The night air clung tightly around his lungs as he walked through the dark streets. It was winter on Pluto ll, five degrees below zero, and rapidly dropping. Silver pools of frozen rain lined the dark path, as fog-gray shadows seemed to loom around everything that surrounded him. He clenched his wool trench coat closer to his body, as his left foot made contact with the frozen concrete once again.
A head of him was the city that used to be his home. He used to be the Zeus of that cloud. The heart of that body of corruption. And he wouldn't want it any other way. He was tired of living a lie, and wanted nothing more than to live the truth again. He wanted his life back. This plan wasn't suppose to backfire this way, and it had backfired in the worst possible way. In the process of saving his own hide, he had lost the one good thing in his life, Minx.
This was a night like no other. It was one of those times when everything was still, and sleeping. As if to be frozen in time. Ever since the mercs moved into the east side of the planet everything seemed to freeze, then eventually die. It was like no one knew who's life would be reduced to rubble, like his had so suddenly been.
The elements were becoming rapidly unbearable, but his numb sole took no notice. He was surviving, but just barely. He couldn't say he was a happy man, and that he was finally free. Because that would be a lie. Even who he was, was now a lie. In his lamb skin wallet was his 'i.d' . The name read, Darin McGraw. But he wasn't that man.
Walking a half mile into the city limits the tall gray buildings came into view. This was the city where it all happened. The complicated events of his life. Where it had begun, and where it had all gone wrong. The dim yellowish lights cast an eerie glow among the shadows. As he walked closer he began to take in more and more of its familiar details.
The steal water towers, the gray concrete warehouses, the dark red brick buildings, the tall street lamps. All mixed with the smoke from the burning bonfires of the poorly built shacks that surrounded the outskirts. Then he thought of the people. They were just like him, all surviving a life gone wrong. Hope and sorrow mixed with sweat and history. Shaken by the mercs, who had put a tight glass wall around all of them.
All of these things were sleeping, quiet under the royal purple night sky, that was dotted with sapphire colored stars. He had a plan to get Minx back once and for all. He had found out last night that she was headed to the uncharted planet of Nebula 7, and that's where he was going to go. In order to get there before she did however, he needed a small and fast ship, one that was almost untraceable and invincible. His father was just the man to give him something along those lines.
An hour later he entered the city. He was surprised to find that all the lights were brighter. It was probably the mercs doing. He thought. Slipping into a vacant storage room he removed his coat, scarf, hat, and gloves.
Suddenly the only light bulb in the room illuminated. Casting a shadow over the man he came to see, his father. "Father." He said softly. He hadn't seen him since he was a mere teenager. His father studied him for a long moment. His eyes puncturing him, searching, and openly judging. When he seemed to find what he was looking for he took a step forward until he was about only a foot away from his son.
"Deo son, I never thought I'd see you again." He said slowly, his tone tired, and hollow. His eyes widened. "Dad you got it wrong, I'm Darin." He explained. His father gave a short chuckle, and moved towards an old wooden desk in the corner of the room. "Son, you know the ultimate two problems with you? You never did completely think things through, and you always underestimated me." He paused to pick up a tan colored file folder.
He eyed it carefully, then opened it. His wrinkled fingers gliding over the smooth paper. Inside was a print out. He examined it for a moment. "Darin, was your Identical twin, but as your forgot, Deo, he broke his left leg badly in a hover-motor accident the night of your senior prom. It never quite healed. You on the other hand never had any accidents. When the autopsy reports came back, I knew immediately you were still alive." Carelessly he threw the file folder back to it's place on the table top, causing a miniature cloud of dust to rise from it.
How could've he known so easily? Deo thought. He must've looked dumbfounded, because he saw his father chuckle yet again. "Not too bad for an old man." He was looking at Deo with narrowed eyes. "You can come and work for me. I'll take you back in the family. But only because you are family. If any other man had killed my boys, that bastard would've been dead the moment he took another breath." He paused to take a step closer to his now, only son, putting a rough and cold hand on his shoulder.
Deo met his eyes, almost wary. His father never touched him before. His family was not a hugging type, not even the smiling type, so this was new. "Son, I need to tell you. I know how much you love Minx. I've seen how you look at that picture of her, noticed how you keep it with you. In my own way I care about you and am giving you a second chance because you have my blood and you're my heir. But" He paused to look down. Deo couldn't believe this, his father was turning into a washed out old pappy. "Minx might not give you that chance."
At this Deo snapped, gabbing his father's lapels, "You have no idea what love is! The love that Em and I have can withstand anything. She will always love me. She'll take me back, I KNOW it." He yelled, two inches from his father's face. But this did not shake his father. "Son, to her you no longer exist. You died. You used your brother, to fake your own death. But she doesn't know that." He said harshly, his voice rising. Deo shoved the old man backwards so hard that he fell to the floor. "It doesn't matter. The point is that I am alive!"
He threw open the back door and got into the ship. Booting up the starting rocket boosters, he felt them jolt, then the real rockets came on, making the ship lurch forward lightly. Holding the break, he checked the on board computers, he surveyed the fuel gauge, power, stabilizers, and lastly the ammunition. Finally everything was set, and he headed for his destination. Nebula 7.