“Carrine, get out of there!” Ezzine screamed as she raced away from the transport. Outdated metallic bullets rained down around her, along with scattered sparks, the by-product of the illegal renegade Speed-Chasers that the other rebels were escaping on. She envied them as she tried to get away on foot. Liquid splashed up around her and stained her pants; the new ones her mother had bought for her the previous day. But she didn’t have much time to worry.

            “Carrine, damn it, the place’ll blow any moment, get out! Can you hear me?” Ezzine shouted once more as she ran. Once she made it through the crackling shield, she stopped, bending over and gasping for breath. She saw Carrine dart out of the transport’s door, her arm bleeding heavily.  A flash of her red hair flew about her face, masking her features, and then a fireball exploded where the transport had been. Ezzine dropped to her knees in shock, trying to make herself see Carrine walk out of the blast.  But the blaze quickly consumed the gasoline-soaked ground, and the fiery inferno ran all the way up to the shield, which crackled more insistently than ever.  Mechanically, Ezzine bent down and rubbed her hand across the soaked hem of her pants, then smelled her fingertips. Her pants were saturated with gasoline. They would have to be destroyed, or the authorities would have proof she had been on the transport before it had exploded. 

            As Ezzine walked away from the fiery hell behind her, she sent a prayer of hope up to whatever ancient God was in the transport-laden heavens, or past all of the Planets of Civilization. Her father had told her God was dead when she was only five, but she didn’t know what God was then. Now that she knew, she almost thought God was dead, too. Though she didn’t want to believe it was true, the ancient stories were amusing and quaint. There was something universal about them. “The Lord is King for ever and ever…” Ezzine thought to herself. It was a line from one of the Psalms in the ancient Earth book. It seemed as though forever had ended quite some time before, and the Earth was only being saved by the men desperate to keep it intact for their own purposes. 

            Carrine had died trying to help the cause. Ezzine knew she would not die, when she joined the rebels, she knew deep down that she would never be forced to put her life on the line for their cause, and so that part of the oath she had easily agreed to. But Carrine had zealously sworn that she would die for them, and expected to. She had died, and now Ezzine would have to find more to help her in her mission. A loud boom echoed behind her as the shield broke, and the fire spread out into the deserted urban area.  The authorities would hear of it soon enough, and take care of it before the damage done was irreversible. But by then, all of Carrine’s remains would be burnt beyond recognition, as well as the remains of the Master’s men that had been pursuing them.

            After ten minutes of walking, Ezzine stole into her home.  Both of her parents were asleep, and the servants were as well. It was an easy enough matter to destroy her clothing, placing it all in the disposer and then incinerating them into the dust that would be buried off world. She took the hood off of her hair last, tossing it into the disposer with the rest, and pressing the small green button that would do the deed and destroy it all. Her parents would never know she had been out of the house, and the authorities would never know that she was involved with the rebel forces.

            The city’s shields would lessen in several hours, and let the harsh sunlight in. Ezzine hated that the city had to use the shields. She had read books set before Earth had stopped revolving, and lost orbit. It sounded so nice to have cycles of days and years, so natural. Most planets still had regular orbits, and cycles of days, months, and years. Now science regulated Earth, and Dark Side was not inhabited, save for a few scientific outposts.  Several ice-creatures had developed, and some of them were dangerous. Ezzine had always wanted to see them, and when reports came of accidents involving them, she was even more curious. There had been a report just the other day, when a scientist in the environment suit had been attacked by and ice cat, and died in several hours because her suit was destroyed and she froze to death.  It was really quite tragic, but Ezzine wished that zoos had not been outlawed.  Rumor had it the Master had a zoo. Her father would probably know, he was so loyal to the Master, but he would never tell her whether or not it was true. He would never tell her anything.  All of the rebels had thought that she could provide them with powerful intelligence since her father was so close to the Master’s inner-circle, but he wouldn’t have given her any information. He didn’t trust his own daughter—not that he should have—but still.

            It occurred to Ezzine as she got into bed that everything would have been infinitely simpler if she had never met King Richards. Whether or not his name was really King everyone debated, but that was what she called him.  Most of his close friends and confidants did. The other rebels just called him Mr. Richards, and to those outside of the rebel circles, he didn’t exist. As far as Ezzine knew, at least, though she suspected that the Master and his agents knew of King. The authorities most likely did as well. It was impossible to keep anything that big from any of them.