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‘Ding!’ the sound of the countdown ending on the microwave covered the blasting electronic trance music for a moment.
‘Pizza’s ready! Though it smells kinda weird.’ a female’s voice called from the other end of the cramped up, a spaceship that should’ve fallen apart years ago. A girl lifted her head from the laptop she had been hunched over. Dark circles shadowed her eyes, almost blending into the tangled black hair spilling across her shoulders.
‘By pizza, you don’t mean that frozen brick in the back of the fridge do you Hemera? And mind you, that’s flavor you smell there.’ the dark headed shouted over the music to the almond toned girl standing by the microwave, or what was supposed to be a kitchen. Dirty paper plates and half-finished takeout boxes crowded the tiny table by the entrance hatch.
‘I think the last time we bought any food is two months ago in the Walmart on the moon, right? When we last refilled the hydrogen tank.’ The girl named Hemera said elbowing some garbage off the kitchen table.
‘Well, it must have been, hydrogen prices are skyrocketing these days, can you believe the hydrogen fuels are fifty dollars per kilo on Jupiter, can’t imagine the price on Earth.’ The dark-haired girl dropped into a chair held together by duct tape and bad decisions.
Hemera squinted in the direction of the pilot seat, a faint blue glow flickered across Hemera’s eyes. ‘Nah never mind, we still got enough fuel for at least two weeks if the Nova Transit didn’t give us any missions.’
‘They better do… I have no interest in starving to death anytime soon. Plus, I’m really getting sick of eating this moldy old frozen pizza every meal.’
‘Nyx, have you ever wondered what they actually do, every time it’s these random missions that don’t even make sense.’
‘I think it’s probably drug dealing, you remember last time they gave us the mission to kill some broke drug addicted mechanic who looked like Maximum Mike living near the orbit of Venus.’ Nyx said digging into her slice of moldy pizza.
‘Will you turn off this annoying noise whatever you’re making here.’ Hemera said exasperatedly.
‘Hey, that’s aura I’m cooking here. Art, you know.’
‘Just shut up and open the live news will you?’
A few shimmers and a 3D live figure of a chubby jolly news reporter appeared in the cold grayish blue environment of the spaceship. ‘Hello everyone!!! Welcome to today’s Cable News Network! I am your private news reporter Michal! Judging from the ehhh…. Environment, I’m guessing that you would like to know about Neighborhood Drama or is it Celebrity Gossip?’
Nyx rolled her eyes at the stupid digital news reporter and his big fake smile, ‘Just tell news won’t you.’
‘Okay my very respectful young lady, here are some late news for you. Today at UTC time 4 A.M. the interstellar pop star SuperRina Carpeter won her
‘Skip, I hate this girl.’
‘Sure! Today at UTC time 6 A.M. the famous terrorist organization Helix Biodyne, who was known for…
Helix Biodyne.
The name alone made Nyx freeze.
She flinched, nearly dropping her slice of pizza, the loud EDM music and the annoying voice of the news reporter seemed distant and muffled for a moment, almost as though…… as though she was listening through water.
Hemera’s eyes opened wide, she turned worriedly to Nyx. ‘Are you okay? I’m sure it’s nothing big, don’t worry.’
‘C’mon relax Hemera. I’m not dying yet.’ Nyx said, her usual smile back on. Hemera can tell from her silty red ears that she’s not as well as she try to pretend. Hemera opened her mouth and was starting something, Nyx turned and gave a small frown at Hemera’s worried gaze, silently quieting her.
‘Beep, Beep, BEEP!!!’ A strong red glowing light pierced through the room, cutting the news reporter Michal in half causing him to disappear.
Hemera rushed to the polit seat and pressed the answer key. A cold mechanic male voice sounded ‘Nova Transit Misson 6032, capture target person whose been kidnapped by another organization. Target is currently located on US-36, Kansas, USA, North America, Planet Earth. Misson due time: 1 P.M. UTC time, 1st June, 2707.’
‘And talk about efficiency, we were just talking about needing money, they gotta have a secret microphone or something around this place.’ Nyx said standing up reaching for their work suits and weapons. Hemera put the spaceship on auto drive mode and started loading and charging their guns and other weapons.
Nyx took out a metal right leg out of the weapon cupboard and handed it to Hemera.
‘Is this the one Nico has specially designed for me or is it the broken one that would back fire when the trigger was pulled.’
‘Opps Hemera, my fault hehe.’ Nyx said grinning and handing out the other titanium alloys one to her.
‘I’m kinda excited you know,’ Hemera said breaking the silence as they approached the Earth’s light blue atmosphere, ‘It’s been ages since we last came to Earth, like about 90 years ago when we were still young.’
Nyx leaned back in her seat, staring at the blue-and-white planet rushing toward them.
“Yeah. Real relaxing, isn’t it?”
Neither of them spoke during the descent.
After some very unpleasant bumping and crashing, their nearly broken spaceship landed on the vast plains beside the US-36 in Kansas.
The cool night wind blew across the vast prairie, the lands were empty except for them.
Nyx went to the back of the spaceship. Taking out their stolen Quadra Turbo-R 740---- a black and red brand-new sports car.
Nyx ran a hand across the car’s glossy black hood like it was something sacred.
“Listen to that engine. Oh, she’s beautiful.”
“You say that about every stolen car.”
“Not true.”
“You literally called a broken cargo van sexy last month.”
“Hey! She IS, put in some respect won’t you Hemera?!”
The highway stretched endlessly through the dark plains, cracked asphalt glowing faintly beneath old solar streetlights.
Most of the towns along US-36 had died decades ago.
The dim shimmers of a once advertising AI bot girl lingered on the gigantic bill board like ghost shadow stared down with her empty sockets, her mouth still murmuring those enchanting words that used to make humans lose their minds.
“We are approaching the target. Maybe it’s some corpo executive.” Hemera said with her eyes locked on the GPS.
“Please no. Rich people scream too much.”
A white van with the logo of a faded crimson hummingbird logo on it’s tail appeared on the road in front of them. A frown appeared on Nyx’s face, her hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“What the…?”
Hemera’s eyes opened wide.
“...Nyx?”
“You seeing this too?”
A few seconds later, a heavily processed voice sounded from the car’s speaker.
“Long time no see, Subject 33 and Subject 87.”
The inside of the car suddenly felt too small.
Nyx’s gritted her teeth.
Subject 33.
The title echoed faintly through the speakers, distorted beneath layers of static. For a moment, all she could hear was the sound of her own heartbeat.
Thump.
Thump.
The hummingbird logo on the white van flickered beneath the highway lights as it sped through the empty Kansas plains ahead of them.
“No way,” Nyx muttered.
Hemera didn’t answer.
The silence between them said enough.
A burst of static crackled through the speakers again.
“Well,” the processed voice drawled lazily, “you two certainly grew up ugly.”
Nyx let out a short laugh. Too quick. Too sharp.
“Still using the same cheap voice filter after ninety years? Damn. Budget cuts hitting Helix that hard?”
Her voice sounded steady.
Her hands didn’t.
The highway lights blurred past the windows in pale streaks. Somewhere in the back of her mind, another white light flickered alive —
cold metal walls.
The smell of antiseptic.
Children crying.
Nyx blinked hard.
The road snapped back into focus.
“Nyx.”
Hemera’s voice was low this time.
Grounding.
Careful.
Nyx realized the car had begun drifting slightly off-lane.
She forced the wheel straight again.
“I’m good,” she said immediately.
Too immediately.
Hemera looked at her for another second before turning back toward the van ahead.
“You wanna leave?” she asked quietly.
Nyx stared at the hummingbird logo.
At the thing she had spent ninety years trying to outrun.
Then she smiled again.
Small.
Crooked.
Mean.
“Oh, absolutely not.”
A flash of orange suddenly lit up the highway.
“MOVE!”
Nyx jerked the wheel violently.
The fireball tore past the side of the car so close she felt the heat slam against the windows. For half a second, the entire world burned white-orange.
Then came the explosion.
The shockwave rattled the Quadra hard enough to throw Hemera against the door.
“Jesus Christ—”
Nyx slammed her foot down on the accelerator.
The engine screamed.
Blue flames burst from the exhaust pipes as the Quadra surged forward across the empty highway, tires shrieking against cracked asphalt.
Gunfire erupted from the van ahead.
Bright tracer rounds tore through the darkness.
Hemera rolled down the window with a curse.
The blue glow in her eyes intensified instantly.
Heat rippled through the air around her outstretched hand —
then a wall of flame exploded outward.
The incoming bullets melted midair.
Liquid metal sprayed across the road behind them.
Nyx laughed.
Not because anything was funny.
Because her heart was beating too fast.
Because the smell of burning metal suddenly reminded her of something else.
A laboratory corridor.
Smoke.
Screaming.
Run.
Her vision flickered.
For one terrifying second, the highway disappeared completely.
“Nyx!”
Hemera grabbed the wheel before the car drifted into the opposite lane.
The horn of an oncoming cargo truck roared past them.
Nyx sucked in a sharp breath.
The road snapped back into place.
“I’m driving fine,” she muttered.
“You almost killed us.”
“Details.”
“I’m not letting you drive. Put it on auto mode and I’ll take care of it.”
Nyx opened her mouth in protest but was silenced by the feeling of Hemera’s warm gentle touch on her thigh.
“Fine. Ju…Just be careful with it.”
Nyx climbed halfway out of the opening roof hatch, the freezing wind tearing through her hair.
Gunfire screamed past her head.
The blue glow behind her eyes pulsed violently.
Too violently.
The Helix soldier in the van lifted a rocket launcher toward her.
For one terrible second, Nyx saw something else instead —
a white laboratory ceiling.
Metal restraints.
A child burning alive.
Run.
The wind exploded outward.
The entire highway shook.
The rocket veered sharply off-course before detonating beneath the van itself.
The blast flipped the vehicle sideways.
Metal screamed against asphalt.
The van rolled once.
Twice.
Then crashed violently into the roadside.
Nyx stared at the wreckage breathing hard.
Smoke curled upward into the cold Kansas night.
Crying.
Devastated shrieks coming from inside the van.
The shrieks of children.
Nyx froze on the spot
The prairie fell silent again.
Only the crackling of burning metal remained.
Nyx slowly climbed down from the roof hatch. Her boots touched the asphalt. For some reason, her legs suddenly felt weak.
Smoke drifted across the highway in thick black waves. The overturned van hissed violently, sparks bursting from exposed wires beneath the wreckage.
Then— another cry.
Small. Terrified.
“No,” she whispered.
Hemera looked toward the van immediately.
“Nyx—”
“No.” The word came out sharper this time.
She already knew.
Some part of her had known the moment she saw the hummingbird logo.
Children.
Again.
Her stomach twisted.
The firelight flickered across the highway, and suddenly the road beneath her boots didn’t feel real anymore.
White tiles.
Cold lights.
The smell of bleach.
A little girl screaming somewhere down the corridor.
Subject 33.
Nyx squeezed her eyes shut hard enough to hurt.
Hemera turned toward her quietly.
Nyx stood frozen for another second.
Then she grabbed her gun and started walking toward the wreckage.
Slowly. Like someone approaching a grave.
The inside of the van was a total wreck. Green goo that smelled like a mixture of dead fish and rotten eggs spilled everywhere.
Hemera gaged, disgust surging up her throat.
“Oh my dear.” Hemera can hear Nyx’s surpreseed cry, “Oh my baby girl, what did they do to you.”
A bony red-haired girl lay trembling in Nyx’s lap. Transparent tubes still ran into her arms, pumping cloudy green liquid into her bloodstream. Grennish liquid dripped from her mouth, her small chest was rising up and down, she can hear the rattling sound of every breath. Nyx started down at her, hands quivering.
She was six again, holding on to the curly-haired girl next to her. The bright pale white lights stung her eyes, a scream filled with pain sounded from somewhere down the hall….. No, she didn’t want to remember that…
Drops of water were dripping on her hands. She didn’t realize she was crying. Nyx quickly turned her head around, rubbing her eyes on her sleeve.
“We’re taking her away Hemera.”
“What about our job Nyx? We still need the money.”
“I don’t care…”
Hemera studied her for a moment before finally nodding.
Nyx carried the girl into their car, she was surprisingly light.
The night was quiet.
The engines of the spaceship hummed softly as Earth slowly disappeared behind them.
Nyx sat silently beside the bed, one arm resting across her knees. The little red-haired girl slept beneath layers of blankets. Most of the green liquid had finally been flushed from her system.
“They were pumping experimental serum directly into her bloodstream,” Hemera said quietly. “God knows what it was supposed to do.”
The spaceship gave a soft mechanical groan as it accelerated. Outside the small circular window, the stars stretched into pale silver lines.
“…Where am I…?”
Nyx looked up immediately.
The girl’s green eyes were barely open, unfocused and frightened.
“Who are you people…?” she whispered. “Where are you taking me…?”
For a second, neither Nyx nor Hemera spoke. Then the two women exchanged a small glance.
“I’m Rin,” she said. Hemera rolled her eyes slightly before nodding toward herself. “And I’m Camilla.” The little girl stared at them uncertainly. Rin leaned back in her chair. “We’re not really sure where we’re going yet,” she admitted. “But we do know one thing.”
“No one’s going to hurt you anymore,” Camellia finished.
The girl’s eyes widened slightly, countless tiny bright spots reflected in her deep green pupils as she looked out the window.
Into the stars they were going.