Chapter One

The world was dying and we only had a little bit longer to find a way to save the planet, or leave. Saving Earth didn't seem like a realistic option. Humans had tried repeatedly and failed. Time was running out. Time. There was that word again.

Tree trunks loomed high overhead as I crept through the ugly remains of what was once a forest. It was quiet. Too quiet. This place, like so many others, had been destroyed by decades of fighting, leaving miles of dirt and empty landscape.

My boots sank into the soft surface with each step, almost causing me to stumble forward as I tried to pull my foot back out. It was hard to imagine this place might have been beautiful at one point. Now, everything was dead.

So much devastation had happened. We, humans, had destroyed our home, and the clock was ticking on when life would cease to exist. It was time to leave this place, but that was easier said than done. Despite technology, we weren't ready to completely abandon our home.

My white suit gleamed in the darkness as I continued to patrol the outer perimeter of OnyxFive. Yes, this ugly place surrounded the facility I currently resided. The others from my team were around; I could feel their energy. We had split up to cover more territory, but I knew they were close, for now. I could imagine their boots also sinking into the dirt as they tried to canvass the area. It had become part of our daily responsibilities.

Stopping behind one of the stumps, I slowly leaned around its burnt edge. I was an easy target in this environment for enemy soldiers, or for the few remaining crazed animals, out in search of a meal. I hated the white suit, but my brother told me repeatedly that it was necessary, and a requirement. Besides, I hadn't seen one normal in the weeks since I had started doing perimeter checks. I almost wondered what it would be like to find one hiding among the dirt hills. Would they attack me? Would I have to fight back?

I sighed. At least, that would be something to do. I was growing increasingly bored with my daily assignments.

A deep voice spoke through my headset. "Esa, where are you?"

I paused, silently debating whether or not to respond. Finally, I realized it was pointless to ignore the voice. He would only ask again.

"I'm in quadrant eight. It's empty," I finally whispered back, continuing to scan the area. Slowly, I crouched a little further behind the stump. A grayish haze drifted through the morning air, making it difficult to see.

"Thank you. I see you now," the smooth voice responded.

"That makes me feel better. I always like knowing my every move is being watched," I said, annoyed that I was once again being tracked. Lately, it seemed like more and more people knew my every move.

A small black bug began to travel up my boot toward my leg. I knew it was probably on a desperate search to find another living being, but I really didn't want to be the thing it was looking for right at this moment. I reached down and flicked it off before it could get any closer.

"Come on back. We need to scan you," the voice said. He obviously wasn't getting the point that I didn't want to talk right now.

A deep sigh escaped my mouth. "Why? I just got started." I made no attempt to hide my annoyance that I was being pulled off duty and forced to go back inside. I didn't like being out here, walking around this emptiness looking for anyone or anything that might still be alive, but I hated being inside even more. I felt stifled inside of the facility.

"Captain Esa James, it's an order. Come on back. Now," Paul bellowed. It was a command I knew ultimately it would be a mistake to ignore.

"Fine," I grumbled, tired of being ordered around by him.

I begrudgingly took a few steps in the direction I had just walked, moving from tree stump to tree stump and pausing every few feet to see if I could hear any sounds. I almost wished there was something, so I could prolong my trip back, but there was nothing. It was empty of any life outside of our team and a few bugs.

I touched the medallion that hung on a chain around my neck. The blue vapors of the Jump Line appeared. Instantly, a cool blast of air greeted me as I landed inside OnyxFive's brightly lit exchange room. My arms swung out from my sides as several small beams of light made their way from my head to my toes, inspecting every inch of my body, looking for any intruders that might have made their way onto my suit.

Beep. Beep.

The lights continued until I was cleared to walk into the research facility located in the southern quadrant.

Within, the narrow, brightly lit hallways spanned for miles as men and women in black lab coats rushed along the corridors. Everyone seemed to be in a hurry. They knew the timetable had been shortened and we needed a viable place to go. It had to be a place that could sustain us for centuries, and that seemed to be the hard part. We couldn't find a suitable location.

At one point, Earth was a vibrant planet with different continents, religions, and ethnicities, but now that had changed. One war ended it all, the Century War. In the end, it was science that prevailed—two scientists in particular, who created opposing research facilities: NorthStar and OnyxFive.

Technically, I guessed I should be happy to finally have a place where I belonged, but there was something about OnyxFive that caused a continuous queasy feeling in my stomach— a feeling that kept me up for hours at night. I'd hoped it would go away, but nothing seemed to help. This was my home.

My brother, Samuel, thought differently about OnyxFive. So, apparently, did the rest of the team, including Theo. Up until a few weeks ago, our team had consisted of six soldiers, but now we were down to five. Three years ago, I had been a captain of our team, but something happened to me while I was on a mission and I got stuck in the twenty-first century. I've since learned my mother had a part in that disappearance. She apparently sent me to kill the ancestors of the previous team member.

My relationship with Theo had gotten better over the past few weeks, but it was still complicated.

Luther, the "traitor," was, for good reason, no longer on the team. In fact, we hadn't been able to find him. Instead of Luther, we now had Paul.

I wasn't sure how to classify General Paul James. It was difficult for me to think of him as one of the good guys, a part of the team, or as my biological father. It was the last part that was the hardest for me to understand. A few years ago, he had apparently been "dad," but somehow our relationship had changed into a working one. Unfortunately, I don't remember the small details. Some recollections had returned when we paid NorthStar a visit, but the rest of my memories past three years ago remained a blank. For now, I only know Paul from when we'd first "re-met" a few months ago. I'd describe the relationship as complicated.

I pulled at a strand of my long, white hair. It was loose today, with a perfect part straight down the middle. Just the way I liked it. Lines are important.

My tall frame and pale skin made me stand out among the "normals" at OnyxFive. There was no doubt something was different about me and the other four on the team...as well as Paul. We were different. Our bodies radiated electricity that elicited fear among some of the scientists when they approached us. Secretly, I enjoyed being able to cause them to quiver.

Samuel's lab was located on the main research floor, near the back of the facility, and since we had arrived, he rarely left the area.

"Where is the rest of the team?" I asked my brother as I strolled into the room, looking to see if any of the others had also been called back inside, but it was only me and Samuel in the room.

Samuel was sitting in his chair, looking at the soft glow of his computer screen. His white hair was longer than usual. A thin strand covered part of his face as he continued to peer back and forth between his computer and a device in his hand. He slowly moved his delicate, pale fingers around the metal object as if he was checking out its smooth cover to detect any flaws.

"They're still out," Samuel responded dryly, though his focus stayed on the object.

I let his statement linger in the air for a few seconds, hoping the uncomfortable silence between us would force him to say more, but he proved me wrong. Again. Samuel had no desire to continue the conversation.

"Why did Paul call me back in?"

Silence.

I knew I shouldn't be surprised; this was the same response he'd given me for the past few weeks. Someone was always just "out." No one ever seemed to want to tell me exactly where they were or why I wasn't included.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, I slowly made my way to the tiny couch in the corner and plopped down on the soft leather. I leaned back, crossed my hands over my chest, and stared at my twin brother. "Any chance you might expand your answer to tell me where everyone else is right now?"

"Esa, I'm busy. Can we talk about this later?"

"Fine." I made sure my brother could hear the annoyance in my voice. "Don't worry, I'll figure it out on my own."

"Okay," he said, finally looking up at me. He seemed tired. His once flawless ivory skin now showed dark blue circles under his eyes.

I grabbed another of his contraptions and rolled the device in my hands. The metal object lit up from the electricity coming from my palms. It was a beautiful sight.

"Esa, stop playing around with that. It's a weapon."

"Whatever." I dropped the contraption, and it instantly returned to its metallic color. "I feel like we should be doing something. We ended up here and we don't seem to really be doing anything other than walking the perimeter and undergoing more scans. What about Luther and Troy? Shouldn't we be out there looking for them?"

Silence again.

Bingo.

Samuel's lack of conversation told me all I needed to know. The team was obviously out there looking for Troy and Luther, but I was stuck here...with my babysitter.

"All right, what's going on? Look at me. Where is the rest of the team?" I demanded, frustrated that, once again, I was being left in the dark.

Samuel glanced over at me and rubbed his temples. "Esa, yes, several members of the team have been looking for Luther."

"So that means everyone but you and me?" My eyes narrowed and locked onto his.

"No. That really means everyone but you," he said, standing and stretching out his arms behind his back.

Two could play this game. Samuel would be sorry he'd crossed me yet again.