Her eyes were transfixed on the figure before her. Her vision was filled by the flickering and shimmering screen before her. The screen spanned the side of one of the battered buildings. She had to strain her eyes and tilt her chin just to see the subject of the massive screen. She couldn’t look away, her eyes were locked onto the screen. Her body was frozen, her breathing quick. Her brown eyes shifted to the smile on the face, his perfect square chin, and chiseled body. The man on the screen was the perfect image of a good soldier. He would do his job, he would fight. He would win. But as she gazed at the man, there was only one thought on Emily’s mind.

  Coward. The word hissed at her as it bounced around her chest.

  But there was something else that caught her eye more than anything.

  Her hand gave a quick clench, and the daggers of anxiety rippled through her as her eyes darted from left to right over and over again. The words were readable for a few moments at a time as the screen began to flicker, faster and faster now like a runaway heart.

  Sol: The Last Guardians of Humanity

  The man on the screen was proudly adorned in armor. It was a dull gray that concealed everything but his head. It was sealed tightly, there was not an inch of skin exposed except for the smiling face. There was only one piece of the armor that stood out. A small section on the shoulder that was stamped with a smoldering star. But then the flickering became worse, and the screen powered down for just a second.

  That second shattered the illusion. Emily could only see herself in the dark reflection. She quickly snapped her head away. But then the screen roared to life again. The ever-present smile returned just to mock the onlooker at his feet. Emily’s eyes had tried to ignore them for as long as possible, but soon her eyes were drawn to what led all people to the Sol program.

  The wings.

  They erupted from his back and demanded attention from all of those who viewed the screen. They were as if someone had drawn an outline of wings, but had forgotten some of the details. The wings were like a wire frame hastily covered in feathers. Feathers were missing. There were gaps, and some of the feathers had an odd angular look to them. You could tell that they were supposed to be an imitation, and not an original idea. They were far from perfect.

  But they did have a purpose. The wings showed that they could control the Current. That the armor, the program, had been successful.

  But the wings told another story as well. Rushed. Imperfect. Emily stared at the blood red “wings”.

  The imperfection of the wings was made all the more obvious by the figure in the grasp of the man. The man he was fighting with also had his own set of “wings”. But these shone a brilliant blue. These wings looked just like the wings of a great bird. There were no holes or gaps. Each feather appeared handcrafted and unique, like a fingerprint. The wings billowed out and shielded the owner from the blows of the last guardian of humanity. They were perfect. They had no flaws. The blue wings also had a much more sinister meaning, depending on which side you were on. Blue meant they were able to naturally use the Current and its power.

  The screen flickered again. The light went out on the last guardian of humanity as he grappled with its foe. This time, there was no reprieve. The last guardian was replaced by a dark, empty screen. Gingerly her eyes shifted down and focused on the figure before them. The brown eyes fixed on the protective cloak draped over her body. The cloak did its job well, but not perfectly. It spilled its secret right by her neck, where, if you looked close, you could see the beginning of some dull gray armor. She had been Sol. She had the power to fight.

  Her hand darted down and pulled up cloak in a vain attempt to cover the armor. Her eyes looked on the exposed armor and her nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed.

  Lies. This was the latest thought that jumped into her head.

  With the last guardian of humanity powered down for good, the spell was broken. Reality reared its ugly head, and the setting began to repopulate itself with the sounds and sights that had been rendered invisible as Emily had locked herself onto the screen.

  The shouts of people as they tried to gather their things and find those dear to them.. The crumbling and shaking of the buildings around them. The whirlwind of helicopters darting away. And of course, the loudest and hardest to ignore of all, the stain in the sky. It pulsated with a vibrant purple high by the clouds, the stain cut through the sky and infected the cool blue that one usually expects when you look up. It was the byproduct of the Current, and for many, it had a simple message: They were here.

  All this made up the solemn hymn of a dying city. And the people in the streets played their parts brilliantly as they moved rhythmically toward the only promise of salvation left. Azure Bay.

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  The girl lurched forward as she was greeted by a hard shoulder. She stumbled and swung around, her brown hair whipping behind her.

  “ Watch it, girl!” the man growled as he blew by her. He shielded his arms as he pushed forward into the sea of people. The girl had just enough time to lock eyes with the young boy perched on the man’s shoulders as he continued to push forward into the sea of people before he was swallowed up whole in the crowd.

  The voice welled up from deep within her stomach and rose to her chest. It whispered a brief but dire instruction: Leave. With a conflicted step, she melted into the crowd behind her as it marched onward toward the hope of salvation.

  Her thoughts raced around her, they were a leaden vest. They pulled her down and crushed her mind and body. There was one that was the loudest of all: what if they know? This was a thought that had controlled Emily since she had abandoned the Sol program.

  Abandoned. This choice of words caused a ripple of anxiety to push through her body. She tugged at her cloak again, meticulously covering her neck. Her eyes darted too and fro desperately making sure her entire body was covered. She could feel the eyes of everyone around her. Scanning her. She turned her head slowly until her eyes met with a pair of deep blue eyes with just a hint of purple. The eyes warned her and welcomed her, but before she could pull away, the eyes were on top of her.

  “I need your help.” The owner of the eyes said. She was a young woman. She paused for a moment, expecting a response, but no response came. Her eyes darted around before she spoke again.” Hey, didn’t you hear me?” she asked, giving Emily a nudge.

  “Why me?” Emily responded. She thought of adding on to her statement, but held her tongue for now. Might as well let the girl do the talking.

  “I need to get to Azure Bay.” The girl responded. Her tone was deadly serious.

  “ Well, you’re going the right way. Just keep following the crowd.” Emily said as she gestured around her.

  “No, you don’t understand.” The girl quickly shook her head.” I need you, Sol.” Now Emily’s stomach dropped. “This isn’t just about me, this is much bigger. She paused and then continued as she searched for the right words to say. “I’m half Luna.”

  Emily’s eyes widen. Half Luna? She had never heard of such a thing. Half Luna was what the blue wings called themselves, they could do just about whatever they wanted with that mystical source of energy. Augment weapons, fly, she had even heard of some who used it to steal the voices or identities of others. This situation had taken a turn down a path that Emily had no desire to travel alone or with a buddy.

  “I’m not Sol. You’ve got me mixed up. If you haven’t noticed, it’s everyone for themselves at this point.” Emily said dismissively. She tried to walk away. The girl was annoyingly persistent.

  “Please, I need help. I’ve come all this way…” She trailed off… “I took something. Something from my parents that could end the war. Once and for all. Isn’t that why you joined Sol in the first place?” The girls’ pleas were dashed away by cold indifference in Emily’s eyes.

  “ Why do you think I have this cloak on? I don’t want to be recognized.. I don’t want help. I don't want to be helped.” Emily pulled her cloak up higher instinctively as she talked. Her eyes fell on the cloak of the girl in front of her as she truly inspected her for the first time. This girl’s cloak was pulled high up like Emily’s.

  “Looks like we’re both running from something, or got something to hide from. Easier to do so solo,” she finished this icy statement and started to walk away. Emily knew it was time to leave before this ballooned into a situation that could not be solved with a cold response.

  A quick gust of wind was the only response. The gust sent a shiver down her spine, not because it was cold, but because the wind had upended her cloak. The whole world could see her dull gray armor and the small smoldering star on her shoulder.

  Emily swung around violently. Her face was scrunched in anger. Her anger was replaced with surprise as she swung around to face the girl. There, behind this very girl, was one singular wing. The wing had appeared behind her right side and cast a blue illuminating light as the wing began to fade. The wing had appeared when the girl had tapped into the Current, and just as quickly as she had done so, the wing began to fade. The wing had materialized down to the last feather for the quick task of a gust of wind. With its job complete, the wing materialized, and there was just a seemingly normal girl in front of Emily again.

  Something was wrong. The girl quickly fell to her knees and took a deep breath. The girl looked up at Emily as she exhaled deeply,” You are Sol.”

  “You’re Luna.” Was all Emily could get out. “Well, half at least. Never seen just one wing before.”

  “ I’m not a liar,” panted out the girl.

  “ Never said you were,” Emily responded. “Just think you got the wrong person for the job. Should have asked me a couple of years ago. Would have said yes in a heartbeat.” Emily countered. She gazed down at the girl as she continued to catch her breath in front of her. Their eyes were on her. She felt the sea crashing in on her. All those pairs of eyes had seen what happened. For a moment, there was that soft twang of pity. That desire to do something. That same desire that had gotten her to where she was today. She grabbed the girl by the arm and jerked her up.

  “Nice stunt you pulled there, “Emily growled,” Think it's time for you to leave before we get some unwelcome attention.”

  “So you’ll help me?” the girl asked.

  “I’ll point you in the right direction. Find someone who can actually help you.” Emily responded. The girl frowned

  “Not going to be hard to find some poor bastard to take you to Azure Bay.” Emily laughed.” All that’s left. Every person, Luna or not, is going to be heading there soon anyways. Give me ten minutes and I can find you someone who thinks they can make a difference.”

  The two faded into the crowd of people as they made their shuffle toward the center of the crumbling city. They weren’t the only ones. The dark, ominous purple stain steadily inched its way towards the center of the city behind them.