It's the year 2185 and Earth is a world covered in thriving cities. Trains glide, robots roam, people soar, and crime barely exists... but life isn't as simple as it seems. Crushed by the tyranny of the government, citizens are slaves to the system; no freedom, no exceptions, no escape. As people vanish, anxiety rises, and it's only a matter of time until they make a stand...

This story is rated T for violence, gore, and the occasional sexual reference, so be warned!

This is the first fiction I've ever published here so any feedback, favourites, or follows will make my day! I also want to hear from you about how to improve, so please review, but no flames :)

Prologue

A blanket of darkness smothered the room, hiding its features from view. The night was continuously cast asunder by the forks of lightning clawing the earth. Within seconds however, the blackness would gather to fade the light. Screams from the sky were filtered into murmurs by a large transparent screen, though flashes of light still reached in towards a female figure.

Her hand slowly edged down the glass as if it were as one with the steadfast raindrops on the other side. She sighed softly as her hand hung loosely by her side, and she lifted her head to gaze at the silver moon. It seemed to gaze back at her as though it felt the same ache of longing. It was as if it wanted to escape the relentless storm that plagued the sky, just as she desired to quell the storm raging in her heart. When the storm finally clears, maybe, just maybe, she'll be able to see the truth.

"Who am I?" She uttered in a whisper.

The shriek of an alarm pierced the midnight sky. She gasped and hit a button fixed to a device on her ear. Light blue, translucent lenses shifted into place in front of her eyes. Her head snapped down to look at the pale holographic projection that shot out from a bracer on her left arm. To her horror, the image it revealed was that of an intruder, and he was far too close for comfort.

She whirled around to find him barely three feet in front of her. The man just stood there, his smirk taunting her, as well as the long, elegant, winged board he held at his side. With a mocking wave, he turned slowly and left the room. Snarling, she rushed after the imposter who disappeared behind the metal door that swung steadily back in place.

She kicked the door aside with a shout to find herself facing him again. The thief sniggered, casually leaning on the railing that separated him from an incredibly lengthy plunge to the death. She scanned him quickly to find that he was a fairly tall man, with short brown hair. "Well I must admit that I expected better from you Ms Vale. I never imagined this to be so easy." He sneered. His voice was arrogant, though there was a glint of nervousness dancing in his sea blue eyes.

"You think it's over don't you?" She muttered indignantly, "Well guess what; this won't be over until that board is back in these hands, even if it means that I have to yank it back from your cold dead grip!."

Something snapped in the girl, unleashing something deep inside that made her shudder with anticipation. She felt strong, and liberated - albeit for a short while - from her seemingly eternal torment. Suffering seemed to empower her with raging flames of determination, and the will to do anything she desired.

"Of course, you could always just drop it now and squirm back to whatever rat hole you scurried out from, so make your choice." She approached him with slow steps, "I'm waiting..."

"Uh, I think I'll pass up on those...lovely... offers. I'm on a tight schedule." He retorted, beginning to move away along the barrier. The girl knew at that moment that it wasn't a retreat, but a challenge, and she had always enjoyed a challenge, simply because under serious circumstances such as these, she never loses.

"Fine, I could do with the amusement." She exclaimed, a confident simper emerging, "By the way, I really hope you're not afraid of heights!"

Her fiery spirit soon became overwhelming so he broke into a sprint, making her pound after him like a greyhound. Increasingly surprised at her bold decisions, he climbed over the rail and began to fall into the shady abyss below. As he plunged into the depths, he wrapped his arms around the board; her prize - his only lifeline. Vaulting over seconds after, she started to plummet after him head first.

Instinctively, her arms drew in, flattening against her streamlined body and speeding up her descent. Two icy grey eyes locked on to him, as those of a falcon to their prey. Her white blonde hair streamed out behind her as she honed in on the assailant. The rush of the wind made her entire body shiver with a sense of exhilaration, and excitement seemed to tickle her stomach. Flooded by this sense of euphoria, she laughed and cheered with a childlike glee.

The thief on the other hand, was horrified with his rapid descent to the earth below. His fear only intensified when he heard the girl's voice call to him, "Aw, what's wrong? Can't fly?!"

He looked up, eyes widened in shock at his pursuer. Desperately, he tried to scramble to his feet so he could have a hope of controlling the board. However, it appeared to fight back, swerving side to side in mid-air, preventing the panicking man from standing.

"Ah, it's going haywire. Wouldn't it be a pity if you fell off?!" She taunted, tapping the holographic controls on her wristband. With every touch, the board jolted sharply in any direction, making him cry out nervously and grasp the board before attempting to regain his balance. By the time he managed to gain the upper hand on the erratically moving object however, it was too late.

Claw like hands latched on to his shoulders, followed by a slim body that brushed against his back, pushing him back down again. One after the other, her slender limbs wrapped around both him and the board, pinning him down. Her fingers skimmed across the projection that protruded from the device on her left wrist, sending a command for the board to stop. He struggled with all his might to escape, but his attempts were futile, and his body relaxed into surrender.

"Not so confident now are we? At least you're still in one piece." She joked triumphantly, manoeuvring the board to tilt upwards. It began a steady ascent.

"So you're not gonna kill me?" The thief rasped. After a hum of thought, the girl responded. "Why? Having second thoughts?"

"No! No, no, no, no, no! Please just get me back on the ground..." He begged quickly.

There was no response, as she seemed to be concentrating on something approaching from afar. His anxiety grew as the silence persisted, and he was still uncertain of what she could see.

"Please?" He asked again, though he didn't get a response. Fortunately for him, it wasn't long until he found what she was gazing at. It looked like a speck at first, though its size grew larger, and its purr seemed to heighten to a roar as it approached at speed. The jet black object soon swung fully into view. Its bulky form was lined with blood-red engravings, and it had slim handles that were gripped on to by two strong hands. The rider's muscular legs rested snugly on iron-grey pedals, beside which, slim black cannons were mounted; he only hoped that they were ornamental. As it drew closer alongside, he recognised the object instantly as a sky bike, though he didn't recognise the rider.

But the girl knew exactly who she was.

"Mena!" She called to the rider in black camouflage .

"Hey Sky!" The woman called back, "What the hell are you doing out at this time?! Do you have a death wish?!"

With that, she seemed to snap back into the world of reality, and the euphoria died once more. It was late, very late, and that made venturing out of the apartment an incredibly dangerous idea. All knew what made the night so hazardous, though no one wanted to realise that their fears were justified.

"How many times do I have to tell you before you actually realise how dangerous your little night rides are?"

Sky's eyes narrowed at Ximena, who seemed completely oblivious to the man lying beneath her on the board. Her green eyes soon met with those of the subdued male however, and a grin flicked across her face. Unfortunately for her, Sky's unfortunate position sparked numerous ideas in the mind of her friend.

"A bit late to be on the pull isn't it?" She teased, making Sky groan, "Who is this guy anyway? He doesn't look like your type."

"Oh, I don't know..." Sky began sarcastically.

"You don't know? Well that makes things more interesting... Any guesses?!"

"Ah, well, here's one; maybe he's a dangerous thief who decided to try to steal my board?!"

"Alright, alright, take it easy, I'm sorry." Ximena hushed, suddenly aware of the seriousness of the situation, "Although I like a good airborne conversation I think it would be safer to talk about what happened back on solid ground."

Sky knew that Ximena was right; lingering hundreds of floors above ground level was definitely not a safe option, especially at night. Therefore, after a nod of agreement, they carefully made their way back to the ledge.

Eerie silence dominated the colossal city at night. Strange shapes and other unknown entities cloaked themselves in the darkness, as well as grave danger. On further inspection, none of it seemed alive. It was truly a ghost town, with nobody in sight, and not even a single sign of recent human existence. There had to be something wrong - they both knew it - something was very, very wrong.

When they eventually alighted on the metal floor, Sky climbed off of the man and sighed in relief. Before he could run away, Ximena pulled him into a tight grip. Once again, he attempted to resist by trying to pry her hands off his body, but she was far too strong.

"So... what do you suggest we do with this guy? Give him to Phoenix?" She suggested. He snarled and struggled frantically against Ximena's iron grip, though he did so to no avail. Sky thought about the suggestion for a moment.

Phoenix; the international governing body, so-called as it led a revolution in everyone's lives, and brought about a new beginning. Possessing complete power and superiority over the world and everyone in it made Phoenix something to be feared. Although it was meant to keep everyone safe, it used brutal methods to do so, which matched the dark and sinister resolve in its heart. Therefore, it wasn't surprising to find that he was desperate to avoid them.

Sky shook her head. "No. He wouldn't stand a chance with the government; we'd be signing his death warrant. He doesn't deserve that even though he's a thief... I guess."

"You sure?" She scoffed coldly; he was a criminal after all, and he knew the consequences of his actions all too well. He threatened their lives, so in Ximena's eyes, he deserved such a fate.

Sky continued to look at her unwaveringly with steady grey eyes. Despite her earlier words, she'd never want to kill anyone, nor would she allow herself to let others die because of her. Ximena sighed, reluctantly giving in to the desires of her friend, "We'd better take him home with us then."