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---
How could I have been so careless to let one of those XRC bastards see me? For two years I've been able to live among Xeriv City residents incognito unknown to them that I'm a Resistance Sympathize. Not bad for a sixteen-year-old girl who grew up in the arts district of Remare Fetti. There are others like me. We look just like them, we talk just like them, and as long as that remains, the Order will never be aware that deep down in my core, I loathe what they're doing. I was only ten when my parents pulled me from everything that was comforting and moved us off-world to set up a mining operation on this god-forsaken moon. I thought my father's judgment was clouded when he uprooted our family in hopes to give us some kind of stable life. It felt like the whole damn world was against me. But then again, I might just have someone on the other side looking after me. I never thought I'd be so glad to see a transpo-shuttle up ahead. I can still hear the XRC agent in the offset. It's not a long stretch, but if I can only sprint fast enough, I can avoid capture. Even the 'X' can't chase a hovercraft. If I'm lucky, he might give up. "Baka, you can always continue your Ime lessons on Mehaam," at least that's what Dad promised me when he tried to be encouraging. But for all of his good intentions, they were nothing more than cold lies and shattered dreams. In truth, existence amassed to many days and nights fighting hypothermia on the moon. But it's funny; I wish I still had that damned Ime. I'd pawn it and use it to pay for at least six good meals. It was only two years ago when I learned my parents' real motivation for moving off-world, the truth of which came in the form of a wake up call when our front door was caved in and demolished by an 'X' drone named Axebry. I'll always remember his eyes. My nightmares never let me forget. Impending persecution lies around every corner. For those who chose to walk in secrecy, every moment feels like it's their last; to fear the next minute and live for tomorrow. I shouldn't, but sometimes I hate my father for damning our family to this existence. Life was so much easier when we had everything; why did he have to throw it all away? But, I guess it doesn't matter now, because either way we would all get caught in the crossfire. I'm out of breath by the time I clutch the transpo-shuttle's roll bar; it's frost-laden steel sticks to my hand. My heart feels like it's going to burst from my chest, but I'm almost in the clear. Behind the glass of the back window, a passenger catches a glimpse of me out of the corner of her eye and quickly pretends as if she saw nothing. Typical. It's so easy to turn and look away, isn't it? Our freedoms having been stripped from us all in the name of order and she could care less. But should I blame her? Would it really be better to trade one life of living in fear for another, comfort in ignorance or liberation in rebellion? The thought had always crossed my mind. I don't want to be cold or hungry. But I run and resist in the hope that one day I'll never be afraid again. Christ, I sound like Dad right before they pushed him into a XRC wagon. I gaze around and can see the 'X' behind me. Look at him; he couldn't keep up with the shuttle. They must feed those XRC bastards well because they're so heavy on their feet. It reminds me of the way my grandpa used to describe 'cops'--or whatever the hell those were in the golden days. He was nuts, its no wonder my parents followed suit. 'Conspirator'. The minute the word rolled off that 'X' Axebry's tongue, everything made so much sense. My parents' move, all the conversations left hanging during dinner… And when that scum broke into our home, I knew enough to flee. But I did what my dad wanted me to do. He wasn't always upfront about everything, but he made one thing clear…that if anything were to happen to he and mom, run away and don't look back. So while the 'X 'was busy reading my parents their so-called rights at gunpoint, I took off. I watched from the alley across the street as Axebry lead my parents to his cruiser, hands cuffed and long-faced. They got careless. And now…so have I - as I feel the sting of a plasma bolt hit my arm and scream out an involuntary cry of pain. The bastard shot me. My bicep hurts like hell, I don't even realize that I've released my grip on the shuttle and have fallen to the pavement, bone scraping against stone as I roll away from the speeding transpo-shuttle and watch my only hope depart into the polluted heavens. It seems like only a second later before the XRC agent looms over me with his gun drawn. My mouth tastes warm and pungent, I'm bleeding. For whatever reason, I start to laugh when a thought crosses my mind, my mother saying "a girl should always look her best and allow herself to find humor when she can't." Well, shit. I guess it is true when they say you remember everything when your life flashes before you. I wipe the hair away from my brow as the agent stands. His eyes… I'll never forget his eyes. "In accordance with Xeriv law 15-7, the consumption of illegal materials, you are to be punished and served as a delinquent. How do you plead?" It was Axebry, the same one who got my parents. All those nights I saw his face in my nightmares and here the man has been breathing down my neck and I hadn't even noticed. "How did my parents plead? I'd imagine pretty loudly considering you had 'em on their knees at gunpoint." I realize my mistake in choice of words as he cracks his pistol across my face. And that's about the time the world went dark... |
Catch up on all the latest chapters in Angel XRC: Solemn Genesis! - - CHAPTER TWO - CHAPTER THREE |
