Nona and Ava walked through the alleyways to avoid the crowded streets in the city. Most of the buildings on the outskirts of downtown were low and made of brick. More buildings hovered overhead blocking the sunlight and causing safety hazards. The military and political officials stayed in the houses in the sky. If pieces of the houses weren’t falling off and injuring people then sometimes you found yourself soaked in buckets of water or trash. The people dumping the trash didn’t think twice about whom it could hit or where it would land. The alley ground was covered with dirty needles, food, and pieces of metal. Rebels usually filled the shadows of the alleyway, but it was the only way they could travel to avoid run-ins with the government officials. Ava held on to Nona’s hand and swung playfully as she explored the buttons of the handheld piece of artificial intelligence that Nona had just bought her.
“This thing is so cool. It can do anything.” Ava said softly. The screen smothered Ava’s face in a dim, blue light.
“Can it tell me where the hell…” Nona put the piece of paper up to the light of the A.I., “Norman’s Backyard is?” Ava pushed two buttons. A map of their location with an overhead view of buildings and names popped up.
“Two hundred feet.”
“Thank god. I wouldn’t have had this to Poppy by…” Nona heard a weird sound in the wind. She began to slow her pace as she looked around. Ava was so engrossed in the AI that she continued to walk clicking buttons and moving the screens around. A few rebels leaning in the shadows leaned into the dim light to look into the sky. All that could be heard was a gasp of air as Nona leaped toward her sister. She had tackled her sister and sent them both rolling a couple feet before they hit a vendor at the end of the alleyway.
“Nona, what the hell---”Ava gasped as she recovered her AI. A sharp razor disk, about six feet long, came crashing down two feet away from them.
“That was almost you.” Nona retorted. Ava’s eyes grew wide. A few people had stopped to stare at them, but only a woman dressed in a black trench coat offered her hand to help. Ava took the woman’s hand while Nona used her own strength to pick herself up. They exchanged a nod and continued on her way. Ava had stopped messing with her AI and had grown silent.
“You need to pay more attention to your surroundings. You want to do what I do? Never let your guard down. You need to pay attention to everything from falling buildings to subs that roam this damn city or you’ll end up just like them.” Ava kept her head low. The subs were the people who did nothing to help the city. They went about like zombies acting as if everything was okay. They were called subs because they were submissive to everything around them.
“I’m sorry.” She whispered. Nona looked at her and put her arm around her.
“I just need you alert. I’ll be damned if I lose you. You’re all I got.” Nona whispered. Ava smiled at her as they cut through the crowded street to the next alleyway.
“Destination reached.” The AI finally said as they reached the other side of the alley.
“At least it still works.” Ava joked as she pulled it out of her jacket and turned it off. They found their selves facing a small apartment building with an unlit sign that read Norman’s Backyard. It didn’t take much for Nona to pick up the last few things for the bakery. It did, however, take a while to get Ava away from the sweets section of the store. Nona found herself jogging from the first floor to the third and up to the fifth looking for Ava. When Nona found her, she was watching a TV set in the corner of the store on the first floor..
“They’re announcing the vice president.” Ava said chewing on a piece of a chocolate bar. Nona scoffed and took a bite of the chocolate bar.
“You know this is a dictatorship, right?” Nona asked with a mouthful of chocolate. Ava dug her hand into the bag of chocolate Nona was carrying.
“I know that, but our city doesn’t.” The store owner, Norman, tiptoed his way up to the counter to watch the television.
“I hate this damn city.” He mumbled as she stood behind them with his arms folded. “President my ass. Try a tyrant.” Nona chuckled at his tone, letting her smile disappear as quickly as it had arrived.
“Come on, Ava.” Nona turned to walk away and when she turned back around, Ava was still glued to the television.
“Everyone! The president has come out with her new vice president alongside. I can’t believe it! Ladies and gentleman, our first vice president in seventy years! It is Florence Mallowne, world renowned scientist!” Nona stood there for a while in a frozen form. Ava looked over to her with worry on her face. Nona approached the television staring at the black woman that had came out wearing heavy armor and surrounded by many guards.
“Nona…” Ava walked up to her. Nona grabbed her arm, again.
“Come on!” She ordered. The door swung closed behind them as they ran out of the store. Nona was dragging her sister behind her while running through the crowd of people. When they reached an empty alley, Ava pulled away from her sister and slid down the wall until her butt hit the ground. Nona stood on the opposite side of the alley with her face to the wall. She let her bags fall from her grasp onto the concrete ground. Nona wanted to cry but her eyes stayed dry. She just let the bricks in the building massage her forehead. Ava began to sob into her knees.
“Why is she doing this?” Nona quickly came to her sister’s side. Nona wrapped her arms around her and Ava buried her face into Nona’s shoulder. “Why would mom do this?”
“I don’t know, Ava.” Nona sat on the concrete ground holding her sister in her arms until she couldn’t create a single tear. “I promise I’m going to stop this. If I have to bring mom down, I will.” Nona whispered into her sister’s ear. Ava wiped her face clean.
“I want to be like you. You’ll do what you have for the bigger cause. I just…” Ava went silent and put her head down. Nona tilted her head back up to her. “I just don’t want to be the one to have to kill mom. I know I don’t know her, but I just can’t.” Ava’s hazel eyes were moist and glassy. Nona kissed her sister on the forehead.
“That’s what I’m here for. I won’t ask you to do something like that. If this turns out right, maybe mom will come around.”
“Why accept a position like this? She’s the reason I have to take that shot every four hours. She obviously feels no remorse because if she did, she wouldn’t be standing next to the enemy. How can she smile like that after what she did? After dad…and me…and---” Nona put her hands to Ava’s lips and wiped her tears.
“Don’t worry about it. Come on, I’ll get you something.” They grabbed their bags and shuffled into the main street.
Ava pulled Nona over to a vendor selling rats of all shapes and sizes.
“I said something. I didn’t mean a pet.”
“Hey, little lady. I have pet rats starting at thirty bills.” There were white rats, black rats, blue rats, and even pinks rats. Ava scanned them all with an unsatisfying glare in her eyes. The vendor took a treat out of his pocket and fed it to a rat that stood on his shoulder watching the crowd go by.
“What about that one?” Ava pointed to his shoulder. He fed a small bread crump to the black and white striped rodent standing on his shoulder. It seemed to understand everything they were talking about by the engaging look on it’s face.
“This one isn’t for sell.” The man responded with a frown. Ava poked her lip out and stuck her hand on her hip. She began to plead with the vendor, politely. Nona looked around at the crowd walking behind them. There were many women guards walking around in their steel helmets, rubber bodysuits, and heavy machine guns. It was likely an extra precaution, for the parade, in case some rebels were planning to act out. Those guards were smart enough to know the rebels weren’t that stupid. If they were going to hit, it would be unexpecting, quick, and deadly. A lot of rebels stalked the streets, today, only to patronize the guards. Rebels were always easy to spot. They wore dim clothing which was usually loose for easy movement and ready combat. They stuck small drones underneath their tongues, had weapons imbedded into their bodies, and could carry small nuclear guns in huge pockets in their baggy pants. Some women had tattooed themselves on the face to be recognized and the men usually had waist length hair. The best way, however, to spot a rebel was the way they carried themselves. Rebels walked with a confident and fast pace. They paid no attention to anyone except themselves. Rebels were obnoxious, uptight, and tense. They showed no emotion unless it was triggered from wanting to punch a guard in the face. They only acknowledged their own and spoke through body language. Ava was an exception. Nona was not. Nona wore a tight but flexible body suit, gloves with a set of brass knuckles underneath, and a light jacket. Ava kept it simple with leggings, a tight jacket, and a small enough duffle bag filled with gadgets and guns.
The subs stayed away from the rebels and the guards tried to pick fights. It was quite normal to see a gunfight break out right in the middle of the crowd or for rebels to break out of the secured helicopter to escape execution or even for a rebel to kill a guard on spot for no particular reason then disappear. This was why the rebels were dying off. The only difference that Nona had, from any of the others, was that she could think. Nona was not reckless because she still had something to live for or someone, perhaps.
“Please…” She heard Ava saying as she continued to look over the crowd. She saw a vendor diagonal from her selling scented candles, next to him was another rebel. He stood in dark baggy pants, a sleek shirt made from rubber with gloves on to protect his hands, and his dreaded hair pulled back into a ponytail. When he noticed Nona staring at him he turned away and began talking to the vendor. He looked back a few times at Nona. Nona turned back to Ava. The vendor Ava was speaking to had dilated eyes.
“Give her the rat.” She said to the man. He then handed the rat over to Ava. Nona slipped a few bills into his hand. She then whispered to Ava, “There is a man watching us. He’s probably going to follow us. I want you to go left. I go right. If he follows you, just run. Meet me at Colonel and Gregor. Stop for nobody. Okay. Now, walk away.” She watched Ava walk away with the pet rat and disappear into the crowd. Nona began to walk the opposite way. She cut through the crowd and looked back to see the guy following her. Nona quickened her pace, maneuvering in between people ducking under people carrying boxes. His pace was growing quicker. Nona broke out full sprint disappearing through an alleyway. She didn’t stop for five complete blocks. She took a quick breath looking at the sign. The meeting spot was about twenty feet from her. She took one more breath just as the back door of a nearby building opened. The guy with dreadlocks came out and Nona tried to hide in the shadow of the building she was leaning on. He stood with his back turned for a minute. Nona grabbed a small looking knife out of her bodysuit. It elongated as it escape the confinement of her pocket, turning into a long sword. It made a long swift sound in the air. The man turned around. He had caramel skin, and dark brown hair. He had to stand about six feet tall, though. Nona had taken guys just as big.
“I don’t mean any harm.”
“You were following me. What the fuck do you want?” She escaped the grasp of the shadows, swiftly moving over to him, and pressed the blade up to his neck.
“Please. Please.” He put his hands up. Nona looked into his face. His eyes were not dilated. The only thing that had an influence over him in this moment was fear. Ava came from behind. She held a gun up to the back of his heard that looked like it could throw her back. Ava’s strength was not one to be overlooked.
“What do you want?” Nona spoke slowly. He could feel the seriousness in her voice.
“Please, don’t shoot me. I was sent.” Nona let her sword fall back into the size of a pocket knife. She stuck it in her pocket.
“Sent?” she took her forearm to his throat and pinned him on the ground. “Who? Where? Why?”
“It---” The man grew unresponsive. It was almost as if he was stuck. Nona stood up and backed away from him.
“I think he’s---”
“Going into shock.” Ava finished with a sense of non belief. Nona went into her jacket pocket and recovered the emergency syringes she carried around for Ava. “Are you sure? We can’t afford to waste that.” Nona nodded.
“I’ve seen you go through this way too many times, Ava. I know what shock looks like.” Nona retorted as she filled the needles up quickly. Nona saw a few rebels watching from the end of the street. She opened his shirt, found his heart, and stuck the needle in his chest.
“Was my boss.” He continued his sentence and stared down at the needle in his chest.
“You caught me on a good day. I would have let you die of shock, but I need my answers.” Nona stepped back from his body.
“You don’t know how dead you were, mister.” Ava said still pointing the gun at him.
“Thank- Thank you.” He said with a grunt as he pulled the syringe from his chest.
“Are you okay?” Nona leaned down a little closer to his face. He nodded. “Good.” She smiled then landed a punch into his right cheek.