Cypher scratched another mark onto the wall. That makes... nearly six years. He sat down on the hard stone floor. There was nowhere else to go so the two ended up in a cave deep in the mountains. With so much code in this area they were hidden. It would be easier to hide their code in a city but there were too many guards around.
They'd have to make a supply run soon. With Charlie wielding the cosmic power still there was no possible way to beat him. Everyone even remotely capable of that is behind bars... or dead. Who knows how many he killed.
The Center had fallen under hard times. Perpetual darkness lead to crop failure and a food shortage. There was no way to get outside The Center so the famine had affected everyone. People were starving to death as their code withered away to nothing.
Peter and himself were no exception of this famine. They were both thin with haunted looks in their eyes. The first two years had been almost always on the run, jumping from village to village trying to find somewhere to stay. Cyphers strings and Peters ability to at least observe the code (no changing that because Charlie had locked those privilege's) had gotten them out of trouble multiple times.
"Cypher!"
Cypher jumped up and hurried toward the mouth of the cave. "What? Peter what is it?"
Peter had a huge grin on his face. He met Cypher halfway and grabbed his arm. "Come look! ITs important!" Peter hadn't aged a bit in these last six years. That was normal. What wasn't normal is that neither had Cypher.
Cypher relaxed and let himself be dragged. What could be this important? The duo paused at the opening of the cave.
Milky dawn light was trickling over the horizon. The stars were beginning to fade in the sky as the sun threatened to raid the night sky.
Cypher found himself smiling. "The sun. Daytime!" He watched in awe as the sun crept higher and higher in the sky. Warmth spread through the land, a warmth that Cypher had almost forgotten. "Do you know what this means?"
Peter grinned and nodded. He opened up a code panel and scooted close to Cypher. "Look. Some of the center-most AU's are opening up."
Cypher attempted a portal. Still no dice. But that's okay! "Charlie's Cosmic power has finally hit its limit!"