Illumination

The sound of an alarm going off shattered the dream into pieces. Jack clenched her fists and moaned, still trying to shake the feeling of a wet, bristly tongue wrapped around her leg. The dream had felt so real that pieces of it still clung to her even as she turned off the alarm and climbed out of the sleep pod. It’s 10:25, she realized. Sierra didn’t wake me for dinner!

On the dresser next to the sleep pod was a cold plate of spinach and a sandwich. A note on the plate read, Heat to 350 degrees in the oven for four minutes. Love, Dad.

Jack smiled as she pushed the plate aside. I’ve got more important things to do than eat. Like find out the truth. She quickly threw on her helmet and strapped on some boots, already edging towards the door excitedly. Nobody stirred as she slipped out the tent and into the night.

There was a moment of bitter shock as she left the insulated tent and stepped into the courtyard, but once her ythafone-lined suit began to heat up, she continued on past the ranks of other tents towards the main building. She saw Trevor working on the buggy but slipped past him, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

Left, up a flight of stairs, then through the security gate, she told herself. The gates all let her through, recognizing her wrist chip now. The Generals obviously weren’t concerned with bad dealings amongst their own ranks. Now turn right twice.

The atrium loomed ahead. The Illumination Beacon stood tall in the center, chasing away the darkness and sending rays of blinding white light up into the sky. The only shadows that remained were in the far corners, where the cafe was.

“Over here!” a voice called. Jack flinched at how the noise echoed throughout the atrium, but the dragon boy didn’t seem concerned. He strode over to her and frowned. “Don’t worry. Nobody ever comes through here after ten. That’s when the security guards sweep through. I’ve been waiting here since nine, so I would know.”

“Oh, okay. Where should I sit?” Jack asked, letting a slight blush creep up the back of her neck.

“Back where we were before,” he instructed, pointing towards the cafe tables. Jack walked over and sat down, folding her hands and trying to look serious and mature. I have no idea what this kid’s credentials are. But it’s better than nothing, she told herself.

“What is your name, anyways?” Jack asked when the other was seated. “I’m getting tired of calling you dragon boy.”

“My name is...Benjamin, but you can call me Ben.” He leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table, looking up at her through long eyelashes. “I’m sure you recognize me from the black market. I have many faces, though they all look alike.”

“Yeah, what was the deal with that?” Jack straightened up. “Why warn me when I’d already released the solfect? It wasn’t going to help me.”

“Well, I didn’t expect you to be so touchy about it,” he teased, the serious expression never leaving his face. “Besides, all is not lost. There’s still a way the solfects can be stopped.”

Jack paused, the color draining from her face. “All is not lost? What kind of fantasy world are you living in?” she sputtered. “The General says that these creatures are nearly invincible.”

“The General says this and that, yes, but is she right?” Ben prompted, shrugging his pack off and rummaging through it. “You claim to be a rebel, yet you follow every word your leader says without hesitation.” He’s trying to make you angry. Don’t fall for it! Jack chided herself.

“Okay, so if you’re so informed, how can the solfects be stopped? What’s your big plan?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ben stood up, reaching into his pack and handing her a strange, silver cylinder. “Take a look at this.” He pointed to a small, white tab on the other side. “It’s my new weapon.” Jack reached out for the tab, but he waved his hand frantically and nearly shouted, “No, don’t!” She dropped the cylinder onto the table at his words, her heart pounding.

“What was that for?!” she cried.

Ben frowned and nudged the cylinder back in her direction, brow furrowed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. I should’ve told you before. That thing’s a grenade.”

“Oh,” she said, her fingers trembling. “Yeah, that’s kind of vital information.”

“Well, it’s not an explosive, really. It’s my latest invention. I call it a light grenade. Wanna try it out?”

“I thought you just said not to pull the tab!”

“Yeah, but I don’t want you to blow up. It’s best used in an open area, aka not on a cafe table.” Ben took the grenade from Jack, gesturing for her to follow him to the center of the atrium. This boy is weird. Also, how is a grenade supposed to help? Jack wondered. But she followed him nonetheless.

They stopped in the opposite corner of the room, a shadowy area that was empty save for a digital broom that was quietly whirring away at the dirt and dust. “Okay, on my count, throw the grenade against the wall and look away. It’s really bright,” he said, pointing to a spot on the wall that was marked with a white X. “I marked it a few hours ago,” he explained.

“Whenever you’re ready, I am,” Jack told him, clutching the light grenade in her hand. A little voice in the back of her head screamed, What are you doing? This guy could be a terrorist! But then why is he letting me throw the bomb? Why not just do it himself? Her shoulders shook ever so slightly.

“Now!” Ben yelled, taking a step back. Jack yanked the tab off the cylinder, which immediately started hissing white froth. She lobbed it at the X and covered her face with her hands, bracing for the blast.

There was a flash of raw Illumination at the edge of her vision and Jack winced as red spots overcame her for a moment. Wow, Ben wasn’t kidding. After a few seconds, the flash died down and she was able to look back.

“Cool, right?” There was no trace that the grenade had gone off. No scorch marks, no powder, no cylinder fragments...nothing.

“Yeah, it’s cool,” Jack admitted, fiddling with the buttons on her uniform. “But how is it supposed to help?”

“Solfects hate light. Don’t ask me why though—I’m no scientist,” Ben said, leading her back to the cafe table and holding another light grenade in his hand.

Jack watched as Ben unloaded three more light grenades for a total of four. “So you’re going to...bomb them into submission?”

“Not exactly,” he said, looking away awkwardly.

“What are you hiding now?” she asked, expasterated. “I’m not going to believe you until you tell me everything.”

“No, it’s nothing bad, I promise! Look, I’m still working out the details. Just take two of these with you for self defense and meet me here tomorrow. Bring your friends, too,” Benjamin instructed, handing Jack two of the light grenades. “Remember, don’t pull out the tabs.”

“Now I’m handling illegal weapons because of you. Well, this isn’t the first time this week.” She put the grenades in her pack, careful not to jostle them. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow. Wait, what am I supposed to tell my friends?”

Ben grimaced and stepped away into the shadows. “They’re free to join in. Tell them that the Dragon is looking for them.”

***

The next morning, Sierra came into Jack’s room and shook her awake. “Wake up, Jack! Wake up!”

Her older sister shot up out of the sleep pod, eyes wide. “What is it? Who’s attacking?!” When she saw it was just Sierra, the wild look left her and she leaned back. “Oh, sorry. Good morning!”

“Tell me everything,” Sierra requested, climbing into the sleep pod, still in her nightgown. Even though she was twelve, she had that eight-year-old energy that Jack remembered well. Their parents had never been able to get Sierra to sit down. She chuckled and hooked an arm around her younger sister, all the worries from last night melting away in an instant.

“No, you tell me everything,” Jack teased, rumpling up Sierra’s cropped head of hair. Her gold-rimmed glasses were askew, sliding down her nose fast. Jack fixed them and closed her eyes. “What happened?”

The smile faded off of Sierra’s face. She fiddled with the buttons on her nightshirt and gripped the rim of the sleep pod a little tighter. “You mean...with the attack?”

“Yeah. Was everyone okay?”

“Well, eight people died, like I said before, but except for them, yeah,” she breathed, her voice catching on the last note. “It was all a bit of a blur.” Then, “Two of them were my friends.”

“Oh, no! I’m sorry, Sie…” Jack cradled her younger sister’s head against her chest and did her best to sound sorry. But all she could think of was Sierra sobbing over a sink filled with chopped up hair, the words of her so-called friends echoing in her ears. Were these the ones that teased her?

“The—they were doing drugs in the closet and I locked them in...as a joke. I mean, maybe I was kind of angry at them, but they’ve done the same thing to me so I didn’t think much of it.” She was breathing hard now. “Then the alarm sounded...I panicked and forgot about them and ra—ran, I didn’t realize what had happened until the death toll was announced.” Sierra still wasn’t crying. She’d used up all her tears a few weeks ago, and Jack doubted that she’d ever cry again like she did that night.

“You know what’ll make you feel better?” Jack responded, an inkling of an idea forming in her mind.

“What?” Sierra stuck her tongue out shakily. “And don’t say ‘help Dad with the dishes.’”

“Let’s take a walk. Come on, get up and get dressed. I’ll find us some breakfast.” The two of them climbed out of the sleep pod and stretched, suppressing yawns.

“I think Robin’s in the kitchen; I didn’t check but I heard him humming,” Sierra said, wriggling out of her shirt and hunting for new clothes.

“I’ll go look,” Jack said, exiting the bedroom. It felt good to get back into routine, despite all the events of last night. Just forget about it, at least until you see the others, she told herself. Sierra needs you today. There’s no homework, no commitments, nothing to do. She smiled and took a deep breath, the scent of bacon wafting up to her nose.

“Hey, you okay?” Robin asked as Jack stepped into the makeshift kitchen. A cool breeze rushed in through the open tent flap on the other end, ruffling Jack’s uniform collar. “You were kind of acting weird last night.” He flashed a smile at her, sizzling bacon in a pan.

“I’m fine,” she answered, joining him at the countertop. “Cooking things the old-fashioned way? What a crime. Too bad you’re going to have to abandon that.”

“Why?” Robin furrowed his brow.

“Because you’re going on a walk with us. Right now.”

“What about, y’know, eating? I’m hungry, Jackie,” he pleaded, looking longingly at the pan of sizzling food.

“Take some bacon with us. I didn’t say we can’t eat on the road.”

“You’re the meanest sister ever,” he joked, throwing the bacon in a Preserver bag and sealing it up.

“Naw...remember Sierra’s ninth birthday?” Robin laughed his clear, high laugh, handing Jack one of the bags. The two of them traded inside jokes as they prepared food for the walk. “Hey, where’s Dad?”

“He’s in bed. He’s not feeling well and told me to get the day started. I don’t think he’ll join us for the walk.”

“Alright. Write them a note,” Jack suggested, heading back to the bedroom to retrieve Sierra, who was still throwing on boots. She grabbed two helmets off the wall and took one of the snack bags. “Hey, you ready?”

“I was born ready,” her sister responded, slipping the helmet on, the frame of her glasses pressing up against the visor. “Where are we going exactly?”

“Just around the courtyard. I might make a few stops to visit...some people,” Jack said, careful not to say “friends” and trigger Sierra into “Kill Jack” mode.

“Cool.” Robin stepped in, his helmet already strapped on and a pack slung over his shoulder. “Then let’s get going! I’ve already left a note on the counter for Mom and Dad.”

The three of them stepped out of the tent and into the cold of the morning. A brisk wind ruffled past them as they surveyed the courtyard.

The morning scene was a much prettier one than the one that they’d seen on their way in the previous night. Each tent was covered with a thin layer of crusted ice and snow. Other families were slowly emerging from their makeshift homes now to take walks, their eyes still heavy with sleep. None of them were people Jack recognized.

“Excuse me,” she asked a little girl walking down the icy path. “Do you know where Liam Griffiths is staying?”

As the child pointed to a large tent at the edge of the colony, Robin elbowed Jack in the ribs. “Ooh, getting frisky with my best friend? Got any plans?”

“What?” Jack stared at him, incredulous, as they walked over.

“I’m jus’ saying that me and Sierra can leave if you wanna spend some quality time with Li,” he continued, grinning from ear to ear.

“You’re a terrible brother.”

“And you’re a virgin.”

“Can we please stop?” Sierra stuck her tongue out and cocked her head to one side, chest heaving with suppressed laughter.

“Okay, but seriously. What do you want with the ‘most boring person in the world’?” Robin asked, teasing her.

“I mean, we did spend a whole day trekking through the wilderness. He’s not half bad,” Jack admitted. “Besides, I’m getting the entire gang, not just him. That means you too, Robin.”

“I see.” The two of them went ahead while Sierra lagged behind a little, dragging her boots in the snow. When they reached Liam’s tent, Robin went up and peered in through the flap, “Hey, Li! Are you decent?”

“Sort of, why?” a voice called back from inside.

“I’ve got younger company with me. Oh, and Jack’s here too,” he added nonchalantly.

After a second and several suppressed curses from inside, the flap was raised and Liam stepped out. He had morning hair, all curly and matted. He was holding a young boy in one arm who couldn’t have been older than four. They looked almost exactly alike, except where the little boy had both glossy, green eyes, Liam had a twisted, scarred patch of skin over his left one. He looked frazzled; the front of his uniform was unbuttoned, a belt dangled from his free hand, and the sleeves were uncuffed. It was quite rattling for Jack to see him so tired. Where was the hawk-like gaze that Liam gave her every morning when they walked to classes together? Where was the larger-than-life studiousness that lorded over the whole college? All gone, replaced by an unsteady figure of a boy who was stuck babysitting. He has a younger brother?

“What is going on here? I’m trying to deal with this rascal right now.” Liam ruffled the little boy’s hair and Jack was reminded of how she used to do that to Sierra all the time. Before she cut all her hair off.

“We’re going on a walk. Want to join us?” Robin asked.

“You’re joining us,” Jack said, nodding her head confidently.

Liam stared at her, puzzled, then closed the tent flap. “Hold on, I’ll be right out.” There was a brief scuffle inside and the sound of muttered curses, then he reemerged, a helmet tucked under his arm. He stepped out with them, adjusting the visor, and let out a sigh of relief. “Sorry about that. Sebastian wanted me to read a story to him.” He glanced at Robin and asked, “Where are we headed?”

“To find Bailey,” Jack answered for him, already walking away. Sierra and Robin followed, with Liam joining them confusedly.

“You in there, Bailey?” she called when they found her tent.

“Squeak? Why are you here?” Bailey questioned from inside.

“I’ve got some news. Really big news, actually. Come walk with us.”

Within a minute, Bailey was out and ready, her red hair pulled up into a disorganized bun underneath her helmet and a white scarf wrapped loosely around her neck. She flashed a curious glance at the others and joined Jack as they began their walk through the courtyard. After a few minutes, Sierra went over to some of her classmates and stayed behind, letting the others move on ahead.

“Alright, what’s the deal?” Liam asked when they were in a quieter part of the courtyard.

Jack turned to them and stopped, taking off her pack and rummaging through it for the two grenades that Benjamin had given her. Her heart stopped when she realized that there was only one grenade in the pack. Internally panicking, she looked through it again to be sure. Maybe I dropped it on the way, she told herself, trying to reason her way out of a dark conclusion. No, I never opened the pack. The only time when I wasn’t watching the pack was at night.

Which means someone must’ve stolen one of them. But why just one? Why not both? Jack smiled and, pretending like nothing was wrong, pulled out the light grenade and showed it to them. “Remember the red haired boy that I was talking to at the cafe? Last night?” They all nodded. “His name is Benjamin. He’s made these weapons called light grenades that he thinks can hurt the solfects. Or trap them.”

The other three eyed the grenade suspiciously as if worried that it might blow up in their faces. “It’s pure Illumination. Don’t ask me how he did it, but he did.” Jack shrugged.

“Jack, this is a terrible plan. This is a kid you’re talking about who probably did this illegally. We’ll get ourselves all thrown in jail or killed if we try to bomb the solfects with—with light,” Liam complained.

“I love how you always jump to the conclusion that I’m going to do something illegal,” Jack said drily, putting the light grenade back into her pack. “But, no, just to be sure. All he wants to do is talk. We’re going to meet him tonight in the main atrium. I don’t know who he is but I’ve seen his grenade in action. It’s something powerful.”

“This is a great idea,” Bailey said, her breath fogging the helmet visor. Jack couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or not. Knowing Bailey, probably both. “When are we going to meet him?”

“Um...I don’t know,” she realized. “I guess the same time that I last met him. It’s all kind of a blur.”

“Yeah. You spent the whole night tossing and turning in some fever dream,” Sierra said, coming up from behind her. The four of them turned and stared at her, embarrassed.

“How much of that did you hear?” Robin asked with a shaky smile.

Jack’s little sister crossed her arms and smirked up at them. “I have the advantage. You give me five gigs and I’ll tell you how long I’ve been snooping around.”

“Pretty sure Father didn’t teach you this,” he said, but still forked over five gigs from his uniform pocket. “Okay, now ’fess up.”

“Well,” Sierra began, wiping the condensation off of her helmet visor. “I came back just in time to see Jack take out the grenade thing. And I heard everything afterwards.”

“Well,” Jack started, not sure how to deal with Sierra. “You broke like one thousand rules of the colony and our family. But I’ll let it slide, Sie. Just don’t tell anybody yet. I don’t want to get the colonists all excited about something that could be a big fail.”

“On one condition.” Sierra’s eyes were sparking with fire. “You let me come with you to meet Ben.”

“That’s not a good idea—” Liam jumped in, but Sierra interrupted him.

“No. I’m part of the family. I don’t see why the two people that you’ve called ‘boring, dry, uninspiring, out-of-their-league nobodies’ can come but not me, your own sister,” Sierra hissed in a low tone. Jack glanced nervously at Liam and Bailey. The Brit had ignored Sierra’s comments but Bailey was now gazing at Jack coolly, long eyelashes fluttering. Well, there goes the last of our relationship, she thought dejectedly.

“Okay, okay. You can come with us,” Jack gave in. A grin broke across Sierra’s face and she hugged her sister tightly. Jack wrapped an arm around the other’s shoulder and smiled sadly.

A voice from behind the group made them turn around and break the embrace. “I’ve been looking all over for you guys!” It was Trevor, the mechanic who’d welcomed them the previous night. “How are you all doing? You getting used to your new home?” He looked more awake than when Jack’d last seen him.

“Oh, we’re doing great. Thank you!” Bailey said with a chipper smile. Her eyes flashed at Jack, implying for her to stay quiet. “We were just taking a walk to stretch our legs before heading to classes.”

Trevor frowned, his mustache twitching. “Nobody told you? I’m surprised the General hasn’t said anything yet. They’re still setting up classes for people in your colony. They should be up and running by next week.”

“Why can’t we just share classes with the other students?” Robin asked.

Trevor paused and glanced around awkwardly. The mechanic leaned in conspiratorially and said, “Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but the kids from our colony don’t want to share classrooms with you all.”

“But why?” Sierra interjected, looking up at Trevor in defiance.

“They’re scared of you,” he whispered. “They’re scared that the same thing is gonna happen to them that happened to you.”

Jack opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it. Although she felt there was no logic behind this thought, there was nothing she could do. Best not to scare them, she told herself, biting her lip and shivering from the cold breeze that pierced the air. We’re already infringing on their territory enough. Part of her felt bad for the colonists whose lives had now been disrupted because of them. What was once a group of four hundred was now over nine hundred. Plus, who knows how long we’re going to have to stay here before it’s safe to return to the old colony?

“Well, keep us posted,” Liam said, breaking the silence and the tension.

“Good luck. Oh, and you might want to make your way to the main atrium. They’re having a press conference to discuss what’s going on.” Trevor tipped an imaginary hat and hurried off, presumably to the conference.

“Should we follow him?” Liam asked, gesturing in Trevor’s direction.

“Let’s go and change back into formal uniforms first,” Robin suggested. “Meet at the atrium in twenty minutes?” They all agreed to do so and Liam and Bailey broke off from the rest of the group to head back to their tents.

When Jack, Sierra, and Robin got back to their tent, they found that their mother and father had already left for the meeting. The note they’d left for their parents now had a response scribbled hastily on one edge. “At the conference in the atrium. Eat breakfast and meet us there soon,” Sierra read, holding the note up to the kitchen light. It was just then that Jack remembered the bag of bacon that she was holding. She sat down right there on the kitchen floor and devoured the rest of the bacon with her siblings.

As soon as she’d washed the grease off her fingers, the three of them went back to the bedrooms and changed into their formal uniforms. Jack’d never liked hers because it was too itchy and the label stuck out just a bit too much. But as the fibers were ythafone and stretched to fit her as she grew, she’d been stuck with it for the last nineteen years of her life. It was a dark navy shade, just like all her uniforms, with orange, reflective stripes down the sides (so all the Apexes could tell she was there, Jack often joked), and a utility belt that made her look and feel like that ancient superhero, Batman.

And as she put on the uniform and buttoned down the insulated collar, she couldn’t help but remember the last time she’d gone to the museum and seen one of those superhero comics. It was also the first time she’d seen her adoptive family.

Jack had been four years old. Her real parents were with her, arguing as usual. But she’d distanced herself from them, already independent at a young age, and was wandering around. That’s when she saw him. A young boy, maybe about seven or eight years old, standing in front of a small, glass case. His skin was a dark tan, unlike Jack’s, and his raven hair was unusually curly. Almost girl-like, but not quite. His eyes were squinty and he had an expression of unusual focus and determination for a child his age. Jack, curious as to why this child was alone just like her, wandered over and stood on her tiptoes to look at what was in the glass case.

It was an old, yellowing book with vibrant, abstract pictures across the cover. Batman was spelled out in bright letters at the top and there was a drawing of a blue-cloaked man with white eyes and a big scowl across his face. Jack was craning even closer to get a better look at this strange “Batman” when she lost her balance and fell into the security barrier with a deafening crash.

An alarm pierced the air in a single, shrill beep and a guard ran over, but when he saw that it was Jack, he calmed down. She let out a small yip and tried to disentangle herself from the security rope. “Lemme help,” the boy said, leaning down and helping her up off the ground.

“Thanks,” she answered timidly once everything had been straightened out. She glanced around. Her parents hadn’t even heard the alarm and were lost in a shout-fest with another guard. “My name is Jackie. Where is your mommy and daddy?” Even at four, she already had an extensive vocabulary.

“I’m Robin. My dad’s there. My mom’s not here.” He smiled a little, showing off a row of crooked, ivory teeth, then giggled. “Do you like comics? My great-great-great-great-grandfather drew comics when he was a kid and sold them for money called dimes. I have photos of him.” Robin’s eyes grew wider and he smiled even more.

“Oh...yes, I like...comics,” Jack said, stumbling over this strange, new word. She turned and looked back at the comic, as the boy had called it. Someone owned this once, she thought, gazing at its wrinkled pages hanging suspended in the preservative light. “What does that say?” She pointed so Robin could see what was scrawled at the bottom of the cover.

“Written in 2018,” he answered hesitantly, wrinkling his nose ever so slightly. Jack tried to copy the motion, wiggling her freckled nose, but ended up sneezing instead. “So...six hundred years ago. Yeah.”

Wow...that’s big. Jack didn’t know how big at the time, but it felt good just knowing the number. So maybe when she was older and smarter, she would understand all the things she remembered as a child.

“Robin! Get over here!” a stern, yet gentle voice called. Both of them turned to see a tall, dimpled man with thinning hair and a bright smile standing nearby.

“I have to go. I’ll see you later?” he asked hopefully, already backing away to join his father, who had popsicles in his hand.

“Yeah!” Jack watched happily as her new friend flounced away to join his dad. She glanced back at her own parents as Robin left. Her mother, a tall, red-faced figure, towered over her much shorter, office-worker dad, who was waving his hands nervously. Their voices were so loud that they echoed through the halls but so quiet that they could almost be mistaken for normal tour guide chatter. Several guards were calling for back up to escort them out of the building. Soon, she’d have to join them and endure the abuse back at their apartment. He was nice, Jack thought with a slight smile. She had her first friend! Everyone else had teased her for her ruffled hair, slouched shoulders, and unflattering freckles.

“Jacklyn, get over here now!” her mother called, shoulders heaving with suppressed anger. The four-year-old took one last look at Robin’s retreating figure, then slouched over to join her parents, who were being removed from the hall by two raging guards.

When they were ejected back into the darkness again, just before Jack was forced into the carseat, the family was stopped by a tall figure running out after them, the beam of their Illuminator swinging from side to side wildly.

It was Robin’s dad! “My son wants you to have this,” he whispered, pressing the popsicle into Jack’s chubby little hand before disappearing again into the night.

As Jack and her parents drove away into the night, she licked the popsicle down to a sticky stub and fell asleep dreaming about Batman swooping through the sky to save her.

Jack smiled at the memory. She finished buttoning up her uniform and flipped the collar down. Now for my hair, she thought, knowing that she’d have to take her helmet off when she reached the conference. She applied a little foundation to her cheeks and used concealer to try and cover up the unflattering spatter of freckles across her nose and forehead, but as always, they still shone through. Jack sighed and settled for brushing her hair back and out of her face. Can’t get everything.

“You ready?” She turned to see Sierra and Robin standing at the door to her room, dressed up, helmets tucked under their arms. She nodded and they headed back out to meet up with their friends at the atrium.