Rebels Among Cyborgs

Chapter 1

Secrets.

We all have them, even in the year 2115 when the government of every galaxy knows everything about almost everyone. Why almost everyone? Because they don’t know about me, which is why I’m their main target.

My name is Carolina Icarus, but I go by Cali. I live in the outskirts of San Francisco, California, in the United States and Colonies of America, on planet Earth, in the Milky Way galaxy. I single handedly run and work at my dad’s machine and robot shop to earn international bills (Earth’s currency) for my family of four other normal humans besides me. I’m the only one who isn’t completely a normal human, because I’m a cyborg-- part human, part robot.

I became a cyborg after a fire at my house when I was two years old where I received serious damage to most of the left side of my body. I had to have my left arm and leg replaced with robotic limbs as well as the left side of my face and part of my brain. This surgery is what made me scared of the world. It’s what made me who I was. Cyborgs almost always lived in fear and suffering. And the government didn’t care. They didn’t try to protect us. Cyborgs aren’t uncommon, they’re just different. And that’s what people judge other people by-- their differences.

But that’s normal me. I have a whole other identity that no one knows about.

During my surgery that turned me into a cyborg, one doctor had been working on a pair of robotic wings that could be used only by a cyborg with exactly the amount of robot in them that I have. So, they implanted a metal socket for each wing into my shoulder blades that reaches from the surface of the skin to the bone of my shoulder blades. The wings connect magnetically to the sockets and are controlled via the robotic implant in my brain that controls the robot parts of my body. I don’t wear them all the time, only when I need them. These wings are what set me apart. Because no one else has a pair of robotic wings that connect directly to their body. And they are what give me my more famous nickname- the Phoenix.

About once every week, I’ll take on the identity of the Phoenix and commit rebellious acts against the corrupted governments of Earth. I’m most famous in the Milky Way, but if you travel to other galaxies, they have most likely heard of me. The USaCoA (United States and Colonies of America), most of the countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America are all hunting me. If I didn’t have a secret identity, I would be in prison right now, waiting to serve time in other countries. That’s also why I dye a small section of my white-blonde hair bright orange and wear a mask with a phoenix painted on it-- to hide my true identity.

I was on one of these very missions when it and my entire life was flipped upside-down.

It was late at night and I was quietly getting dressed for one of my rebel missions. I had put on a black t-shirt that, just like most of my other shirts, had holes over top of my metal wing sockets, black pants tucked into my black boots, and a black hoodie, that also had holes for the wings. I had already dyed an orange streak into my hair and my mask was tucked under my arm.

Then, as quietly as I could, I pulled my mechanical wings out from their hiding spot (a small nook in my wall) and magnetically attached them to their sockets. A small clink came from each socket as I attached the wings. I tested them to make sure they worked and no resistance came from them. I admired the metal feathers and design of the structure for the millionth time before snapping out of my stupor and preparing to leave.

I climbed onto my windowsill in my bedroom, pushed a button on the window, and it slid open silently. I stuck my head outside the window to check and see if anyone was outside. Once I confirmed that no one could see me, I slipped out of the window, covered my face with my mask, and jumped off of my roof.

At the last second, I spread my wings and silently swooped through the streets. Once I was out of the city and over the water around the glittering fantasyland, I beat my wings and soared higher into the sky. I entered an address into my computer part of my brain: Capital City, Texas, and my goal: set fire to part of a military base there and destroy a few vehicles while I was at it.

How would I set a fire with no supplies bag? My robotic arm and leg have storage compartments for supplies and I’m not the best mechanic in California for nothing. A bit of rewiring and some flammable liquids always does the trick.

Finally, after an hour and a half of flying, my robotic brain told me I was over Capital City. I descended and, making sure I wasn’t seen, flew towards the military base.

I landed just outside the base and began sneaking towards an area I knew wasn’t guarded properly. I began figuring out the best way to get into the base undetected.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps behind me made me jump. I whirled towards the sound to see a boy with dark hair across the street from me. Even though he was cloaked in shadows, I could still make out a few of his details. He was leaning against the wall of an alleyway that he had apparently just come from. Two were especially of my concern. He was about my age and he was watching me intently.

“Who are you?” I called quietly while I drew my electrical orb gun (gun that fires electrical orbs that electrify anything they touch) and aimed it at the boy.

“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” he said in a gruff voice while he pulled out a gun as well. But he didn’t aim it at me.

“Well, if this leads to a fight, I’d like to know who I’m fighting,” I muttered sarcastically as I began to lower my gun. I didn’t want to provoke a fight, but if this guy wanted one, I’d give it to him. A dry laugh escaped the boy, as he probably felt the same way.

“Hey!” a shout of alarm from one of the patrolling guards forced me to retreat and attempt this mission tomorrow. I took to the sky with a single beat of my wings, hoping I hadn’t been spotted by anyone besides the strange boy.

I arrived home a lot earlier than I had wanted to, with no satisfaction of irritating the government. Just before I crawled back in my window, I heard zapping noise across the street. The sound of a teleporter in action.

I snapped my head in the direction of the noise. What I saw startled me.

It was the same boy I had seen in Capital City. The same boy that would go on to change my life forever.

AN:

Hello reader! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks to selenahelen for making the book cover. Check out her book: Together we are Alone! It’s one of my favorites! Thanks also to selenahelen for helping me work out the kinks and giving me ideas for this story. Until the next chapter,

DAYdreamer61401