I walked quietly down the hospital hallway.

 Infected.

We’d been here for months, waiting for that cure. They told us we were infected, that we had to wait here to die.

Infected.

The Disease was lethal, in the slowest sense of the word. None of us had died yet, but even now, three months after we were sent here, the gasmasked doctors keep pointing out the signs.

Liars are perfect. Liars are sane.

I reached the door, readying myself for the news. The news on the progress of the Disease.

Infected.

I knocked on the door, a muffled, “Come in.” Dr. Lee, gasmask as usual.

 “Lya, good to see you.”

“You too, Dr. Lee.” Well, no, actually I hate seeing you.

“Lya… we’re sorry. No, I am sorry, really I am, but… inside you, according to our recent tests, the Disease has progressed beyond a point where we can control it. You’ll have to me moved to another wing of the hospital.”

Infected.

“I. Feel. Fine.” I ground my teeth. They were constantly moving people to “the other wing.” We were separated from them, so we never saw them after they moved. Families, infected families, had been separated.

“I know, Lya. You always feel fine. It is a smart disease, you don’t know you have it until it take over your entire body. Then you’re dead.”

“Yes, I’ve heard.” I glared. “You’ll be leaving immediately.” He pressed a button, and a few seconds later a man walked through the door.

“Follow him.”

People are false. People tell lies.

He, the man not the doctor, walked me to a door labeled “Danger.”

 Infected.

“Go in.” He said, gruffly. He opened the door, then slammed it behind me. I was in a white room labeled “Airlock.” There was a door on the other side.

 A voice came over a set of speakers I couldn’t see.

“Lya, this is Dr. Lee. If you wouldn’t mind, we need you to step through the next door, and shut it firmly behind you.”

I did.

 Infected.

The next room was all white and smelled like bleach.

“Stand still.” Dr. Lee’s voice told me.

I did.

“I’m sorry, Lya.” It said, as I realized that I was losing energy, fast. The smell of bleach got stronger, and slowly, oh-so-slowly, the world went black.

Leaders are liars, only try to defy.

[You have to admit...that was beyond awesome.]

Hazel green eyes stared intently at me as I made, what might just have been, one of the most important decisions in my life.

“Horror or action.” The girl in front of me repeated, never taking her gaze away from me.

After staring at the boxes for a few seconds, seemingly conflicted with what to choose, I sighed overdramatically and raised my eyes to meet hers. “It’ll have to be horror.”

I grinned as she pouted and tossed one of the boxes behind her. “You ass.” Was all she said as she walked past me and popped the disc into the dvd player. “I hate these movies and you know it.”
Plopping myself down on one end of the couch, I spread my legs out in front of me, taking up the rest of the sitting space. I smiled triumphantly as the slightly taller girl came back from switching off the lights and laughed when she flipped me off before whacking my feet off the couch.
After we’d both settled in underneath an enlarged blanket she’d stolen from her parents room, I quickly pressed play and tossed the remote to the middle of the floor. Staring at the screen that began to play a movie I’d seen countless times, I only partially payed attention, more focused on the fact that even though two people could be under the same blanket they could be sitting on opposite ends of the couch.

Not moments later, I found myself staring at her against my will. I marvaled at the way her seemingly light brown hair, seemed to keep finding its way into her face and at the small movements she’d make with her hand while she attempted  to keep herself from clinging to the nearest body part of mine. I began to smile before stopping myself and returning my gaze to the tv. For months I’d hidden how I felt, why was it coming out now? We’d established long ago that we’d stay friends, both agreeing that the drama was too much. Neither of us had been able to hold up a good relationship and we were just so…different. It might be fun in the beginning…She had said skeptically. Getting the point I’d nodded and laughed, despite the pit feeling in my stomach. But it’d just die out. I’d finished for her.

For a while after that, things were perfectly fine. We were both happy and content with not ‘being’ with anyone. But lately…

“Whoa, what? I thought he was dead?” A confused and almost childlike voice brought me back down to earth and I let my eyes adjust to actually registering what was on the tv for a few seconds before answering almost automatically.

“Flashback scene, they want to show you how he died and stuff…they do it periodically throughout the movie. Kind of weird, I know.”

Furrowing her brow, the girl looked back at the tv, obviously still stubbornly unhappy with being forced to watch the movie.

I closed my eyes and cleared my head. It was better to not think about these things, they’d just get me confused and depressed. I was here with her now, so why not enjoy it? Besides, it wasn’t everyday she’d agree to watch something scary. Turning myself around, I stretched my legs out on the small foot rest in front of the couch and snuggled myself deeper into the couch, preparing to actually start watching the movie we’d rented. Not minutes later, half of the blanket was pulled off of me and before I could react I had a head in my lap. Blinking, I stared at the girl beneath me, she’d layed herself horizontally on the couch with the edges of her ankles and her feet dangling off the side of the arm rest. Her head comfortably resting in my lap.

“What?” I said, mock annoyed. “Now I have to sit through this with your big ass head on me?”

Tearing her eyes away from the screen, she looked up at me and made a triumphant face. “You want to choose a scary movie, you can be the human pillow.”

I said nothing and instead stared back into the eyes that captured me everytime they looked at me. Though she was nowhere near it, I was positive she could hear my heart pounding out of my chest. Not taking her gaze away from mine, she asked in possibly the quietest voice I’ve ever heard her use. “What?”

At that moment the fine line between what I should do and what I wanted to do completely shattered. Overly aware that I was no longer in complete control of myself, I gently moved a few strands of hair out of her face before leaning down and kissing her as gently as I possibly could. I pulled away seconds later, remembering that I’d forgotten to breath, and slowly brought my head back up to stare at the ceiling as I let out a shaky breath. “Sorry…” I managed to say quietly.

There was silence for what seemed like an excruciating amount of time before the girl before me sat up and gently manuvered herself onto my lap, curling up on it as she did so. Smiling almost sheepishly, she kissed me shyly before laying her head softly on my chest. “What took you so long…” I heard her murmur against the cloth of my shirt as she nuzzled her head into it.

I smiled and wrapped my arms around her. “Are you sure you want to try this again?”

“Try what?” She replied, refusing to move from her apparently comfortable position to look up at me.

“Falling in love.” I said quietly, softly kissing the top of her head.

There was silence for a minute before she snuggled into me even closer and whispered. “Only with you.”

I crept through the shadows noiselessly, attempting to keep my balance on the paper-thin ice. With all the time that wasn’t wasted looking at my feet, I kept an eye on them. They danced down the street, stepping lightly, thoughtfully. Their love-clouded eyes were made only for each other, it seemed. They never looked behind them, into the shadows. They stopped only to gently observe the icicles that caught the light of the tiny blinking Christmas lights, strewn haphazardly across the town.

I slipped, a harsh awakening from my musings. I tried, in vain I might add, to keep myself from reacting as I hit the ground. Slowly, carefully, I picked myself up, checking that nothing had dropped in my fall. The lovebirds (oh, how they sicken me) had gotten ahead of me by a hundred or so yards, and I raced to catch up, hoping I wouldn’t slip again.

As I reached the shadows next to them, I moved ever so slightly closer to them, out into the street. When they looked, they’d see the faintest of shadows, teasing their subconscious. They glanced in my direction more, but continued their twinkling laughter, their dresses fluttering in the night. Briefly, I wondered where they’d been, to be out walking so late. I smiled, so late… so late no one would notice.

They stopped in a doorway across the road from me, laughing and joking, talking quietly, kissing. When they were done, they kept walking. Their merriment more subdued now, though they still noticed nothing, nothing consciously at least. There was still that taunting mention of the shadow in the shadows, that patch that was ever so slightly darker, and ever so faintly human. Me. I.

They seemed to be yet more subdued, and I strained to listen to their whispers. “I see… something. Someone is following us. Over th-” She pointed, but her voice dropped below audible.

“No, there isn’t anything there, love. You’re imagining it.” The other girl said.

On cue, inched just slightly further out, closer to the light. Only slightly more noticeable, only slightly.

They kept going, faster now.

Nervous.

I slithered out, so that as I walked bits and pieces of me could be seen outside the shadows. As if I was careless now.

Scared.

They walked even faster. Their talking had ceased. Their romance forgotten. I jogged forward, still almost in the light. Almost. I caught up to them and passed them.

Then, I revealed myself. All six feet and two inches. They ducked into an alley, just the alley I had meant for them to use.

Terrified.

I followed, in plain sight, whatever that meant in an alley so dark the rats couldn’t see. Then, unseeing, they ran full-pelt into the wall. The end.

Screaming.

I switched my flashlight on, and set it facing up from the ground. So that they could see me. See my innocent eyes and my angelic face. My long, flowing, blond hair, and the knives, held ready in my hands.

Crying.

“No need to worry, I won’t hurt you,” I crooned, I lied. I threw both knives so that they stuck in the wall behind the girls. The taller girl grabbed them, and placed herself in front of the other.

“Ahah, protective.” I laughed. “I am unarmed. If you wish to get past me, all you have to do is walk. Or don’t you believe me?”

“Get away from us!” That was the girl with the knives.

“All you have to do is walk right past me. I won’t move, I swear.” I winked at them. The girl with the knives motioned for the other girl to stand up, and they backed themselves against one wall of the alley, glaring at me as they slowly walked past.

I jumped for the unarmed one first, slamming her head into the wall with a dull crack, and she fell. Those pretty, pretty eyes vacant. For a moment the second one was speechless, before attacking me, full force.

“Oh, I do love a challenge,” I smiled.

But, she was no challenge. For all her apparent strength, she was clumsy with the knives. I parried her blows easily, despite being unarmed. I toyed with her, smiling as she slowly tired herself out. Her stabs were less insistent, her swipes less determined. And still I kept her fighting, defending myself from the blades, while delivering only enough damage to keep her fighting. Finally, her strength failed, and she collapsed. I caught her by the neck, and her eyes widened as I pushed her against the wall. Slowly, I let her breath less and less, until she took one, last, choking gasp, and I stopped her breathing altogether.

She glared at me until she lost consciousness, and when I could no longer feel her pulse in her neck I dropped her next to the first one.

Dead.

Always Be There

I lay on my back, eyes closed, but fully awake. My hands rested behind my head and I smiled gently to myself. The scene replayed itself in my head over and over again.

“..w-will you?”
She stares into my eyes and my heart melts. Reaching out, she pulls my now trembling body into a hug. She buries her head in my neck, and now I feel her smiling against it.
“Yes.” she whispers, only loud enough for me to hear. I must’ve froze because she giggled softly and whispered it again, nuzzling her nose into my neck.

My smile grew wider as I felt a warmth spread over me. Turning on my side, I looked at her sleeping peacefully. I reached out unconciously and stroked her cheek gently. Afraid I might wake her up, I pulled my hand back, but continued to stare. The way she huddled her knees up, and buried her head into the pillow gave her an innocence that made her all the more beautiful.
My thoughts were distracted as I felt a small tug at my sleeve. I looked down and smiled. She’d grabbed the hem of my sleeve and was clutching to it as if I’d float away. Feeling a sudden urge overcome me, I scooted closer. Careful not to wake her, I entangled my free hand with hers and lightly put my forehead against hers.
Her clutch on my sleeve loosened just a bit and my smile grew once more. She knew I was there. I closed my eyes and let the warmth over take me. My last thought as I drifted off…

I’d always be there.

Tears ran down her face, dripping down onto the rags she would have liked to have been able to call a dress.

“Whore!” Her stepmother screamed. “Get to work!”

She glared, not wanting her stepmother to see how much affect her words had. She got up and walked out, up to her closet-for-a-room.

“Ella! Get back down here, this minute! I’m not done discussing this with you!”

Discussing, Ella thought, Wonderful name for it.

Her stepmother barged through the door, meat cleaver in hand. She threw the meat cleaver. Hard. Well, her aim hasn’t gotten any better, Ella thought as she picked it up from the other side of the room. She chucked it through the window, hoping it might find its way through the eye of one of the busy street’s many inhabitants.

“You worthless little bitch!” Her stepmother screamed, shrilly. Ella mused that she had a voice very like a particularly high pitched parrot.

“Yes, mother. Of course I am. I’m also a whore, a slut, an asshole, and whatever else you feel it just to call me.”

Her stepmother charged out, tripping on the string Ella had put there for exactly that purpose. Ella tried to hold back a chuckle, and slowly shut her door, marveling at how her lovely stepmother had managed to not trip while holding the meat cleaver. Such a shame.

The next day, as Ella was sweeping, she heard a knock on the door. She opened it, to see a princess there, in all her velvet glory.

“…Can I help you?” Ella asked.

“Miss, does this meat cleaver belong to you?”

“…Yes. Yes it does. I’d like it back, actually.” She grabbed it out of the princess’s hands, accidentally cutting the princess’s finger. “Oh… Eh, sorry about that.”

“When I was walking here with my entourage yesterday, this meat cleaver came flying out of a window of this house, killing one of my guards.”

“Terribly sorry, m’lady.” Ella drolled.

“You are to come back to the castle. The king will decide your punishment.” The princess stepped aside to reveal to burly guards. The guards each grabbed one of Ella’s arms, ripping the meat cleaver out of her hand. Ella noticed idly that the princess was sucking on the finger that had been cut.

When they reached the castle, they threw Ella into a cell, along with a long white dress. “Get dressed,” One of the guards barked. “Have to be presentable for the king.” Then, he slammed the door closed. She was suddenly plunged into darkness.

She felt around, finding the dress, and slipping into it, hoping she didn’t get it backwards. She stood in the center of the cell, not wanting to soil the dress. Not knowing what could be lurking against the walls.

The minutes stretched into hours. Hours and hours. Her legs ached.

The guard came back, and shoved the door open. “Get out here,” He grunted. He escorted her roughly into an antechamber, then handed her over to a better dressed guard. The second guard guided her into the throne room, announcing her as she came in. Since when did they announce people that weren’t nobility? She thought.

“Hello,” The king trilled. He had a heavy, deep voice. “You must be Ella. Congratulations Ella, for winning the heart of my daughter.”

Only then did Ella notice she was in a wedding gown. Only then did she realize the princess’s dress looked suspiciously like her own. Only then did she notice how the throne room was decorated as if a wedding was to be held. Shit.

Dedicated To Fishy <3 (No, thats not how I’m going to ask. Hmph.)

You Don’t Mind, Do you

I never knew how to say these types of things.

Clouds overhead threatened rain as we stood on the sidewalk, trying to figure out where to go next. I watched as you furrowed your brow, scanning over the worn out guidebook, searching for someplace interesting to go. As you pointed to a modern art museum, I grinned and nodded, hoping you wouldn’t notice how fidgety I was getting. You started off towards the direction, we hoped, the musuem was in, holding my hand lightly as you went. Noticing that my hand was beginning to sweat, I silently thanked god when it started to lightly drizzle. Seemingly surprised, you turned around as it started to rain harder and smiled at me. I gave a grin back, remembering how much you loved the rain.

Not to say I’m a shy person…you just make me so nervous.

I nodded towards the Eiffel Tower and you turned around, my hand still in yours, and began jogging towards it. We’d gone here the other day, but it was raining, what better place to stay dry? I felt my heart catch in my throat as I thought about the timing. I was going to do it. That much was evident. But…how?

Everything I want to express to you comes out in a jumble…you make me feel so much that I can never just say one thing clearly.

The elevator dinged, making my heart nearly jump out of my chest and you began to walk off. I held my breath and gently pulled you back in. “Lets…go to the 3rd floor this time.” I said attempting to calm my voice down.

Thankfully you  didn’t notice and looked at me curiously. “Isn’t it closed?”

“When has that stopped you?” I countered, giving a small laugh.

Grinning, you reached out and pressed the button to close the elevator doors. “Good point.”

I closed my eyes and tried to hide the fact that everytime you looked or smiled at me, my heart would beat faster. I was so sure that you could hear it.

Even now, when we talk about this day…I wasn’t as calm as you think baby.

As we stepped off of the elevator, my mind reeled with possibilties of what I should say. Nothing seemed good enough. This was too straight forward…this had too much want of sympathy…this had..

In the midst of my thoughts you turned around, slightly confused, leaning against the railing.  “You ass, are you coming to enjoy the view with me or not?”

I could only stare before beginning to walk towards you as you gave me a smile and a small giggle that I’d come to love so much.

I knew I wasn’t going to be calm, so I planned a few things to say…yet thanks to you and your ability to stop my thought process…it didn’t really go as planned..

You’d turned back to the view of the city and I became only slightly aware that we’d both stepped out from under the cover of the tower. Walking up behind you, I put my arms around your waist and gently turned you around. No longer in complete control of what I was doing, I placed my forehead against yours and kissed you as lightly as I ever have.

“Will you stay with me, forever?” I said, aware that my voice was shaking uncontrollably.

Once I’d breathed the words out, I held my breath and stared at the ground, only now becoming aware of the fact that we were both soaking wet. You lifted your head a bit, causing mine to lift a bit too. I could swear my heart stopped as you kissed me, just as gently as I had you.

“Yes…” you whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. “Forever.”

Putting my arms around your neck, I burrowed my nose into your shoulder, grinning. “I love you baby…”

“I love you too…”

My heart skipped a beat as it heard how shaky your voice had gotten.

“Forever?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“Forever.” you said, burying your nose into my neck.

But you don’t mind, do you?

“One minute,” she called in her high, clear voice. “I’m almost ready.”

She quickly arranged the dress around her  slim waist and  brushed out her long, silky black hair. She left her makeup sitting untouched on the bathroom counter along side a bottle of hotel-provided shampoo. She preferred looking natural, she was pretty anyway.

She slipped on her shoes, picked up her purse from the bureau and opened the door  to see the driver of the limo she had hired, ready to escort her to the parking lot.

“Oh, you’re early,” she said.

“Its across town, miss. We wouldn’t want to be late.”

“I suppose you’re right.” She sighed. She couldn’t exactly say she was looking forward to this.

They rode the elevator to the first floor, and as they walked through the lobby to the waiting limo, she caught the stares of men, following her out the door.

The driver opened the rear passenger door of the car, waiting for her to get in before he shut it. She watched the buildings go by as they slowly navigated through the downtown traffic, the rooftops many meters above her head.

They parked in the back, in an empty parking lot reserved for the restaurant’s more important patrons.  She hopped out of the car, not waiting for the driver to open the door for her. Her heels made a click clack, click clack sound on the pavement.

“What is this place called, again?”

“It’s the Crimson Hawk, ma’am, it’s the most prestigious restaurant in town.”  He said, “I’ll be waiting here when you’re done.”

Click, clack, click, clack into the restaurant. She scanned the tables, seeing Vladimir, the man she’d come to meet. She walked towards him, past the suit-clad waiter asking if she had a reservation.

Vladimir stood as she walked towards him, looking her over. From her silky hair to the long, dark red dress and the black heels.

He kissed her on the cheek when she reached him.

“Anya! Its good to see you. I take it your trip here went well?”

She sighed inwardly, small talk, she hated it. She just wanted this to be over. They talked about  his work, and her recent trip to China. They talked for what seemed like years, until finally the food came. They exchanged comments about the food, and later the desserts, until finally it was over. They both stood, each waiting for the other to speak first.

“Its been so nice talking to you, I hope we can arrange another date some time?” She lied through a false smile.

“Of course, that would be lovely, I’ll call you tomorrow. Would you like me to walk you to your car?”

“Oh that would be wonderful.” Her smile was genuine this time. She took his arm as he led her out to her car. Click, clack, click, clack. As they reached the car she dug into her purse, closing her hand around the smooth , comfortable form.

She pointed the gun at his head, grinning at his short-lived terror, and pulled the trigger. As she put the gun back in her bag, she noticed a small spattering of blood on the tinted window. She wiped the blood off with her finger, staring at it as she walked around the car. There stood the driver, calmly holding her door open for her. She licked the blood off her finger and ducked into the car.

“Back to the hotel, if you would.”

As they entered the building they were immediately immersed into the line. Although the size of the line was rapidly decreasing ahead of her, she still had to wait half an hour before she reached the front, and was pointed to the nearest empty booth.

“Passport, please.” The immigration officer said in a thick Chinese accent. She handed her fake American passport over. He ran his finger over the top edge of her passport, while still looking her in the eye. He seemed to find something wrong, he looked down at the passport, opened it up and held one of the pages up the light. He still seemed unsatisfied. He stood up warily, keeping his eyes on her the entire time.

“Is there a problem, sir?” She asked.

“Please come with me,” Again with the accent.

He led her to an empty office, he looked around and said something in Chinese that she couldn’t understand.

“Stay here,” the simple words were hardly recognizable through his accent.

He walked out of the room, glancing back every few seconds as he walked away. She contemplated what to do. She could stay, but then she’d get jail time and dirt on her spotless record.  She could run, but they’d catch her, and then there would be even more dirt. She chose the lesser of two evils.

A man walked in, American by his looks, but wearing the same uniform as her immigration officer had. He had her passport open in his hand. He glanced down at it.

“So, Alison Fuller, is it?” Flawless English. He glared at her.

“Yes, that’s me.” She let out a wide, pleasant, utterly false smile. “Is there a problem, sir?” She stared at him innocently.

“This is a false passport. Where did you get it?”

Her eyes got wide, looking as innocent as she possibly could.

“Sir, its not false. I would never  try and travel on a false passport. I’m appalled that you think I would.” She walked towards him, reaching into her purse. She slid her fingers around a cold, hard, molded object.

She pulled the knife out, and skipped forward before the uniformed man could react. She held the knife against his neck, gazing into his eyes, relishing in his terror, and slit his throat. She quickly jumped back to avoid the majority of the blood pumping out of his newly unoccupied body as he fell to the floor. She licked the blood off her hand, and then the knife.

She put the knife back in her purse, and walked out of the room, plucking her passport out of his hand and walked out. Her walk took her to baggage claim, she picked up her bag, and calmly left the airport.

After checking into her hotel, she pulled off her blond wig, picked up the phone, and dialed.

Ring, ring, ri- “Hello?”

“The passport didn’t work. Why didn’t the passport work.”

“Uhh… Well… I don’t know.” The voice on the other end pleaded.

“Yeah, right, you don’t know. I should have gotten what I paid for. I paid for an authentic American passport.”

He sighed. “You’re always in this mood after you’ve killed someone. Who did you kill?”

“Vladimir, I killed an immigration officer.”

“They know its you?”

“Probably.”

“Shit.”

“You got that right.” She said.

“Anya… I’m sorry. Any way I can make it up to you?”

“Go jump off a cliff.” She hung up.

She pulled a hand gun out of her luggage, and walked out of the hotel room.

The first person she saw was a cleaning lady, she walked by, gun in plain sight. The next few people were just as unimportant. When she reached the lobby there was a police officer talking to someone behind the desk. She shot them both.

People started screaming. She was hyper-aware of the sound of her shoes, the echo off the walls, click, clack, click, clack.

More police officers came in running. Bang, bang, bang, click, clack, click, clack, bang. Six people dead in five minutes. She felt accomplished. A child was crying, SWAT would be here soon. She walked towards the door, and put the gun in a dead cop’s empty holster as she walked out the front door, she got in to a waiting taxi.

“To the airport, please.”

The captain hovered over to Oria in her Spade SC20, the twenty-seventh century equivalent of a Segway,  but with guns… and flying.

They were hovering three hundred feet above the ground, inside a stadium. The stadium wasn’t a stadium in the normal, bug-shaped sense of the word. The stadium was a perfect titanium sphere, sixty stories high and resting on a hill. The seats were built into the walls, row after row covering every inch available. It could fit the entire population of every nearby town, and still leave the good seats for every politician known to man.

Inside the stadium, were two floating horizontal metals bars 240 feet long each. These metal bars were facing each other,  and each had twenty ten foot by ten foot panels hanging down. The panels were evenly spaced across the bars and each had a circular hole in the middle, five feet in diameter.

There was a ship hovering directly in the middle of the two bars, but another fifty feet higher.

“Captain, when the fighting gets bad, take this to the ship.”  Oria said, handing her a small, wafer-thin remote.

“Yes, sir.” She hovered back to her position behind the last panel. Oria had the first. In between were their eighteen comrades, each hovering just behind the hole in their respective panels. Spade guns pointing out. The opposite bar was similarly occupied, only difference being that the people behind the opposite bar were the ones they were trying to shoot. The ship in the middle started glowing green.

Bang. One down. Bang. That’s two. Bang. Three down. The Captain alone had brought the opposing teams size down to seventeen before they shot once. From the other side: Bang. Down goes her neighbor. The loud speaker spoke up to the empty stadium, empty other than the dead and about to die, at least.

“In the war standings, the USA is down to 18 brave soldiers, China is down to 16.” She should have been paying more attention. She hadn’t even noticed another of their own drop. In the following ten minutes, they had lost five of their own, and shot four of the other side. She decided it was time to bring the remote to the ship as General Oria had told her to. She hovered along the back of the panels, picking out the three best soldiers.

“You’re coming with me,” she said. “We’re going to the ship.”

As they made their way to the ship, the three surrounded her, shooting anyone who made a move to shoot her. She considered them lucky, they only lost one of the three getting to the center. Then entered the ship, hovering through the halls towards the generator she remembered was at the center. When they reached it, it had turned red. Red meant the fighting was over, since the generator was what had been making the ship glow green. The fighting was over, but who had won? She dropped the remote into the red, swirling, glowing mass of energy that was the generator. It pulsed.

“Time to go back, I guess.” They hovered slowly back, not bothering to guard from bullets. The fighting was over. But still, they could not tell who had won. As they reached their bar and hovered through one of the panels, the captain looked down. One, two, three… fifteen, sixteen, seventeen. Seventeen bodies on the ground. She and her two soldiers were the only ones left alive. They had lost.  Slowly, they made their way back to the changing rooms, to get ready to greet their new Chinese rulers.