Year E3029

Ocea

A gold entrance gate, rusted from time, lay in the tall grass. The half safforian statue of an enchanter scattered in pieces while its other insect half stood upright with water pouring from the hole on top.

"Is this right?" Thomas asked, reaching for the speaker box on the fence.

The keypad shocked Thomas, prompting him to step back, wiggling his hand. His brown eyes glanced at me but trailed to Wyatt while he tip-toed around the debris on the ground.

Becca stepped beside me, watching the boys enter the golden homes neighborhood. A mantis flew onto the fence with its bulging eyes watching us. The green bug tilted its head, tucking its front arms into its chest.

I place my hand on Becca's back. "Let's keep close to the guys," I said, lightly pushing her before me.

She staggered forward with her eyes on the giant bug above us. She raced toward Wyatt as I slowly walked, scrunching the fountain pieces beneath my feet. The old material broke into dust, blowing into the wind.

Wyatt pointed at the only house with a kept lawn before walking down the path to the front door. He knocked loudly, causing bugs to fly into the sky from the bushes of the houses surrounding us.

The green mantis from before flew over, landing on the path behind us. Its large butt fluttered, keeping its eyes on us.

Wyatt knocked again as the door slowly opened. The bug darted toward us with its wings outstretched. Thomas ducked while Becca screamed with her arms in the air. The mantis v-lined past into the house, not interested in us.

The door creaked open more before I walked by Wyatt, entering the dark house.

"Hello," I whispered as dust flew around my steps. "Dr. Coachman, we are here to talk to you about—" I gazed at Thomas. "One of your inventions."

Wyatt grabbed my shoulders, pointing to the end of the corridor. "You go right. I'll go left," he whispered. "The other two will stay here."

"Got it," I replied, stepping down the hallway with Wyatt breathing down my neck.

We crept to the end, splitting paths. I rounded a corner, seeing a room with scribbles on the walls, the codes of ideas from a baffling man. My finger brushed the rock wall, smearing the letters.

"Hello," a male voice quickly said.

I jumped, stepping back. The man stalked toward me with his hand outstretched. My back hit the wall as his palm brushed through my hair, writing on the board above my shoulder.

"What can I—" he said, but froze when his eyes met mine.

He scrunched his eyes as fluttering wings echoed around the room. The mantis landed on his shoulder, leaning its face close to mine.

"Kat?" the man asked.

"No," I replied, while the bug crawled over his head and onto my shoulder. "Kat is my mother. I am Ocea."

The man held out a hand. "Dr. Coachman, but please call me Cole."

The mantis rubbed its head into my hair before digging at my shoulder. Its soft insect legs lightly touched while it played.

"This is Pope." Cole grabbed the insect from my hair, placing him on the ground. "He loves purple safforians."

Cole scooted Pope along the ground with his foot, trying to make the insect leave the room. He mumbled safforian, cursing until the mantis slowly crawled away.

Straightening, Cole smiled at me. "I have not seen your mom for over twenty years." He bit his bottom lip awkwardly. "She was always with that human male."

"Beck," I replied.

Cole pointed at me. "Yes, clever little thing, but—" He paused.

Cole placed his hand on my cheek. He forcefully tilted my chin up, inspecting my nose. Clicking his tongue, he smirked.

"I see why I have not seen your mother in a while now." He let my face go. "I knew humans and safforians could procreate."

My mouth gaped open. "But how did you know?"

He hummed to himself. "That nose of yours is very human-like," he said. "Anyone who thinks outside the rocklock would see it."

A creek of a floor had Cole spinning toward the door. He clicked the pen he pulled from his pocket as a long, sharp spear appeared in his hand. He jabbed the weapon against Wyatt's neck, causing a small drop of blood.

I gripped the spear, pulling it away from Wyatt's throat. "Cole, this is Wyatt. I am here with three others."

Cole clicked his weapon back into a pen, pocketing it. "What do you guys want from me?" he asked. "Where is your mother?" Cole questioned with an annoyed expression. "Go get her now."

My eyes widened while my expression dropped. "Cole," I said, shaking my head. "My mother—"

Cole put his hand up, walking away from me. "Aren't they all?"

I shadowed Cole, placing my hand on his shoulder. "Dr. Coachman, we are here because we need your help."

Cole shook his head. "I am no help." His eyes met mine. "Just a burden to the city." He leaned against his rock wall, sliding to sit on the ground.

I glanced over at Wyatt as he pointed at his watch. His expression told me everything. Time was not in our favor as we waited, like sitting ducks, for the MOS to show up.

"Cole," I said, seeing him cup his face with his palm. "I'm going to just cut right to it. We need you to remove the chips from two humans."

Cole huffed out, gazing up with tear full eyes at me. His eyes shifted to the doorway as Thomas and Becca strolled into the room.

"How do you know?" he asked.

I knelt before him, placing my hand on his knee. "We know you created the chips and that you can remove them safely," I said, lying because I didn't have a clue.

He pulled off the baseball cap, covering his faded red hair and showing his older age. Cole watched his hands ball up the hat around his fingers before clenching his jaw.

His eyes bobbed to mine. "We better work fast because it alerts them as I remove it."

"Well, they maybe already tracking these two." I straight-smiled at him.

He stood from the ground, racing out of the room. We all froze, staring at each other. Becca slightly smiled at Wyatt while a loud crash echoed from the hallway.

"Come on, you numbskulls!" Cole yelled. "We don't have all day!"

We rushed out of the room, seeing Cole's shadow pacing in another. As I rounded into the space, he had a medical box out with two chairs facing each other.

Wyatt coughed out. "Thomas, would you be willing—"

"To go first, of course." Thomas walked to the chair, sitting uncomfortably.

Cole placed medical gloves on before sitting in the chair across from Thomas. I pulled a child's folding set over, placing myself beside Cole. He pulled out a laser pen for skin, pointing at the device.

"If you plan on taking out one from a safforian, you will need a different laser," he said, digging into his bag.

Cole held a small stick-like device, one end being a point, while the other had a flat surface. He tapped the sharp end, tilting his head toward Thomas.

"This device I made when I created the chips. The point is for clicking off the chip, and the other end is for removing from the skin." Cole tapped his hand on his knee. "You can have it."

"What?" I asked.

"I should have given it to your parents when they were young, but with what happened, we thought—" Cole paused, spacing out. "Anyway, time to be the first to have a chipped removed," he said, glancing at Thomas. "How does it feel?"

Thomas looked at me. "Maybe my full memories will come back to me now."

Cole shook his head. "Oh no, sorry, young lad, but memories—" He drew an X in the air. "Lost. The chips covered that part of the brain. Even with the removal, you will never get your memories."

I scrunched my brows together. "But Thomas is already recovering them," I said.

Cole glanced over at Wyatt and Becca sitting on the couch in the corner, then back at us. "But that is impossible. I know. I made these chips."

Thomas scooted closer in his chair. "Well, I remember bits and pieces of my younger life."

Cole scratched the back of his head. "When they placed the chips into your arms, it sends a shockwave to the brain. The hippocampus is the first to go." He cleaned Thomas's arm. "The chip is a one hundred percent compromise of the lobe."

"Well, not quite one hundred percent, Doc," Thomas replied.

Cole scratched his chin. "Unlike the frontal lobe with controlling humans and safforians, that is up to how the chip will affect the brain." He pointed to the ceiling, going on a rant. "As you have seen, some have more free will than others. The Men Of Suits only assigned the ones with full control over the frontal lobe to their program, and—"

I waved my hand in front of his face. "Dr. Coachman, as much as I want to hear this, we do not have time."

"Oh yeah," he said, scrambling for his laser and grabbing Thomas's arm. "So, you see the mark where they inserted the chip?"

"Yes," I replied, leaning closer.

"You will want to move about half an inch up and make your cut there." Cole clicked the laser, cutting Thomas's skin smoothly.

The cut bled slightly down his arm as Cole stuck his pointed end of the device he made into Thomas's arm. Thomas stiffened while holding his breath as the device wiggled inside his body.

"Once the pointed end is about two inches into the arm, click the green button." Cole ticked it as the device lit up entirely red. "Hold in place until it turns green."

I grabbed Thomas's leg, watching the flashing red turn a solid green. Thomas exhaled while Cole removed the pen-like gadget from his flesh.

Cole switched his creation around to the flat end. "Now stick this end into his arm," he said, slowly slipping between the open skin.

"Ahhh," Thomas yelled, closing his eyes. A tear slipped through his closed eye as he tapped his hand on his knees.

"Oh, and this side hurts a lot more," Cole chuckled.

"You think?" Thomas asked with attitude.

"Toughen up, champ." Cole pointed at the tool. "Click the same button and wait for it to turn green again."

"Okay, so same process?" I asked.

"Yep," Cole replied as we waited for the red lights to change to green.

The flashing sped up rapidly before switching to green. Cole dragged the utensil from Thomas's arm, showing us the chip. Thomas relaxed his shoulders, grabbing at his head. His eyes widened as he glanced at me with disbelief.

"Wow," he said. "I could feel the pulling shock disappear." He glanced at Becca. "A feeling I didn't even know until it was gone."

Becca smiled from ear to ear, standing from the couch. Wyatt held her hand until she stepped out of reach, letting her palm drop to her hip. Thomas stood, waving for her to take his spot.

I glanced at Wyatt, seeing if he wanted to take my chair, as a red light shot through the house, pointing at his chest. My heart sunk to my stomach when he looked down, seeing the laser.

"Down!" I yelled, grabbing Becca and forcing her to the floor.

Wyatt dropped to the ground as a bullet shot through the window, sticking into the couch over Wyatt's head.

The couch splattered into pieces as bullets flew into the house, destroying the room. The glass light dangling from the ceiling shattered, showering mirror bits on top of us.

Wyatt crawled over to Becca, placing his arm over her. His eyes met mine before I glanced at Thomas. He gave me a thumbs up as the bullets calmed to nothing.

"Out the backdoor," Cole whispered while pointing in the direction.

I army-crawled over to him as he placed his chip remover device in my hand.

"Wyatt," I said. "You and Becca run back to the forbidden forest." I looked over my shoulder at Thomas. "We will lead them away from you. We can lose them in the city without Thomas being chipped."

I pocketed the device as smoke filled the house. Wyatt and Becca rushed out of the room, disappearing without a word. I gripped Thomas's arm, pulling him in the opposite direction.

As we ran into the hallway, someone kicked open the front door. Smoke filled my lungs before I pulled my shirt up over my mouth. We backtracked back into another room, sprinting toward a window.

"Here," I said, lifting the glass. "Jump through. I'm going to find Cole."

"Ocea, no," Thomas said. "He can—"

Cole stumbled into the doorway, out of breath. He coughed into his palm, pointing at the closet. His red eyes met mine as the smoke swept into the room.

"There is a secret exit," he said, gagging into his shirt. "The closet."

I grabbed Cole's shoulders. "Thank you. My parents would be—" I said while he fell forward with blood splattering onto my face.

His red eyes went blank as I guided him to the cold floor, laying his head on my lap. Glancing up, I see a female human holding a gun. Her eyes watched us as she shook with fear. Her Men Of Suits badge hung from her belt as she gripped it with a shaky hand.

"I-I can't stop," she cried, while tears flowed down her cheeks. She threw the gun to the ground. "I didn't mean to hurt him."

I looked at Cole, brushing the blood off his cheek. He held his chest as dark red pooled around his fingers. His face lightened as he watched me.

"Kat," he whispered, fading out of reality. "I already told you. I can't tell you anything else about the Men Of Suits."

"I know," I whispered back as Thomas grabbed my shoulder.

"M-O-S," he said, spelling out the letters. "It's in the name. Leave before I'm in trouble. They will take my family away."

"Ocea," Thomas's voice calmed my soul. "We need to go."

I glanced up to see the Men Of Suit's woman crying. She curled herself into a small ball, rocking on her rear. Rarely did I see a MOS fighting the chip in their arm. Most chips entirely control them with zero free will, and a reason behind picking them for the program.

Cole relaxed in my arms, letting out his last breath. "It's in the name."

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