This dream again... Myelin was back on Mercury. The same houses collapsed in smog, the same women and children screamed, the same armored soldiers spearheaded through the village with their saps.
Myelin's stubby arms reached out of the cradle he lay in. A younger Atal looked down to the little brother he was holding, smiling and telling him everything was going to be alright. Stop... I don't want to see this.
The world around them caved in; clearly nothing was going to be left of this place. The sea of adults parted to take them onto the one transport the village had.
They stepped into the ship, facing the glass windows as it prepared for takeoff. Myelin knew he was going to see a new tragedy, whether he wanted to or not—he was just glad the dream could be over soon after that.
The ship's engine hummed to life, and the ramp hissed as it retracted back. Where is it? Who am I going to see suffer? Myelin could feel the engines shaking underneath his feet now. Every scream, blast, and fight in sight was already recognizable. Checking the soldiers to see what trouble they were causing, Myelin realized he never noted the yellow tint their armor had. He pressed his hands and face onto the glass, feeling its cool touch across his skin. He'd never understood the unbearable heat until then.
Myelin wished he had never kept looking and stayed in the dream forever; looking beneath the ship, an elderly lady with a light hole sizzled through her heart. The sight was vile to his eyes. He quickly darted back to his brother, but Atal was no longer there.
That's when he had finally realized it: he was standing. Myelin looked at his hand, all dusty and callused. I'm not a baby. The ship began to lift off, seconds away from shutting off the blast doors.
He felt like the body was calling to him, begging for his help. He looked the dead lady in the eyes; heat poured into his heart. How could they? Myelin hit the glass, his hands now glowing blue. How dare they? Myelin scowled, stretching his arm as far back as it could go and punching with all his force.
The glass broke into shards, scattering across the gray surface below. Myelin hopped out of the ship, touching base onto the planet's hard ground. The people parted to let him out just as they had let him in. Ahead was a group of soldiers approaching in their organized march.
The strength he felt was rejuvenating. After exhausting his life running away, he touched the power to take on anything. The soldiers disgusted him; their movement was like the scurrying of an insect. Were they going to kill everyone once we left? The layer of blue around Myelin grew thicker. He could see less and less of himself underneath the color; his body hummed the same tune of the ship.
"Halt!" they shouted, raising their rifles at him. Myelin no longer looked at them with fear or dread; instead, he felt pity and anger. Thrrrrrrr! The soldiers released a slew of bullets, an unending stream of obnoxious yellow light. The bullets never even made it to his skin, dissipating at contact with his energy. You can't kill me. Myelin moved forward with malice in each step. But I'll kill all of you.
The soldiers kept firing like it was all they knew how to do. Myelin wasn't sure how, but he was much taller than the soldiers. With a swipe of his hand, he sent a few soldiers flying away. It was so satisfying, like scratching an itch he had never known he had; none of them showed any fear or faltering, all they did was endlessly fire until they couldn't. Myelin pushed and pulled the soldiers like ragdolls, laughing maniacally. You're all so powerless. Myelin didn't hold back a muscle as he punched the soldiers across the village. You're all so worthless. One last soldier remained, still holding down on his trigger.
Myelin stomped his way forward, bullets continuing to stream. He grabbed the soldier by the neck and slammed him onto the floor. The yellow chestplate cracked under the pressure of Myelin's foot, the helmet slowly rolled off the body: there was no head behind the visor, and no body inside the suit. Behind him the whole village had frozen in place. You're all saved now, I protected us. Myelin looked to the masses and saw the mortified faces; they weren't looking at their own hero, they were looking at their own monster.
"You are currently: 5 hours to your destination," blared the intercom deafeningly loud.
Myelin slipped out of his bed, pressing his palms against the mattress. Hard as a rock, no wonder I had a bad dream. In the bed across where Atal should've been, the orange cat Gatito pounced at a cockroach. 10 empty-hearted hours already passed by. "Passenger Myelin Arzani, please take your time to answer a few questions for interplanetary travel customs," continued the Intercom.
"Hey, lower the darn noise!" said Myelin.
"Please select your preferred volume," said the Intercom.
"How 'bout mute?" said Myelin, flopping right back into his bed.
"No can do. In order to enter Martian space, you must answer my questions," the intercom said in a much more reasonable volume.
"And who are you?" asked Myelin, now sitting back up.
"My name is the Bastion Entity Robot of Transportation, or B.E.R.T. I process the passengers coming in and out of Mars and control the ship!" said Bert, taking on a more cheery tone. The doors slid open and shut as Bert flexed his capabilities.
A robot that can pilot, huh, just when you think you've seen it all. Myelin stood up, stretching out his sides. "You sure you can fly this thing?" he said.
"If you want to fly the ship then go ahead and be my guest," said the intercom. "Now then, it is important we get on with the questioning."
"Go ahead," replied Myelin. Can't be too crazy, right?
"It says here you two are coming on the academy immigration permit. Is that information correct?" asked Bert.
"Um, yeah sure!" said Myelin, not sure at all.
"Now then it says the two of you are brothers. Are you claiming this cat as your legal brother?" asked Bert.
Myelin didn't even know how Gatito had gotten on the ship; he could've sworn he made it alone. "My brother... he didn't make it. This is some stray I found," said Myelin.
"Alright that checks out then. It does seem we're missing a few passengers from the commotion back then. Our last request: as part of your academy permit, please provide proof of soul energy."
"Right now?" Myelin tensed, remembering how the alien energy had felt when he tried to use it earlier. The cold malice that had reached back at him. "I don't know if that's..."
"Hesitating? You're applying to the academy and you're hesitating to show your soul energy?" said Bert. Myelin didn't know if most robots were capable of sass but this one definitely was.
"No, it's not that. Just..." Myelin forced a smile, trying to hide his unease. "Where do you want me to direct it?"
"Please transfer a small bit of soul energy to the indicated sensor," said Bert. "And do maintain proper terminology. This is a professional environment."
Whelp, robot pilots are 0 for 1 in my book right now.
"Quit the robo-superiority complex and just show me the sensor, Bert," said Myelin.
On the frame of Myelin's bed, a piece of wood housed in plastic and metal wiring uncovered and popped out. Myelin released the soul energy from his body, blue filling the circular wood chip.
"You're a bastion alright, quite the unusual signature I'd say but hey, I don't judge," said Bert. The sensor retracted back into the frame—the piece of wood was slightly charred now.
"A bastion? You're gonna have to send me a dictionary at this rate," said Myelin.
"Someone empowered with soul energy, a bastion," said Bert. "Now you fill out your school registration form."
"Can't you just do it for me, Bert ol' buddy?" asked Myelin.
"I'm an intelligent transport navigator system, not your nanny," said Bert.
"Fine," said Myelin, "pull it up." His neurattachment loaded the form to display in front of him: questions filled the space from the ceiling to his feet. "You're kidding me!"
"Hold on, look at it a little closer," said Bert. Myelin spread his index and thumb apart, the form zooming in. "Looks like your brother already filled it out for you!" Myelin scrolled his way to the bottom of the page, took a deep breath, and hit submit. I'm gonna get you back, Atal.
"Well done! The Bastion University welcomes you to Mars!" said Bert, cheerful as a robot can be.
BRRUUUUM! The ship shook Myelin off balance as it swayed. "That's impossible! There's no way they can attack in a spaceway!" said Bert.
"Who's attacking?" said Myelin, bringing out his soul energy.
"It's a lunar police ship—" the intercom's connection scrambled. Is it bad that I'm relieved they offed the bot? Myelin shook his head. Okay I need to be serious, they followed me here to capture me. I gotta do this for Atal, I can't let him down.
There were too many footsteps outside for it to just be one person, more like three. Myelin stood beside the door, waiting for the first officer to enter. He slowed his breathing and planted his feet so as to not make any noise. The intercom scrambled once again. "Myelin Arzani, you have killed enough officers and caused havoc for one city. We will not let you destroy anymore than you already have. Your brother has already been appropriately disposed of by the might of The Governor," said the intercom, blaringly loud most likely being the default setting.
"Liar!" yelled Myelin. "He didn't lose to anyone, and I'm not losing to any of you!" He didn't know what had overcome him, perhaps, it was the pride he took in his brother. Atal never lost any fights, that was just a matter of fact in Myelin's eyes. "Find him!" shouted an officer. "Sir, yes sir!" responded the other two.
The door opened. Myelin immediately knocked the guy's lights out. I'd hate to be him. Myelin caught the body and set it down softly. He ran out of the room, looking for the next assailant before they could find him. He walked down the hall before hearing the sound of rummaging. In the room, a cop pulled at the vent on the roof. That's kinda smart, why didn't I think of that one? Myelin slowly tiptoed in, grabbed the man by his ankles, and yanked him off his feet. The officer's armor on the metal bed frame thudded loud enough for the whole ship to hear.
"Oi, did you find him?" asked an officer, only to be answered with silence. Seconds after the impact and the bedframe was still shaking; Myelin grabbed it still. "Uh, nope, we found nobody sir. The, um, other officer slipped and got knocked out just there. The ship's empty," said Myelin, trying on the most formal accent he could pull off.
"Oh really, what a shame. I'll come over there with the first aid," said the officer, sounding much more regal than Myelin.
"No need, I got this covered. Just get back to the ship if you may."
"Is that... a blue glow coming from your room?"
"No sir, that is a... reading light," said Myelin.
The doors parted ways for the final officer to enter the room. "Ha! I knew it was you, boy," he said, aiming a pistol-styled sap at Myelin. "Turn around!" The officer pulled out a pair of handcuffs, clanging as he swung them around. Oh well, I'll just go with it. The cop approached Myelin. "Don't make any moves," said the officer. Myelin felt the cold touch of the metal on his wrists. "Almost had me, idiot!" yelled Myelin, kicking back into the cop's bulging stomach.
Thwoom! Myelin was getting tired of that noise. He lunged at the cop and snatched his pistol. The officer stood still like a deer in the headlights. "But... I- I shot you!" stammered the officer, now glued to the wall. Myelin tossed the weapon onto the bed. So uncivilized. "Big whoop, people miss. At least don't piss your pants about it," said Myelin, getting ready to punch his lights out. "This one's not for me... it's for Aunty, it's for my brother!" said Myelin. He released the tension in his arm, punching full force.
The officer turned to the dent in the wall next to his head. "Why did you spare me?" he asked.
"Just go," muttered Myelin. "Take your buddies and get the hell outta here." Myelin picked up the body lying in the room. "C'mon," he grunted, "go get your other friend before I change my mind." He wasn't sure what caused his change in heart, but he still resented the sight of their uniforms. Myelin carried the limp body on his shoulder to the navigation room, where the officer pointed to a hatch on the roof.
"Our ship is attached to the airlock up there," he said.
"Okay, go open it," replied Myelin.
The officer looked like he was disrespected for a second, but, without any other choice, he reached up to twist open the hatch. With a light jump, the officer floated up through the hatch. Flipping around, he managed to land on his feet. Did he just fly? Myelin brought the body under the hatch and felt a tug upwards. "The ship's gravity will pull him through, let go," said the officer. Myelin obliged and tossed the body up; it flew upwards and slammed into the officer.
"Now get out!" shouted Myelin. He shut the hatch off.
Light-up buttons and panels were spread around the window looking past the passing space. Okay, I'm gonna need Bert back if I want to land on Mars alive... let's see. Myelin cluelessly searched through all the buttons. The ship rocked a bit; out the window was the lunar police ship detaching. Frustrated and alone, he decided fate was the best way to decide. He pointed his finger on the left side and started: Eenie meenie miney grail, catch a greenjelly by its tail. He pointed towards a big red button encased with warning signs all over. That settles that. He leaned over and lifted the hinge closing over the button—when his finger touched the button's smooth surface, the blaring intercom screamed "stop!"
"Bert? Where did you even go? Were you here this whole time?" asked Myelin.
"You idiot, that button would've crashed all the systems on the ship!" replied the intercom.
"What!" Myelin yanked his finger off the button and snapped the lid shut like it was a boiling pan. "Why is that even a thing?"
"Don't worry about that—and yes I was here the whole time, their ship's signals were jamming me out of the intercoms. Who do you think was flying this thing?"
"Right. So, any updates on our arrival time?"
"4 hours and 30 minutes," said Bert.
"30 minutes? You're gonna sit there and tell me that was 30 minutes?" said Myelin.
"Well, without any other passengers... there is another way to get there faster," said Bert, with a hint of either apprehension or slight static interference in his electronics.
"And that is?"
"You can strap in and I set this into hyperspeed mode, however that requires a human pilot," said Bert, "which we don't seem to have so nevermind the notion."
"Oh no you don't! There's something I can do that you can't? Then I'm all in," said Myelin, putting his fist into his palm.
"That won't really be necessary, there's plenty of In Space Entertainment you haven't watched!" said Bert, nearly begging for his life. "We have all the latest movies, please don't take the controls!"
"Fine, but if they're no good I'm kicking this jawn into overdrive," said Myelin, walking back to his room. MEOW. Behind him trotted Gatito, whom Myelin could swear on his life he never saw outside the room before. "How did you... nevermind," he said.
Laying in his bed, a holographic remote control appeared in Myelin's hand. He pressed the power button; a screen twice his size floated in front of him now. On display, a selection of more movies than he ever even knew they made. Hmm, I should put something on that'll be relevant with the other kids on Mars. He settled onto the latest blockbuster hit: War of Bastions.
The main character's name was Valor. He was a big guy, but not scary looking. He had skin like snow and hair as yellow as the sun. Valor would get calls for missions around Mars, each problem he faced got more and more urgent—but Valor handled it all with no problem. In the end, all the conflicts came linked to one villain. A guy so bad he struck fear into everyone's hearts; even Valor was surprised to hear he had to fight this guy. But Valor was a fighter, and he understood that to save others he had to make his own sacrifices.
The final fight had the epic scenery of volcanoes erupting everywhere; their aura fields caused literal eruptions of magma and lava falling across the environment. The villain was stronger than Myelin could have imagined though. While Valor handled every minor enemy with the ease of a swipe or a punch, this villain pummeled him into the ground. Valor was made a fool, thrown around through boulders and exhausted to the point that he couldn't even raise his arms.
The villain was not satisfied though; he expected more from Valor. What could Valor do though? He was only a nice guy trying to save people; he didn't have the strength to beat a legendary evil. It was then that the villain pointed a ball of energy in his hand at the city miles away. He was going to blow up all the innocent civilians and all of Valor's companions who had stuck with him since the start of the movie. When all hope was lost, and Myelin prepared to watch his favorite movie character ever die, that was when Valor rose up. Even the villain was surprised. It was his love for the city and more importantly his friends that made him stronger: Valor soon eclipsed the villain's aura. All the same as the villain had beat Valor into submission, Valor done unto the villain. In the end, he had a ball of energy aimed straight at the villain. It would've been so satisfying for Myelin to see the villain perish as payment for his crimes, but Valor took another approach. Valor spared the villain, reaching out an arm instead. The film ended and cut to the credits. That was the coolest thing I've ever seen. The truth was, Myelin now wanted to be just like Valor.
Myelin blinked a few times, so immersed into the movie he had forgotten his reality. He turned the In Space Entertainment off and stretched out once more. "Oi, Bert! How much we got left on the clock?" said Myelin.
"10 minutes to the destination, Myelin. I will say I enjoyed our time together; you saved my robot life! You also put me in danger, but I'll wipe that from my software," said Bert.
"Yeah, it was a good flight while it lasted. Though I'm sure it'll be our last," said Myelin.
"Oh no, you'll be hearing much more from me. I run all the transportation systems for Mars," said Bert. Right, just what I needed: more Bert. "Head to the navigation room, I'll give you a quick tour."
Myelin strolled down to the room. Waiting for him was the whole city out the window. The only thing it had in common with Neo York was the extremely tall building towering the center. This city, however, was much rounder compared to the moon's blocky architecture. Even the land itself was a circular island. While the moon lacked even a blade of grass, green outlined the buildings and the sides of streets. Blue grid solar panels covered the rooftops. "Myelin, welcome to The City of Khyber," said Bert.
Some areas were packed with urban life and shoulder-to-shoulder crowds; others were much less dense with people jogging or biking around recreationally. On the streets, cars drove through intersections without stopping. "See that? I set my calculations so that nobody has to stop or crash!" Bert said with pride. The city was so much more open than what Myelin was ever used to. Ahead, the spaceport had ships coming and going—each one's pathway visible in the sky as far as you could see. It was just like in the movie.
Myelin pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming, because this was exactly what he always wanted. It was what Atal wanted too. Don't worry Atal, I'm gonna fight for you just like Valor! The transport began to land, lowering fast enough to make Myelin feel butterflies in his stomach. He was so excited to breathe the new air. "Hey Bert, what kinda food does everyone eat on Mars?" asked Myelin.
"Whatever you want to eat, kid! This is the city where magic becomes your reality!" said Bert. Myelin couldn't help but smile; after all this time there was a place like this where people lived out his dreams. Alright, calm down. I'm gonna chill, get to school, and go make some new friends. No big deal, no pressure at all.
"Gatito, you ready for this new life buddy?" The cat purred in response; Myelin pet Gatito's soft fur coat. The ship thudded as they touched the ground. He could hear the muffled discussions happening outside the ship.
"Good news!" said Bert.
"What's goin on?" said Myelin.
"A Mentor from the university is personally here to guide you around Khyber City."
"Really!" said Myelin, eagerness evident in his higher pitch. I bet he's gonna be strong like Valor. I wonder what kind of fighting stories or tips they have. Maybe he'll go straight to the moon and save Atal! He shuffled his feet about. Myelin jumped to the door, ready for it to open to new opportunities. "Godspeed, Myelin," echoed Bert in a lower pitch.
The doors puffed, first the blast doors pulled apart. Standing across the glass was a tall lady with dark skin and frizzy hair. She didn't seem happy or excited at all. Myelin stood straight like a soldier, but couldn't wipe the dumb smile of excitement off his face. The glass clicked, unlocked, and slid apart. In the blink of an eye, a wooden sword swiped up—the lady had it pointed right at Myelin's throat.