinity groaned a hard edge to her voice.

Aaron didn't back down though. He kept firing questions and facts that Trinity probably failed to realize during her brilliant plan to just leave and go to Corinth. "He died when you 4 years old Trin how could you be sure what his voice sounded like? And you know that city is quarantined for a reason they don't even want to give us. Do you know how dangerous it's going to be? We don't know what we're going to find there. Have you thought about that Trinity? Have you thought about that at all?"

His badgering was grating her last nerve until Trinity final shouted out but quickly lowering her voice to a harsh whisper.

"I'm going Corinth with or without you, even if I have to walk all the way there. I will reach Corinth. I just thought it would be safer and easier to get there with your help. You're not stopping me Aaron, nothing you say will. I just want to know if my best friend has my back in this?"

Trinity finished by giving him a strong yet pleading look. She watched as the wheels began to turn in Aaron's head. She could tell he was actually thinking it over, contemplating it. Eventually he let out a heavy sigh and began walking around to the other side of the car pointing a finger at Trinity.

"You cheat. You can't keep playing the best friend card on me. One of these days your luck is going to run out." He said. Trinity smiled broadly at Aaron and flung her arms around him in a hug.

"Not if I keep counting cards." she joked in the hug. She felt Aaron laugh and hug her back. They broke apart.

"When do you want to go?" he asked folding her arms across his chest. As if he had to ask. Aaron knew what the answer was going to be, but he prayed for something different and a little less predictable.

"Now."

"Now?" Aaron scoffed. "Just pack up and go now?"

"You said you would help." Trinity's eyes narrowed on him.

Aaron rolled his eyes and glanced down at the ground, "Actually if you recall I didn't say anything of a sort. I implied it." seeing the angry look cross Trinity's face Aaron immediately changed his answer. "Fine, if we hurry we can get back by sunset. Dad will kill me for taking off like this."

Trinity's mood changed again and jumped up and down hugging Aaron around the neck one last time. She let go and opened the car door. "Is this thing safe to drive?"

Aaron made his way to the other side, "Hey," he said reproachfully. "This baby runs perfectly fine and is completely safe. I was just giving her a tune up. You came on a perfect day."

He buckled his seat belt turning his head to Trinity, as he started up the car. "Does your mom know about this?"

Trinity remained looking forward out the windshield, "No." she said in an even and cool voice. From he corner of her eye she saw the expression Aaron was giving her. She turned with a teasing smile.

"Come on Aaron, don't be such a wuss. " She chuckled.

Aaron furrowed his brows only slightly offended by the joking insult. "I'm not. I just don't need another person out to kill me when we get back is all. My father is more than enough."

As Aaron put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot, Trinity leaned back against the seat and rolled her head in his direction. She watched him drive a look of concentration and doubt on his face. The corners of her mouth pulled into a serious smile.

"Thank you for doing this Aaron. You don't know what this means."

Aaron let out a small laughing scoff and gave a nod keeping his eyes on the road. "I think I do know."