Nicholas Smith - The Biomass Revolution

Within seconds, a dozen Knights came rushing into the arena. They were dressed in full regalia, their armor shining brightly under the intense spotlights.

“Mercy! Mercy! Mercy!” the crowd chanted. Some began to throw items at the cage as they grew more enthralled with saving the Samoan’s life.

The announcer, who hadn’t appeared since the beginning of the fight, stepped back onto his platform outside the hexagon cage. He raised the microphone to his mouth. “Citizens! Calm yourselves. There is no mercy in the arena. You do not come here to see mercy. You come here to see blood. And now it’s time for Royal Knight Tinus to finish the savage. Kill him, Tinus!” the announcer yelled.

The crowd erupted into pandemonium and began to throw whatever items they could find at the announcer. They grew louder as they ran the man off the stage, prompting more Knights to rush into the arena, assault rifles drawn.

The crowd finally quieted, watching cautiously from their seats. They knew the Council of Royal Knights would not hesitate to kill civilians, even State employees. They should have known mercy was not an option. With the crowd nearly silent, Tinus raised his sword again.

“There is honor in this death,” he muttered under his breath, bringing the sword down on the Samoan. The last hope for the immigrant cause ended with the blade parting the warriors head from his body, sending a fresh red splatter onto the ground. A tear crawled down Alexria’s cheek, but she did not turn away. She watched, her heart throbbing with anger as Tinus dropped his sword and shook his head at the crowd.

It was over. The TDU was finished, and so was the Samoan. The State had further secured its iron grip. She knew no immigrant would ever gain their freedom as long as the Knights remained the gatekeepers.

Time: 11:09 p.m. February 22, 2071.

Location: Abandoned Apartment Building. Rohania, Tisaia

Lana rushed inside the apartment and hugged Spurious forcefully, knocking the wind out of him.

“Lana!” he huffed. “Are you all right?”

“It was so awful, Spurious. I wanted to tell you at work, but I just couldn’t. Varius was watching me all day.”

“Calm down,” he said, brushing her frizzled hair back around her ears.

“I was so afraid I lost you,” he whispered into her ear.

“It was Varius. He came to my flat and forced his way in.”

Spurious took a step back and caught Lana’s gaze for the first time in days.

“Did he hurt you?” he asked scanning her body for bruises.

Lana shook her head and buried it back in his chest. “He said he wanted to talk, but quickly it turned into more. He touched my leg and told me he had something for me,” she said, holding out a small bracelet.

Spurious stiffened, his face turning bright red. “I’m going to freaking kill him.” he said venomously.

“No, Spurious, I think he is beginning to suspect something. I can’t hold him at bay much longer.”

“It’s going to be all right. I have a plan to end all of this,” he replied.

Lana looked out from behind her curtain of hair, her eyes searching his with curiosity. “What do you mean?” she asked.

Spurious rubbed his eyes. “I’ll tell you in the morning. The past couple days have been a whirlwind and I need to get some rest,” he said, hugging her before crashing onto the mattress.

Spurious gazed at Lana’s sleeping body, watching her eyelids flutter as she slept. He reached over to her, touching her face softly so he wouldn’t wake her. He closed his eyes and tried not to imagine what Lana had encountered the other night, but his thoughts quickly betrayed him, slipping into his mind against his will.

Spurious sat up and rested his back against the wood wall, running his hand through her thick hair. Touching her calmed him, putting him at ease. He sat and watched the shadows from the dying candle flame dance across the ceiling.

An hour of silence passed, reminding him of the countless nights he had laid awake as a child in the same room, wondering why his parents were not home. Now he knew. They were attending secret TDU meetings.

He looked back down at Lana, trying to forget his past for the night and ran his fingers through her hair again, waking her by accident. She let out a soft moan, her eyelids fluttering and her eyes struggling to open. A half smile rushed across his face. “Well hello, beautiful,” he whispered.

“Hi,” she said, her own smile interrupted by a small yawn. “Are you going to stay awake for a while and talk with me?”

Lana sat up, pulling her long hair back and tying it into a ponytail with a small wrist band. “I don’t want to wait until the morning Spurious, I want to know what you are thinking now!” she said, poking him in the stomach.

“Hey,” he laughed playfully before his smile faded and a serious tone washed across his face.

“No more talking,” he said, placing her hands in his and leaning in to kiss her. Her lips met his, the warmth sending a chill down his back. They kissed deeper and he pulled her on top of him, his hand finding its way down her thigh and working its way up. He could feel the blood moving inside of him as his heart beat faster. Her shirt came off easily and he stared at her beautiful skin, leaning in to kiss her neck softly, slowly making his way back to her lips.

“You have gotten good at this,” she laughed.

Spurious smiled. “I’ve had a good teacher.”

“You know that isn’t true.” Lana said, blushing.

He climbed on top of her, looking into her eyes.

“I love you, Lana. And I’m going to make sure nothing happens to us.”

“I love you too. Now come close to me,” she whispered, pulling him onto her.

A small poof from the suffocating candle sent a trail of smoke into the air. Darkness washed over them, sending another chill down his spine. But it wasn’t a chill of passion—it was a chill of fear. The same feeling he had before he lost his parents.

Spurious ignored it and leaned back in to kiss Lana deeply. She would not suffer the same fate as his parents. He would not let that happen.

Time: 10:02 a.m. February 23, 2071.

Location: Market Area. Rohania, Tisaia

Leo sat perched against an old light pole, staring into the crowded market. People watching was his job now; he gave up on making a living as a black market smuggler and instead survived off the charity he could manage to squeeze out of people. He was too old for a life of crime. Besides, his age and ragged appearance provided him a unique advantage over the other beggars.

He watched the crowded market, narrowing down his options and paying close attention to a tomato stand attracting several customers. The vendor had arrived minutes before with a fresh harvest, some dirt still present on the skin of the tomatoes.

Leo licked his lips. He hadn’t eaten for a day now, his last meal being a half-loaf of bread an old friend gave him the night before.

Rohania was full of people just like him, waiting for a handout. There was normally a beggar on every corner. In fact, many of the panhandlers worked the same corner every day. People got to know them and most would avoid them. His strategy was different. He had brains; sometimes he waited an hour in a crowded market before approaching a customer or vendor with a sob story. It worked almost every time.