The streets were still filled with thick smoke, even after the fires had been put out and the buildings nearly cleaned up out of the way of emergency vehicles. All over, groups of people had been gathered in large areas. Gymnasiums and parks had become safe havens for people who had lost their homes, and people who were afraid their homes would fall down on top of them just like some of the other buildings in the Colony.

Uniformed Officers wove their way through the crowds of frightened and tired people, offering support only where it was really needed. Otherwise, they ignored almost everyone, only making sure no one got hurt. A lot of people were sleeping. The only ones awake, it seemed, were the small group of teenagers in one corner of the gymnasium in the second sector.

“Gimme that,” said the young man by the wall, leaning forward and snatching the little radio receiver from the younger boy’s hands. It squeaked and buzzed when the antenna was flipped upside down, but became clearer again when he righted it, adjusting the tall wire on the top and turning the knob, trying to get a signal. He glanced up from the radio, adjusting the hat sitting on his head, looking for the nearest Officer. They weren’t supposed to be trying to listen in on military frequencies, and the other three boys were a little anxious. Ander, however, seemed completely at ease.

“Got anything?” asked Rish, sitting across from Ander. Ander shook his head slightly, and tried turning the antenna a little. Rish shook his head, blond hair shifting over his shoulders, sighing. “Come on, we gotta find out what’s going on out there. This is ridiculous, sitting in here with no idea.”

“Shut your mouth,” Ander growled, annoyed, glancing carefully to the Officer a little ways away. “I’m tryin’, I’m tryin’. Just gimme a minute, aye?” He turned the knob just a little clockwise, and jumped slightly when a voice came over the speaker, turning it down quickly.

“All Flier units to sector five… Visual confirmation required… Locate enemy and neutralize…”

“They haven’t even found the bad guys yet?” said the younger boy to Ander’s right, looking worriedly at the radio.

“Emergency vehicles to 7th street in sector three…”

“Did something else blow up?” Rish muttered, looking up towards the walls. Ander sighed.

“This isn’t telling us anything,” he said, annoyed, going to switch the frequency. Rish reached over and slapped his hand away.

“It’s better than nothing,” he said, rolling his eyes. Ander sighed, leaning back on his cot, listening to the droning voice going on with instructions. The other boys were silent, and they all sat there quietly for the next few hours, until the orders got fewer and further between. Occasionally, he switched off the radio as the Officer came closer, only to switch it on again almost immediately afterwards.

Early in the morning – he was pretty sure it was morning, by now – after the last thirteen minute pause between orders, the radio buzzed. It got louder and louder, and Ander sat up slowly, looking at it. Rish looked over, raising his eyebrow. Ander went to adjust the tuning, when the thing let out a shrill screech. Ander jumped, almost dropping the radio, and switched it off.

“What the hell was that?” Rish yelled. Many of the people around them were now awake, and mumbling about idiot kids, sitting up. They started going about their morning business, seeing the time on the big clock at one side of the gym. The Officer walked up behind Ander, grabbing the back of his sweater and hauling him up to his feet. He grabbed the receiver, taking a look at it, frowning.

“What’s this?” he asked coldly. Ander glanced to his friends, all of them pretending to be asleep. He held up his hands to either side, shrugging. The Officer shook his head. “Come on,” he muttered, pulling Ander behind him through the maze of cots towards the front of the gymnasium. He sat him down in a chair by the wall, next to a table where a young woman sat, writing on some of the papers scattered in front of her.

“Now what?” she asked without looking up.

“Illegal receiver,” the man explained, putting the radio down on the table. The woman lifted her eyes from the papers, looking to it, then over at Ander. He cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable under her sharp gaze, shifting slightly in his seat. She sighed, standing, buttoning the top of her uniform jacket as she got to her feet. She walked over to Ander, looking down at him. He looked back up, tapping his fingers on the sides of the chair, nervous. She looked like she might be a Captain.

“How old are you?” she asked him flatly.

“Seventeen,” he replied quickly.

“Are your parents here?” He shook his head, no. He didn’t know where they were. He lived in one of the first buildings that crashed. He’d come to terms with the fact they might be dead several hours ago, and wasn’t too worried about it any more. Besides, he barely knew them. She just nodded. “Name?”

“Ander Louin,” he answered, clearing his throat.

“Do you have an ID card?” He nodded. “May I see it?” she asked when he didn’t move otherwise. He nodded again, reaching in his pocket, pulling out the little card with his picture on it. Handing it to her, he shifted, putting his feet under the chair, leaning forward a bit. He glanced around, looking to see if he could see his friends. Those damned bastards. They completely abandoned him.

“Where did you get this thing, Ander?” the woman asked him, holding his ID card out, handing it bad. Ander took it, putting it in his pocket again.

“Get what?”

“You know what, Ander. Where did you get it? You know that they’re illegal. Everyone knows that. So why do you have one?”

“I found it,” he lied, giving her a grin. His hat flopped down over his eyes, and he lifted a hand, nudging it up again to see her staring at him with her arms cross, tapping her fingers on her elbow impatiently. He said nothing, and for a long while, neither did she.

“You will most likely be charged for holding one of these,” she said finally.

“Oh, come on!”

“You’re not supposed to have it! You think that you can just get away with listening to one of these surrounded by Officers in a crisis center?”

“You should tell us what the hell is going on, then!” he yelled back at her. People were starting to stare, and she glanced over her shoulder at the other people before turning to him.

“I’m going to have to arrest you,” she said, frowning, and before he knew it there was a pair of handcuffs around one wrist, and she hooked him to the table, sitting down. “Unfortunately, my shift isn’t over yet. You’ll have to stay there for now. By the way, my name is Taji Shim. You can just call me Taji, if you like. You’re only a kid, after all.”

“Hmph…” He slouched down in his seat. “Not a kid,” he muttered.