Red Saviors

   Silence...is all I hear from up here. The building was swaying and creaking with effort to stand. Up here is the only place where I feel free. I grip the beam that is on top of the long and monstrous tower. My legs wobble as I look below seeing millions of tiny dots and triangle shapes passing by. No one would guess from looking at it that this place was vile. It was a repulsive and abhorrent place to live. It was also alluring and inviting in some small spots in the city. I breathe in the musty air and the golden rays of the double sun. It sits on the horizon dipping every so lightly into the depths. The frightening shadows creep up on the city. Wrapping it in the sicking sin of the dark. 

   I squint searching for anything out of the ordinary when my eyes land on a quick ship passing me. I grip the beam, holding on to it as my fragile body whips in the wind. I take out my communicator and call in. “ A 0-95 is on the run. By Akins street.” In a short minute it crackled back and the deep voice said “Roger that Detective Clara, meet us there”. I pocket my communicator and race down the dozens of steps toward the bottom of the building. I look out the dirty window still far from civilization, the shadows creeping closer. I check for my flashlight knowing that in a couple more levels it will be bathed in darkness. I run down the small steps slipping down a couple of them. “Detective…” it cuts short and panic fills my chest. One last floor and I’m in danger of the darkness. I pull on my mask and grasp my gun from my waistband. The rays of the pale light from my flashlight wobble and I try to calm my breathing. I steady my hand and creep down the stairs peeking my head around the corner.

  White ghostly beings float around the room a muffled scream heard somewhere ahead. I grip my gun and scrunch my face to keep from crying and slow my breathing. I turned back to them looking at the red S painted on their back and I had to keep my feet from running. The Red Saviors haven't made an appearance for weeks. This rebel group was the city’s only hope, a twisted hope. But it was still someone that we looked up to save us, to help guide us out of this wretched place. But why would they attack my partners? Before I knew what I was doing my finger pulled the trigger. The red beam shot at them frying a Red Savior.  

   I quickly dash across the room hiding in the stairwell proud and scared of what I just did. The white in the dark twist around there shouts echoing around the room. Every instinct was screaming at me to run but I had to investigate what they were doing here. Who were they taking?  I put my knees to my chest, breathing roughly in the mask. My gun was clutch tight in my hands pointed at the opening. I couldn’t move even if I had to, so I just sat frozen. Waiting for the darkness to give away to those golden rays. But it would be hours until that would happen. Quietly I push myself up to my knees and peek over the railing. The white eldritch people were on the other side of the room dragging someone, the rest followed them. I was about to get up when I felt a heavy weight on my head. I shuddered in fear as I realized a Red Savior was above me.

  I gulped, and his ruff voice whispered to me. “Get up slowly and put your gun down .Don't make a move.” Sobbing in my mask I put my gun down and did as he told me. “Now take two step backwards” he commands. Immediately I did it. The white of his clothes beam in the dark and his white mask covers his whole face. He puts his gun down and drags me up to the floor. Confused I twist around trying to get free. “Stop” he growls and drags me in an even darker room. He sets me in a chair and I look around searching for an exit route. He then bears the door shut and comes over to me. “Detective Clara it’s me Cadet Blake” I sigh in relief and fall in his arms. “It’s ok,” he whispers, patting me on the shoulder. I ask “Why are you dressed like that”? Blake slumps against the wall putting his head between his arms.I couldn’t see his face so I couldn’t know how he felt. But I couldn’t ask him to take it off or he would die. This darkness was a disease if it got in our lungs we would burst into dust. No one knew where it came from but we know it can’t hurt our skin. 

   Blake said his voice filled with emotion. “I kill… I killed one of them. By accident! They attacked my squad and I just acted out instinct.” He was silent for a while and he quickly said “ I swear I didn’t mean to I, I”- “I know Blake” I said feeling guilty for shooting them. “I saw them taking someone, who…” I said trailing off not sure how to put it into words. “That was officer Green, I’m not sure why they even attacked us” Blake replied. I stand my mind reeling and I pace. I search all around the ground looking for anything that is sharp. Finding a rock near a broken window I started writing on the wall. Spilling every information I know about the Red Savior what they did through the past two years. Blake watched me silently and straightway got up as he knew what I was doing.

   “No that goes up there, that doesn’t make any sense, why would they do that” we would say to each other. Hours later spilling over the details that we wrote on the wall it started to make sense. The “rescue” missions they did, the very planned surprises . The unusual mobs and murders around the city. The speech they wrote on a wall where they supposedly stopped the election of a “bad” man. The main gangster in the city barely made an appearance. How where they connected, how were all these good deeds connecting to Officer Green capture. “What if this was all a ruse Clara”. I scoffed at Blakes assumption. But looking at the facts this group was anything but a savior. Is that why I pulled the trigger? 

  But the facts also say that this group could be all we are hoping for. For someone to save us to take us to a new age. I shake my head and we need more information. I stomp my foot, frustrated. Then Blake grabbed me, his breath coming in fast “Clara ,listen” . We stood silent listening to each other’s breathing and then I heard the muffled voices. My eyes widen hearing Officer Greens pleading with someone. “What are they doing to him?” I say whimpering. Blake shakes his head, not giving me an answer and goes to the wall pressing his ear against it. After a minute he goes to another and then another. He then stops on the right wall listening , I follow pressing my ear to the cold wall. “Tell us” someone screams. “I don’t know anything, I swear, why are you doing this?” Officer Green cry’s. Maybe Blake was right, I continue listening. “Leader Quince, he doesn't know anything let’s try the others” There was a shuffle and then I could hear Officer Green screaming. Promptly I step away but I can still hear his scream through the wall. I push my hands on my ears, turning around trying to block the sound. Closing my eyes tight I hear the sizzling of a gun ray shooting. 

  I dropped to my knees as his screams were cut short, my chest tightened. I sucked in some air but it wasn’t enough. I couldn’t breath, I couldn’t think. I wanted to scream, how could we be so fooled so easily. Blake slowly kneels in front of me, his breath ragged. “Will expose them Clara, we just need a plan”. I could barely  register what he was saying and my fingers shakily reached for my mask. My fingertips slipped underneath and he wrenched them out .Blake half yelled. “What do you think you're doing”? “ I can’t breathe” I say breathless. “ Well pulling off your mask isn’t the answer, you’ll die. Breathe with me.” He sucks in a breath and I do the same copy his rising and fall of his chest.Soon I can breathe normal and all I have on my mind is getting those sinister, menacing , corrupt individuals. But there was something ominous in the air that threatened my way of thinking. “This is what I’m thinking we should do…”

   Three hours later with four hours until the suns came up we were getting into positions. We went over every possible situation we could think of. Creeping toward the door, Blake handed me his gun, “remember if anything happens just press this button” he points to the side of the gun. I nod and we slide down the stairs making sure we had the room Red Savior were in , in sight. The floor where I saw them drag away Officer Green is cleared and Blake pulls me into a hug. He disappears into the dark leaving me to do my task. I inch forward , twisting around every once in a while to see if any one was there. Going down two flights of stairs and rooting through each room until I found what I was looking for. This was vitality important, if I mess this up then everything falls apart. 

  Looking through an old box with wires and paper my hand grasps something thick and sold. I pull it out and almost sob with relief. I put the computer on a desk and I searched for a wire to charge the computer. Finding two promising chargers I plug one in. Nothing happens and my heart drops, I finger another hole in the computer and plug it in. Hoping for even a light on the screen but nothing seems to happen. I rip it out of the socket and throw it across the room. My eyes widen and I look to the door scared that someone heard that. I stayed silent and frozen but no sound or motion came from the door. I go back to the task at hand and put the other charger in hoping with everything that it works. Plugging it into the wall and I stare at the screen. It doesn’t make a sound, it doesn’t light up, I wanted to scream. I stand searching the room and my eyes land on another box behind the door. I hurry over and dump the contents out . A bunch of wires were tangled and I busy myself by untying them. When I heard a chime I whip around, the computer screen lit up. I smiled and ran over not caring how much noise I made. 

  Grateful for my background in computers, I hack in searching for something out of the ordinary. Nothing. I go over to a new file and gather information about the religious and political views through the past several years tying them back to the Red Savior . Saving it I hack into the system of the city and send an invite to the computer Blake was supposed to be at. Like we planned. Sending all the information to the account and I open the cameras all around the city to the one outside. All I had to do was connect it to a hand held camera. Then I heard a sound.

   I spun around my hand reaching for the gun. But before I could grasp it I was knocked against the wall by a red beam.I screamed , clutching my shoulder. I was almost done, just press the damn button. There was another shot but I dodged it and scrambled for the computer. Multiple of the ghostly white clothes comes at me and one of them knocks the computer on the ground. It rips from the plug tumbling to the floor , I yell “No”!  I lunged for my gun hitting the desk by the momentum. Breathing harder than I could keep up I started shooting the ray gun. They start dropping but more just seem to come.

  Then I remember the button on the side and I push it hard. The gun rumbled and seemed to be twice as heavy then it was. It shot out a huge ray of blue and white. It sprayed all around the room and I couldn’t control it. Grunting with effort I clutched it and forced it on them. When I’m sure there was no more I scurry over to the computer. It didn’t delete anything and I clutched it to my chest. I look at the gun's ray level, it’s almost gone. It needed to charge and I needed a camera. I slithered down the hall thinking about the building's history. It was an office building for some type of gaming program so they should have a camera somewhere. I look at the wall searching for directions. 

  There was an arrow pointing to the floor below “Gaming area and production”.  That was another floor down would I have time to come up three more floors and get what I need. I’m sure that the rest of Red Savior must have worried about where all their puppets went. I had to do it. I bound the steps to the floor and searched through all the rooms. Broken computers and tables were lined up. Glass was broken all around the floor. Finding a working camera is going to be harder than I thought. Going to the next room, ultimately the same thing. My steps quicken as I run across the hall to a big room , a big oak desk in the middle. It was rotting and the floor was curled up. There was a huge screen at the back of the room and a camera at the top. My eyes light up and I grab a steady chair. Standing up on it I reach for the camera. I wasn’t tall enough. There was nothing that was tall enough to reach it, besides the table. I hop off the chair and bring the table over. It sagged in the middle and I knew I had to be quick.

    Shakily I stand on the table, my foot ripping through the top. I grimace and take my foot out inching closer to the camera. Standing on my tippy toes I carefully examine the camera and take it. There was a crack on the lens and I turned to get off. The table then splits underneath me and I fall to the floor. I suppress a scream as a long wood splint lodges itself in my leg. Gasping and clutching my leg I crawl away from the mess. I quickly expected the camera , it was safe. I grab my gun and computer and limp out of the room. Hearing faint steps I hurry to another area searching for a place to hide. My eyes landed on a vent and I brought a chair over, it was low enough to hop into. Opening the vent I put my belongings inside when I hear footsteps coming closer. I pull myself up , gritting my teeth as the wood digs more into my skin. Landing in the vent I push on to the floor above. 

   In the room closest to where the Red Saviors are hiding I drop through the vent. Hooking up the camera and computer, I give myself a chuckle. I did it! All I had to do is video tape them in the act. I looked out the window. It wasn't even close to being light, I had about three hours. I hit record and it was sending feed to the city and I climbed back into the vent and over to those evil people. Positioning the camera toward them my breathing seemed to double. As they told their plan about taking over the city I made sure I got it all. All those good deeds were a ruse, like Blake said. My city will know the truth. Yes it was a revolting and shameful city and I hated it most of the time. But it was my city, there were good people here. That deserved to know what was going on. How these beautiful people made this city shine. I was snapped out of my thoughts when I fell through the ceiling. The camera skidded out my hands.

   It landed a few feet away picturing all of us. The white figures stare at me, their guns pointing on me . I put my hands up, my gun nowhere in sight.“Just let me go” I say, my voice trembling. “Take her, and get information and then kill her” one of them commands. I shake my head, pleading trembling with fear. Other white clothed beings went after me and I jerked away and their hand pulled on my mask. I tug away and the mask ripped off and I fell. I scream expecting my death on my next breath . But nothing happened and my lungs felt clean. My eyes widen knowing that everything was a lie, I look to the camera. They knew too.

   I look back to the Red Savior there gun at me. “It’s not possible,” one of them stated. “No one should know about this, shoot her”.  I crawled away my leg screaming in pain. “No”! Then the red ray flashes and searing pain ripped through me. City avenged me!