BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Was it that time already?

The young adult woman groggily opened her eyes, before slowly moving her bedsheets and getting off her bed. She walked to the other side of the room to shut her alarm off; it helps her get up and stay up. She stretched her arms over her head, and then her back, and walked out of her bedroom.

She lived in a modest apartment; only a single bedroom and bathroom, but with a view of New York City that would put any tourist in awe.

“Good morning, Erin!” Said the AI assistant built into the apartment. “Sleep well?”

“No.” Erin rubbed her eyes. “More nightmares.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” The AI sadly stated. “If you want, I can book an appointment with a doctor.”

“I ain’t paying for a doctor to tell me there’s nothing wrong.” Said Erin. “Besides, I don’t think I’ll have the time.”

“In that case,” The AI shifted his tone back to his usual, peppy self. “Shall I make you some coffee?”

“Eh…” Erin pondered for a moment. “…I think I need something stronger.”

“Red Bull, then?”

“That’ll do. Throw in some Advil, too.”

“Copy that!”

From the countertop in the kitchen area, a small circular opening appeared, and blue and silver can raised up from the opening, with two small pills to the side.

“Thanks,” Erin took the pills and downed them with the energy drink. “Ugh…” Erin stuck up her nose.

“Something wrong?” Her AI asked.

“Forgot how nasty this stuff is…” Erin took another big gulp. “Whatever.”

Erin finished the can and tossed it into a rectangular machine, which automatically sorted it into the recycling bin.

Erin walked to her bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror. She sighed, before turning on her shower.

“Let’s see…” her AI said. “You’ve got work today.”

“Only reason I’m up this early.” Erin replied as she cleaned herself.

“Weather and traffic look the same always… the metro is looking at a bit of a delay…”

“That bad, huh?” Erin chuckled to herself.

Erin finished her shower and put her work clothes on, a simple polo shirt and dress pants. She walked back to her bedroom to grab her bag, phone, keys, and most importantly, her headphones.

“I’m off.” Erin slung her bag over her shoulder and headed to the front door.

“Hang on!” Her AI protested. “You haven’t eaten anything.”

A small opening appeared in the wall, which launched a large apple at Erin. She caught it with ease.

“Honeycrisp. Your favorite.” Said the AI.

“What would I do without you?” Erin smiled as she took a bite.

“Have a great day!” The AI said cheerfully as Erin left the apartment.

New York City. The Big Apple. The Concrete Jungle. It’s known by many names, but for Erin, it was home. As she wandered the crowded streets, she saw a news show on a nearby billboard.

“The unemployment rate is at its highest since 2035, yet economists and Wall Street experts report record breaking gains. At the moment, it’s unclear what could be causing this epidemic.” The anchorwoman said. “While companies like SailCorp boast zero emissions, the effects of the climate crisis in the late 2040s continue to wreak havoc all over the globe. More on this at 11.”

Erin began to cough as she looked up at the
murky, clouded sky. As usual, she forgot to grab her mask to filter out all the smog.

Just then, she felt someone grab her arm.

“Spare any change?” An old gentlemen with scraggly hair and a beard wearing an old camouflage uniform looked up at Erin. “Help an old veteran get a warm meal.”

Erin instinctively pulled her arm back. The old man began to shy away. Erin sighed, before reaching into her bag and dropping a few coins in the man’s palm. The man smiled and nodded, thanking her.

That’s my cue to put headphones on, Erin thought. She put her black SailCorp headphones over her ears and turned them on. She began to walk down a set of stairs to the train stop as she flipped through her playlists. She finally selected one as the train begin to pull into the station.

“I am a sinner, who’s probably gonna sin again.
Lord, forgive me. Lord, forgive me.
Things I don’t understand.
Sometimes I need to be alone…”

Erin boarded the train, and was lucky enough to get a seat. Her tired eyes began to close as she got immersed in her music…

“Bitch, don’t kill my vibe.
Bitch, don’t kill my vibe.
Bitch, don’t kill my—“

The song stopped suddenly.

A confused Erin took her headphones off. A red light flashed on the side - an indicator that the battery was dead. She forgot to charge before going to bed… again.

Great, Erin thought. Just perfect.

The train finally stopped in midtown Manhattan. Erin disembarked the train and walked back onto the platform, tossing her apple core from earlier into a nearby trash can.

“Stand clear of the closing doors, please.” The subway platform loudspeaker stated, as the train doors closed and the train rushed away.

After walking upstairs and back onto the streets, Erin continued to walk down the packed streets of midtown Manhattan. She turned her attention to a large billboard atop a bodega;

“SailCorp is saving the world! Do your part by keeping New York City clean!” The billboard spoke as an animation of the CEO, known only as the nickname SailBreak, throwing a banana peel into a trashcan.

Erin scoffed, and turned her attention back to the street, with so much trash and debris, it made the sewers jealous.

She finally made it to her workplace; none other than SailCorp. She had no idea why she was offered this job, she didn’t seem qualified at all. Her only connection to SailBreak was her favorite childhood website, 2DSDraw.com. Erin entered the massive skyscraper.

“Morning, Erin!” The security guard waved.

“Morning, Lloyd.” Erin replied, pulling her badge out. She scanned it on a nearby console, and she continued to a large door.

“Welcome back, Erin.” A computerized voice sounded. “Please stand by for retina scan.”

A small machine came from the wall, scanning Erin’s eyes.

“Retina scan completed. Please enter your clearance code.” A small keyboard came out of the wall. Erin entered her clearance code;

ENTER CODE:
THI500_
CLEARANCE CODE ACCEPTED.

The large double doors begin to open, revealing an elevator. Erin enters, and the doors slam shut, and the elevator takes her up at ludicrous speeds. Despite this, Erin was unaffected by the change in g-force. The elevator screeched to a halt and opened. She walked over to a locker, placing her bag inside. She opened another door into a massive room, with an enormous portal showing all sorts of colors. With a heavy sigh, Erin walked into the portal, and reality began to shift around her…

“There she is!” A friendly male voice came from the other side of the portal as Erin stepped out. He was a taller man with medium build; with black robotic armor, a plasma sword hilt at his hip, and a pistol attached to his upper right leg.

“Hey, Leo.” Erin walked out of the portal. Her outfit had changed to a royal purple robotic armor with a black under-suit, and yellow highlights on her shoulder pads. On her hips, she had twin dual pistols. She stretched her arms over her head. “What’s the plan?”

Beyond the portal was a large military-looking complex, in a world parallel to reality. The ground was mostly shades of blue, and the sky a bright orange. The terrain would change occasionally, but this couldn’t be controlled or predicted.

A taller, lighter armored woman spoke up.

“We’ve got heavy Shadow activity in sector nine.” She tapped a few buttons on her arm, and a holographic map materialized in the center of the room. “A storage facility.”

“What’s it storing, Captain Angel?”Asked Leo, folding his arms.

“Information.” She replied. The map transitioned inside the building, to a large computer. “This machine has information of more Shadow strongholds in the area. They’re getting smarter, more organized.”

“Extraction mission?” Erin asked, loading her pistols. “Seems easy enough.”

“The whole facility is equipped with a security system, set to trigger at any sight of us.” Angel continued. “So, we go in QUIETLY.” She shot a glare at Leo.

“BOOOOORIIIIING!” Complained Leo. “I was itching for a fight today…”

“With any luck, you won’t need to.” Angel sighed. “Christian and Jane will join us as well. Christian’s your eyes.”

A large, muscular man in black armor came from behind a door, accompanied by a smaller girl with a large bag bearing a red cross symbol.

“Helloooooo!” The girl said excitedly.

Erin and Christian exchanged glares. Jane hurried to her team.

“Another day, another mission!” Jane giggled. “Isn’t this exciting?!”

Christian scoffed, grabbing a large sniper rifle from the wall.

“Alright everyone, let’s move!” Angel commanded.

LATER, in the skies above sector nine…

The squad had loaded onto a large dropship. They flew over a large building, the same one from the map.

“We’re coming up on your building, Cap!” The pilot said, easing on the thrusters.

“Let’s lock and load, people!” Angel commanded.

The bay doors of the ship began to open.

“Erin, Leo, take the south end. I’ll go up north, and rendezvous at the machine.” Angel said. “Christian, take the high ground to the west. Jane?”

Jane stood up excitedly.

“Stay here in case we need you.”

“Hmph!” Jane pouted and sat back down.

The four put on their helmets and leaped out of the ship, Leo doing a backflip. Their armor thrusters activated, Erin and Leo taking to the south, Angel heading north and Christian routing to a nearby hill to set up a snipers nest. Christian was the first to land, setting up his rifle masterfully.

“I’m in position. Set your motion trackers.” Said Christian over the radio.

“Copy.” Erin and Leo landed, tapping the side of their visor. A small radar with red and blue dots - red for enemies, blue for friendlies - showed on their heads up display.

Erin and Leo snuck around the facility, before reaching to a door. Leo tested the door, crossed his fingers and twisted his hand twice, the signal for ‘locked.’ Erin nodded, and pulled a lock-picking kit from her armor. She took out a small set of tweezers, and attempted to pry the lock open. No luck. She signaled to Leo with her thumb, motioning backwards. Leo looked around the corner, and made a fist, indicating it was all clear. Erin took out her pistol, and smashed the lock with the butt of her weapon. The door opened instantly.

“That’s one way to do it.” Leo whispered as the two entered.

Erin kept her pistol out as Leo took out the hilt of his sword. A plasma beam shot out of the hilt, a brilliant blue, serving as the blade of the sword. Erin motioned for Leo to take the lead. They kept sneaking around, finally making it to a large computer.

“In position.” Erin said over the radio. “Where are you, Captain?”

“Five minutes ETA.” Angel replied. “Start the transfer.”

Erin plugged a flash drive into the computer, which immediately began to transfer data automatically.

“Take point,” Erin said to Leo. “Make sure I’m clear.”

Leo nodded and dashed down a hallway.

Erin turned around, and was startled by a shadowy, human like figure with red glowing eyes, a Shadow… holding a mug of coffee. Erin immediately pointed her pistol, the Shadow freezing in place. The Shadow looked over at the wall, to a big red button saying ‘ALARM’.

“Don’t even think about it.” Said Erin sternly.

The Shadow looked back at Erin, and then back at the wall. The Shadow ran for it, towards the alarm.

“Shit!” Erin yelled, firing her weapon. The laser that came from the pistol hit the Shadow in the chest. It faded to nothing instantly, but the mug it was holding kept going…

“Uh oh.” Erin holstered her pistol. “It’s about to get loud…”

The mug hit the alarm, shattering instantly. A loud siren began to sound all through the building. Panicked, Erin snatched the flash drive from the computer and booked it down the hallway, catching up with Leo.

“What the hell happened?!” Leo yelled.

“I’ll tell you later! Run!”

“What did I say?!” Angel scolded through the radio. “Go in QUIETLY!”

From the hilltop, Christian scoffed, slung his sniper rifle over his arm and jumped down.

“We need evac, NOW!” Erin yelled to her radio. Just then, Erin and Leo were ambushed by four Shadows.

“Take left!” Commanded Erin.

“Got your six!” Leo slashed a nearby Shadow, kicking another in the face. Erin took out her second pistol, blasting two more Shadows. All four turned to dust.

Christian rushed through the building, taking out many Shadows at long range.

“Anyone gonna say what happened?!” Christian sternly asked.

“There was a damn Shadow in the computer room, okay?!” Erin confessed, running and gunning. “You can make fun of me all you want when we GET OUT OF HERE!”

“PLEASE tell me you got the transfer!” Angel pleaded.

“I yanked it and ran.” Erin said. “I don’t know if it completed.

“AUGH! SON OF A BITCH!” Leo yelled and collapsed. He had taken a bullet to the shoulder. Erin immediately ran to his aid.

“Evac, get us out of here NOW! We have wounded!” Erin yelled, protecting her teammate.

Christian and Angel caught up to the two.

“How we doin’?” Asked Angel, half jokingly.

“Same as always…” Leo painfully said.

“That bad, huh?” Angel replied.

The dropship soared overhead, landing nearby, the thrusters blowing all surrounding Shadows away. The squad quickly rushed back into the ship, Christian carrying Leo on his back. Once on the ship, he set Leo down on his back.

“Jane! Get over here!” Commanded Angel.

“I’m here! Move, move!” Jane rushed to Leo’s aid. “Oh man, that’s a lotta blood…”

“Punch it!” Angel yelled to the pilot. The pilot put the thrusters to max and the ship took off.

From the building, two V-shaped planes chased after their ship.

“New friends?” The pilot asked.

“Just some folks from the party.” Replied Angel.

“Well, I’ve got just the thing…” The pilot maneuvered the ship back and forth to dodge enemy fire.

“FLY STRAIGHT, WOULD YA?!” Leo yelled while being operated on.

“Hold still!!” Jane yelled back.

“Yeah, yell at me more, that’ll save your sorry ass.” The pilot muttered to herself.

From the back of the ship, a small cylindrical device fell and flew towards the enemy ships. With a massive BOOM, the device detonated, annihilating the two ships instantly. The ship thrusted forward.

Later that day, at the home base…

“Explain to me EXACTLY what happened.” A tall, dark-haired man stood before the team. All are standing at attention.

“Marshal Commander MysticalZack, it won’t happen again, I promise—“ Angel sheepishly tried to diffuse her boss, but was shut down.

“You failed a simple extraction mission. The drive you brought back had incomplete information.” Zack said.

“I didn’t know the Shadow was in there, it snuck up on me!” Erin pleaded.

“I wanted that data, NOT excuses.” Zack said sternly, getting in Erin’s face.

“This cannot happen again. SailBreak needs every Shadow stronghold mapped. You’ll try another one tomorrow. Dismissed.” Zack turned around and walked off.

“Gee, can’t get a break…” Leo stretched his shoulder. “I should get home, my shoulder is still killing me…”

“You’re welcome…” Jane muttered.

Erin sighed to herself, and walked back through the portal, back to reality…

“Welcome home, Erin!” Later in the night, Erin entered her home.

“Yo.” Erin tossed her bag to her couch.

“You have a letter! Would you like to read it?” The AI asked.

“A letter?” Erin sat down, a drink in her hand. “That’s rare. Yeah, give it.”

The letter came up from a slot on her coffee table. She opened it, and read it…

YOU DESERVE TO KNOW THE TRUTH.
1337 21ST STREET BROOKLYN
6:30 PM TOMORROW

“Another one.” Erin sighed. “Do these guys ever give up?” She crumpled up the letter and tossed it over her shoulder. She reached for the remote and turned the TV on.

“Bottom of the 6th inning, the Yankees lead the Dodgers, four to nothing…” The TV spoke.

She laid down on the couch, and dozed off to sleep…

TO BE CONTINUED…