A New Divide

A veil of darkness had covered the city. The games had concluded but the festivities had only just begun. The entire city was filled with semi-orderly anarchy, as fans drunk off the fumes of Arcadian nightlife roamed the streets in search of what was sure to be the night of their lives. Even from as high up as the Arc balcony, music, cheering, and the explosions of fireworks could be heard flooding the night, giving an incredible mood amongst all who had made the incredible journey to this magnificent and plentiful city.

The festivities in Arcadia are legendary, said to last at least eighty hours straight after the opening games. It was seen as a time to celebrate, where all of the nations of Eden gathered to share in the joy of the game, and the peace—despite how horrible the conditions in the rest of the solar system were. Only the citizens of Salaras, and the other worlds belonging to their kingdom, were not attending this year, although they never took part in the festivities anyway. They just got their asses kicked by the Raydenite teams every year.

Hell, even the presidential cabinet was living it up in their prestigious palace at the tip of the Arc. Although it was the first time I had been able to partake in the opening activities in six years, I just wanted to relax. I’ve partied enough to fill fifty lifetimes.

I had walked out of the crazy party the presidential palace had turned into, and I was taking in the cool breeze of the hot summer night out on the balcony. I stared down as the fireworks illuminated the air below and I felt content, knowing that I was right to shed that part of my life away.

Helena walked out with a drink in her hand and headed towards me. “Hey, you! The party’s inside!” I turned around to face her and as she neared she almost collapsed in an effort to hand me my drink. We both shared in the laughter.

“Ha-ha. I am sorry, Collin.”

“It’s okay, Helena. It will wash out.”

“Or should I call you the Iceman?”

“Not anymore. I retired, remember?”

“Ah, that’s right. The end of an eh-ra, they’re saying.”

“You mean era?”

“Oh you are such a smartass, Collin.” She handed me my drink and I set it on the balcony next to me. She looked beautiful and not just because she was drunk, mind you. She wore a beautiful white dress, and she had tied her hair up into a bow. It dangled down her shoulders and blew gracefully in the soft wind. She perched herself on the ledge and turned herself around. After several moments of silence she shook her head and spoke.

“They surprise me those people. For politicians they sure know how to party. My goodness.”

“You seem to be having fun.”

“I am having a blast. You know, I love to dance but I hardly ever get drunk.”

“Well, if you were having a blast, then why in the world did you come out here?”

She smiled and leaned her body against me, clutching my arm. “Maybe I was worried about you. Why don’t you come inside?”

“Not my type of crowd. I never mixed well with figures of authority. I have a better idea.”

“What might that be, Mr. Former Iceman?”

I nodded over to one of the hover bikes that were docked on the platform parallel to the outer terrace of the circular palace, and Helena became very excited. “You wanna get out of here?”

“Definitely.” I took her hand and we ran to the hover bikes, leaving the presidential palace behind.

[-<Commander Mark Wyman>-]

-The Arc-

Inside of the presidential house a much more serious conversation was taking place. Although it did not seem like it at first. There were several leading individuals of the GDR sitting around a formal dining table. They laughed around the dimmed lighting as the festivities of the night bled into the room and illuminated their drunk faces.

“You know what they say, Mark. It is always better to be late than arrive ugly,” David said as he leaned up against his wife. Then General Benjamin Valon of the Arcadian Army shared his thoughts.

“You know why he’s always late to work? ’Cause he always kisses his wife right before he leaves. Then I swoop and . . .” The group laughed and David responded.

“You know, that makes so much sense now. I ask my wife, I say, ‘Hey! I want you to let me know the next time you have an orgasm,’ and she says, ‘Yeah, I’ll call you next time you’re at work.’ It was you, Valon, you sneaky bastard!”

The group all laughed and David’s wife leaned against his shoulder laughing hysterically. “You are ridiculous, David.”

“Hey, you know what, Ben? I may always be late to work, but I always make up for it by leaving early,” David said as he tapped his glass against his general’s. The group’s long conversation of ridiculousness that resulted in laughter was coming to an end as Mark wiped his mouth and gave a subtle glare to David. “All right then.”

David bent over to his wife and kissed her on the cheek. He whispered in her ear and she got up and left the room. And as she stepped towards the door she addressed the other guests.

“Mr. Parker, Ms. Lewis, might I kindly ask you to give my goofy husband a moment with the Remorans. They have important business to discuss.”

“Of course. Mr. President, always good to see you.”

“Have a nice night, sir.”

“Likewise, be safe out there you two.” David bid them farewell as they left the room. After the doors shut behind them David looked over to Mark and his immediate cabinet. Mark, Victoria, and Silas awaited the president with anticipation. David wiped his mouth and nodded to his general.

“So before the lady admiral cuts my throat due to her impatience, let’s hear it. You are the man with the plan, Mark, o’ buddy.”

“As I am sure you are aware, the peace is under attack, after Arcoh’s Crusade destroyed Raydenite civilization. My goal is to gather all of the nations in Eden to create a union in this system. Not a nation, but a council that will oversee the events that occur in Eden, in an effort to ensure the survival of our species under a free and fair system. We have already gained undeniable support from the free worlds that have seceded from the two main factions of humanity.”

David kept eating his steak as General Benjamin Valon gave his word. “How can you attempt a stab at peace, when the last king of the old world is setting entire planets aflame?”

Silas fixed his position on his chair by crossing his legs as he spoke. “Perhaps a diplomatic resolution can be reached, considering an all-out offensive against the Kingdom of Salaras would be catastrophic. Billions will die in that conflict.”


 David scoffed at Silas’s comment as he lit up a cigar. “Please, ambassador, I don’t know if you have ever personally met Arcoh the Eminent, ‘the Snake of Eden,’ ‘the Last King,’ whatever you want to call him, but the man is completely unreasonable. Ever since he rose to his seat on the throne twenty-five years ago he has begun a campaign that has resulted in more deaths than any war in human history combined. This is especially considering the recent events concerning the Raydenites.”

“Mr. President, we cannot lower ourselves to his level, it defeats the purpose. A diplomatic solution has to be obtainable.” Victoria laughed at her brother as she set her feet roughly upon the table.

“Enough of your insolence, brother. You are truly a fool if you think that a man like Arcoh will submit to anything less than brute force. Arcoh is a coward, so we must surround him, destroy his armies, and capture him, and he will easily bend to our will. We must ensure that he leads only his nation, instead of trying to conquer all of Eden.”

“And how do you suppose we go about that, Admiral? Just waltz into Salaras and kidnap him?” Valon said as he crossed his arms in frustration. “Listen to the commander’s proposal, General Valon,” David said as he pointed to Mark. All focus in the room turned to Mark, who sighed as he rubbed his hands through his hair.

“These nations, these worlds, imagine them as tactical points. There are twenty-five combined planets and habitable moons in this solar system. Three of them belong to the GDR and six belong to the Kingdom of Salaras. So that leaves sixteen worlds that are freely occupied by independent governments.”

“You are speaking of forming your solar union,” David responded in intrigue.

“More or less. Now we have persuasion over half these worlds, and when we defeat Arcoh his nation will be no more. He is the last king Salaras will ever have. I suggest that the GDR should reshape their fallen nation.”

David puffed on his cigar for a few moments as the group waited for his deciding word. David nodded to his general, who spoke for him. “You have our support, Commander. That’s a risk I’m willing to take. We have feared the possibility of a crusader assault upon our core worlds. We will happily assist you as long the GDR will become the leading authority in this solar union.” Mark nodded in relief and continued.

“Now, there is one task we must undertake before we assault Salaras. We head to the planet of Rayden to convince Zachary Wright, and what remains of his people to fight at our side. I am sure they will jump at the chance for retribution.”

“Very well, Commander, we need a date to rally so we can rid the virus spreading throughout Eden,” Valon said as he leaned forward onto the table.

“Fifty-six Gannon days from now, the date that has been set. As we speak, roughly 70 percent of my fleet is traveling to the independent worlds to spread our influence, and gather support for our cause. On that date they will rally with us over the Planet of Rayden, as will all that will choose to purge Arcoh from his throne. I do not like to resort to violence, Silas, but in this scenario, with this relentless, and incredible enemy, we truly have no choice.”

“It is okay, sir, I understand.”

David reached across the table to shake Mark’s hand. “Looks like we have a deal, Commander. I look forward to fighting at your side again.”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, old friend,” Mark said as he receded back into his chair. It was a last resort appealing to the control-hungry GDR president. At the time Mark thought that Eden would be in far better hands with the democrats than with the cruel intentions of the kingdom. But he would eventually learn that even though President David Alexander Harris was a generous and kind-hearted individual, he was far from being a good man, or even a decent one. Mark and David were very old friends, but that was part of Mark’s problem—he had the tendency to misplace his loyalties with people he cared for.

Helena and I had taken the jet cycle and ascended through Arcadia’s skyline. We just barely hovered over the marvelous display of decorative firepower that coated the Arcadian skies. I was driving the bike and, as I set the autopilot, I lay back and Helena sat cross-legged on top of the hood of the bike.

“It is perfect out. I love the breeze,” she said as she took in the air of the night, and stared out at a city that stretched further than the eye could see, far over the curvature of the planet.

“I always loved this city; you could spend an entire lifetime here and never run out of things to do.”

I took a deep breath as we climbed past the platforms, past the docking stations, and into the empty airspace. The sounds of celebration were slowly fading to murmurs. The moonlight was all that had illuminated us, really made me feel at peace. “Quite a night, huh? I used to wish I could live here.”

“Why is that?”

I lightly chuckled as I turned the bike towards the Aurora Star Stream that hung some fifteen kilometers over the city.

“Ha, a young celebrity living in a city where the parties never end? The genome has also provided that the girls always stayed young, and beautiful, and the parties would never lose their appeal, at least that’s what I used to think.”

“You know what I have found in my studies?”

“That you hate your job?”

“Hardly. The mind will always continue to grow, even if our bodies do not. It is quite something, researching those who looked twenty-five, but, in all reality, were hundreds of years old in their minds.”

“What about you, Miss Roland? Are you an old bat in that crazy head of yours?” She hit me playfully and responded. “No, for your info I am twenty-three and I don’t think I will ever take the genome. I want to experience my life the way nature intended. Plus, I want to have children at some point in my life. Unlike you.”

“Who said I don’t want little me’s running all over my house?”

“You did. When you took the genome without thinking about what would happen.”

The Alpha Genome had a side effect. Anyone who took it could not sexually reproduce. Through impossible odds I learned that I had been conceived through two people who had taken it. I knew why Mark was keeping this a secret now. The genome is beyond a doubt, the most oppressive tool in society these days. It is the greatest tool for suppression of reproduction. Giving its user the illusion that immortality is a fair trade-off for defying the laws of nature.


 I looked away from her down at the city. “Sorry, I was caught up in the moment.”

“The ability to create life—it’s the most amazing thing we will ever be able to do. Just take a moment, stop and look at yourself. We can do anything, and as long as we are free to choose our way of life, we never have a reason to be unhappy.”

She had this way of looking at the world; everything seemed so simple to her. Her profound expressions gravitated me to her. This universe was her own world, her own home. She couldn’t help but give all of her love and compassion to everyone that inhabited it. But it was how she would inspire me, the idea she would give me.

I looked at my own reality now from a different angle, under a different light. It was this idea that we were part of this whole bigger thing. I could feel that every single one of us, in this endless ocean of light and darkness, were connected somehow. She inspired me to go to the void, but I learned it from her first. No person has ever made me so vulnerable, and so warm at the same time. And this feeling, this emotion, actually made me feel nervous, something I was not used to.

“Oh my . . .” She was gazing up at the night sky when I turned to her. She had a look of awe. She was amazed at the sight before her, the Aurora Star Stream. I could only smile.

“The Aurora Star Stream.”

“It is . . . incredible.”

“I’ve only seen it one other time. The day my dream for gravball began.”

“Can we get a closer look?” I smiled, and quickly turned the bike up to the star stream. Helena slipped off the handle and landed in my lap. I looked down and smiled at her, and as we shot through the sky, she wrapped her arms around my waist. She had the most beautiful smile; I will never forget that moment.

We shared something there, not just traveling to the star stream, we shared an emotion. With that look in her eye, I saw it, a new emotion, something felt by neither of us. This thought brought great warmth to my heart; it revived my joy that had been surrounded by the fog of tragic thoughts, from the events of the short past. Until that point in my journey I wasn’t sure if those feelings of hatred, sorrow, and uncertainty would flee from my consciousness, but they did with her. In that moment, they were gone, my head had finally been cleared.

Just like the Seven Wonders of the World our ancestors knew on Mother Earth, there were the many unexplainable phenomena occurring all around Eden. Just to name a few, there is the Temple of the Void on Remora, the underground caverns beneath the surface of Salaras, the Beacon of the Vakken in the northern tundra’s of Rayden, and the Great Aerial River on the independent world of Farfalla, and on Gannon, there was the Aurora Star Stream.

The Aurora Star Stream was a natural occurrence where the ice crystals flowed through a narrow channel between the planet’s magnetic poles. It was, more a less, a calm magnetic storm that gathered the dust and ice in the upper atmosphere. The magnetized crystals emitted a strange luminosity that surged throughout the entire stream. It slowly, and faintly, surged colors of purple, red, green, and blue. From the surface of this world it looked like a river of slowly changing bright lights was flowing through the sky.

We neared the star stream, so I decided to take the bike, and shoot it through the dust cloud. Hardly anything was visible for the first several seconds. “Collin, I can’t see, it’s so bright and blurry,” Helena said as she clutched my hand tightly.

“We’re almost there.”

“Collin, please it’s hard to breathe.”

“Trust me, Helena, just a few more seconds.”

“But it’s so . . . oh wow.” She was completely overwhelmed when we entered the vortex of the stream. It was a large portion, where the air was clear and breathable. We were inside of the stream, and it was truly something to behold. I took the bike and glided along the bottom of the vortex; we were directly below a flowing stream of stars. Helena took her arms and stretched them out wide. Her fingers glided along the stream that created ripples on the internal surface of the vortex. The stream illuminated our exasperated expressions.

“Oh Collin.”

“I know. I think it’s the second most incredible thing I have ever seen.”

“After the Temple of the Void?”

“The Realm, Helena.” She brought her arms down and she gently caressed my head. She leaned in close and I could feel the warmth of her breath on my face.

“Where have you been all my life?” she asked, as she opened her eyes to the beauty around her. I remained silent, and I started to blush a little bit. She leaned in, pulled me in close, and pressed her forehead against mine. We closed our eyes and basked in the moment; I had never felt like that before. I had never felt more nervous, excited, or scared ever in my life. I never wanted that moment to end. I wanted to live in it forever. Time always has a way of slipping. This was proved when I was rudely interrupted by my holoband going off. It surprised me so much that I flinched, and I almost flipped the bike. Helena was shocked and backed up, as I angrily answered the call.

“Damn it all! Who the hell is this?”

“Am I interrupting, kid?”

“Your timing is always impeccable, Virgil.” Helena giggled.

“Is Helena with you? I need to talk to her.”

Helena looked intrigued. She pulled my arm in close, and tapped the holoband on my wrist. “Something the matter, Virgil?” she asked as she started to frown slightly.

“Your boss called saying something about a report?”

Helena had the look that she had forgotten something very important. “Oh damn it! I will be by the hotel in a few.”

“Collin, you should get to bed, man. Mark plans on leaving here in a few hours, the suns are about to rise.”

“What? What time is it?”

“Early, and we are leaving, early.”

“All right, I will be there whenever. See you soon, Virgil. “I tapped my holoband and turned the transponder off, while leaning my head back in frustration as I turned to Helena.

“Oh how time flies by.”

“Well it was a blast while it lasted, Mr. Iceman.”

“It’s way past your bedtime, little lady. Hold on tight.” I dipped the jet cycle down through the stream at a steep rate. Helena jolted up and grasped me very tightly. The fireworks had stopped and a very dim light was rising in the north. The city’s festivities had ceased. The drunk had passed out and the city slept, in least in the sector where our hotel was.

I flew down to the hotel’s plaza and I docked the bike. After a short walk I led Helena to her room. “Well, 406 B, this is me.”

“Excited for a few hours from now?” I asked as she unlocked her door.

“Ugh, Remoran soldiers apparently don’t believe in rest and relaxation.”

“Or maybe we are just wild for the night.”

“I do love these hot summer nights, they are the greatest,” she said as she gazed into my eyes. I smiled at her as she leaned in, and kissed my cheek. She then pushed me back and made a cute face at me as she shut the door. “Good morning, Collin.”

“Until next time.”

Virgil was leaning against the wall in the hallway outside as I made my way towards the exit. He looked to me and nodded as I wore a very satisfied smile on my face.

“Party hard enough, Virgil?”

“Well, when in Arcadia do as the Arcadians do.” He followed me as we made our way down the large hall and out into the outdoor plaza. The first sun had risen, and its red glow pierced through the low clouds of the early morning, reflecting off the many silver skyscrapers.

“Are you going to ask?” I was curious to know what Virgil thought of my relationship with Helena since we met on Remora.

“You and the scientist? Ain’t my place, kid.”


“Well, what now, old man? I sure as hell don’t feel like sleeping.”

Virgil smirked as we walked towards his airship. “Let’s grab a bite to eat. I know just the place.”

“Insomniacs unite!” I shouted in the early hours of the morning.

Virgil could only agree. “Indeed.”

Helena had closed the door to her room and took a seat by her window. She stared out at the morning light that peaked through the dark clouds in the distance. She sighed, removed a holoband from her bag, and placed it on her wrist. She pressed the button on the holoband and spoke into the hologram that arose from the interface.

“Doctor Helena Roland, patch me through to Doctor Evan Reselles, please.”

She rested her head on the wall behind her when Doctor Reselles appeared on her holoband. “Good morning, Doctor Roland.”

“Good morning, sir.”

“You look tired, Helena, have you slept?” Helena wiped her heavy eyes, and crossed her legs in an attempt to remain more alert to her boss.

“No, sir. Arcadian nights live up to their reputation, especially with the opening of the PGL season.”

“Need I remind you, Helena, you are not on vacation; you are assigned to Collin to gather information on his evolutionary and mental qualities. What have you learned?”

“Collin has shown no interaction regarding his, umm, supernatural abilities, since our arrival to the void. I think he is waiting for something, sir.”

“Waiting for something?”

“Yes, sir, I believe he is avoiding trying to figure out the useful nature of his mutation.”

“Listen, Helena, you have one month to observe his biological mutation and report your findings to the organization. Your job depends on it.”

“Yes, sir,” she said as she began to frown.

“What has kept you from your task, Miss Roland?”

“Sir, with all due respect, he is an extraordinary human being, and should not be treated like a lab rat. He has been through hell. You cannot force this, you do not understand, sir.”

“What I understand, is that I hired you to gather information on him. You know, and I know, this is more than just a job. Your citizenship in Remora depends on this, Helena.”

Helena clenched her lip in disgust. “Yes, sir.”

“My god, Helena, you are in love with him, aren’t you?” Helena remained silent. “Get your head out of your ass, and get to work. If I do not have results that we can use for our research in one month, you will have to find a new place to live.”

“Sir, you can’t do that—you are abusing your power! You know what happens to Remorans who abuse their power. Well, maybe you wouldn’t actually, since you live on Dilo!”

“Shut up! I can do whatever I want. I am an outside contractor for Remoran society; my brother is a member of the great Remoran Triangle! You think you have value? I will replace your ass in a heartbeat. Get it done, Helena, or I will strip you of your certificate, and your home! Understood!”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good.”

Doctor Evan Reselles ceased his transmission, and Helena then took her holoband and threw it at the wall in a rage. “Asshole!”

She crouched into the fetal position on her chair, and began to slightly weep. She had realized how dangerous kindling a relationship with me would be.

The morning light had given way and a diner by the ocean where Virgil and I sat. The fierce ocean wake pounding against the rocky bluff gave a certain atmosphere to the moment. The seagulls chirped in the background, while we looked out at the sun-gleaming ocean that shined like a field of diamonds. I took a bite of my burger as I took in the misty, but clean, ocean air.

“Mmm. My god.”

“Good, heh?”

“Brings back the memories. This right here, is the best sandwich of my life.”

Virgil and I sat on the boardwalk, shoveling down our delicious food, at the restaurant where my father had taken us after the first time I had arrived in Arcadia fifteen years ago. It was a pinnacle that would forever remain sacred in my diverse collection of memories.

I burped loudly and Virgil gave me a strange look as he lit up a cigarette. “What?” I asked.

“You haven’t changed one bit since you were a kid. Look at you licking your fingers.”

“I’m serious, I might have seconds. Hey. Just one second, Virgil,” I said as I snatched his lit cigarette away from him.

“Boy, I swear.”

“Relax, Virgil, I know you have extras.”

“I’ll relax after I’m done beatin’ you senseless, kid.”

We laughed and Virgil lit up another cigarette. We sat in silence for a moment, and after my smile had faded I asked him a question. I had been curious for so long, I wanted to know.

“Virgil?”

“Yeah, kid?”

“How do you know Commander Wyman and President Harris?”

He took a puff of his cigarette in an attempt to get comfortable. He then leaned back in his chair, and ran his hands through his grey hair, as he spoke.

“We go way back; long ago, all four of us were in the GDR’s first recon. We were soldiers.”

“You were a soldier for the GDR? Jesus, how long ago was this?”

“I have always been a soldier, kid. And this was over four hundred years ago, and over a thousand years after we departed from Earth.”

I rubbed my head and picked at his brain again.

“You are so old that you have lived to see our relative time change twice. You really are a dinosaur, so old, you are so damned old.”

“Are you done? You little prick?”

“Hell no, you intrigued me. You said there were four of you though. Who was the other?”

“He was the most interesting, righteous, and most intelligent man I imagine that I will ever meet. He once told me that a picture can paint a thousand words but the right words can paint a thousand pictures. He really had a way of putting things in perspective. Mark modeled his leadership ideals off of him. I can’t even remember his name, but I remember what he did. Things change and sometimes the people do too.”

“Why have you never told me about this?”

“Damned brats, you always want to know the ‘why’ of things. Repression is a very powerful tool, kid. I used that tool to survive; I hope that you never have to do the same. We had the opportunity to create something, something new, and beautiful and revolutionary, to humanity, and . . . it all just went to shit. I can never talk to David again after he rejoined the GDR.”

“What happened? What was it?”

Virgil rubbed his head in frustration and then shook his head. I now knew that he had a secret that he was not ready to share with me. “I don’t remember, no, I don’t wanna remember. I had to forget it, and I think that’s one of the reasons I am still alive. I got bad things coming to me, so I’ll carry that burden until it comes round. For now I’m going to focus on helping you out. I do have a promise to keep, after all.”

We sat in silence for a few moments while we slowly smoked our cigarettes.

“Well, after this is over, after you’ve fulfilled your promise you keep going on about, I want to help you, Virgil. It’s the least I can do. I mean, hell, if it weren’t for you I wouldn’t even be alive.”

Virgil laughed as he tossed his cigarette into the vaporizing ashtray next to him.

“Ha-ha, fair enough, kiddo. I think we have a deal.” I heard a familiar voice right behind me just then; it was strange, almost like I sensed his presence before he spoke.

“You know you shouldn’t smoke. It’s a terrible habit.”

Virgil stopped his attempt to grab his cigarette back from me when he looked over my shoulder, and saw the man who was speaking. Virgil’s eyes opened wide, and he slowly melted back into his chair, and he looked shocked.

“I thought you quit those nasty things, Virgil,” the mysterious man said.

“Well, you know old habits die hard.” I took a puff of the cigarette, and turned around to see the man who had addressed us. When I laid my eyes upon him, I didn’t recognize him at first. I was puzzled. I knew who he was, but I could not pin it down. My question would be answered when the man, who wore a rough black beard, along with a tattered vest and torn-up jeans, stepped out of the shading of the awning, and into the light of the rising suns.

“No, it can’t be,” I said to him.

“It’s been . . . far too long, my son.” I dropped the cigarette and my jaw in disbelief. I knew this man, his voice, his posture, and composure. My father was alive, and he was standing right before me.