Red Alert Part 1

CW: some swear words and intense bits of medical attention

“3...2...1... Happy New Year!” Shouting and laughing can be heard from all angles of the roof-top. Branden and Kailyn were so stoked to start the new year off right with all of their friends. It is 2045 after all. The early 2010's throw-back party was exactly what they needed. Mustache necklaces, Tumblr festival aesthetic covered the tables, they adorned skinny jeans, flower crowns and Vans. Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Flo Rida on repeat. Takis, sushi burritos, and Pretzel M&Ms... Reliving their cringy teen years was the most nostalgic thing they could have done, and with good reason. So much has changed since then and they just love to celebrate. Every year they do a decade's party and this one was the most fun they've had!

The small screen pops up above Branden's head. “Warning, Low Battery”. “Oh, gotta go charge! Be right back y'all.” A few years ago every human received a battery implant in their arm. It helps their academic brains become more computer-like, quicker, more efficient. In normal circumstances, you would just recharge yourself but people with chronic health issues and co-morbidities may even need to be revived and there's always a chance they may not come out of it even with technological advances, no one can live forever... (Can they?)

You can usually just get the battery replaced if it ever wears out, but not Branden. He has EDS, and a heart condition that he's dealt with since he was a teenager. His co-morbidities would make it more difficult for him to be revived. Branden gets to the charging station outside the stairs and immediately feels something is off... “Why isn't this connecting?”, he thinks to himself frantically. “KAILS! Can you come in here please?”, he shouts trying to get her attention, but she can't hear him. He pings his watch to see if she can grab his location and teleport to him. *PING* Kailyn notices her watch. “Hey, it's Branden, be right back!”

Kailyn teleports to him: “What's going on babe?”

“It's... not... working” Branden fights back tears and tries to fight off the dizziness as he tries to plug himself in. The screen above his head now flashing red “Two Minute Warning”.

“Shit...Let's try the other one in the living room.” Kail picks him up gingerly and teleports both of them to the living room. “What the fuck? This one is broken too...” Branden starts hyperventilating from anxiety. “I- It's ok... it's gonna be ok.” Kail dials the emergency number. “My boyfriend's battery is about to die and the chargers at home aren't working.”

“Not to worry ma'am. He will wake up after being plugged in again.”

“No, no you don't understand. He's starting to pass out...”

“Not to worry ma'am. He will wake up after being plugged in again.”

“You just said that! Hello? I'm trying to explain to you that he is dying right now!”

And for a third time the woman on the phone repeats herself. “Brody, Gemma, LeeAnne, Piper, get in here NOW!” Kailyn pings all of them to her location. Kails is one of the softest, sweetest humans, but Branden was her weak spot, the love of her life, she would do anything for him and she was already terrified of losing him. All four friends immediately jump in to help. “What the hell is going on?”: Brody being six foot four, towers over the rest of them. Gemma, LeeAnne, and Piper are all between five foot two and five foot five, Piper being the strongest but smallest of the three ladies. Piper and Gemma have been dating for just a few months but have had mutual friends within this group for years. LeeAnne and Brody have been married for a decade. Brody being the strongest of all attempts chest compressions on Branden while Gemma and LeeAnne each try calling the emergency number:

“Good morning this is the local emergency hotline what is your emergency?”

“Our friend's battery is dead and he is not breathing!”

“Not to worry ma'am. He will wake up after being plugged in again.”

“He has EDS and a heart condition! He's already dozing in and out of consciousness. Please send an ambulance!”

“Not to worry, ma'am. He will wake up after being plugged in again.”

“Why do you keep saying that?” *CLICK* *BEEP*

“It hung up on us! I don't even think they're sending anyone...”

“Let's go to my place, the chargers there will work.”, exclaims Piper.

The rest of the group picks Branden up and they teleport to Piper's cozy apartment. The light blue walls brighten up the place even though everything seems to be caving in.

Brody lays Branden down on the floor to make sure they're all prepared to do CPR again if needed. Piper tries plugging him in but to no avail.

“What the hell is going on?”, shouts LeeAnne into the void as she tries to help Kails make the guest bed for Branden. All of the sudden, a high pitched screeching can be heard throughout the entire town. Everyone's watches flash red beams for about ten seconds but it feels like an eternity.

Branden is jolted awake: “WOAH!”, he shouts, shocked.

“Babe! Are you okay?” Kailyn goes over excitedly but trys to be gentle incase he's hurt.

“I... I have full battery again! Thanks for charging me you guys”, Branden says with a huge smile as he starts stretching himself out. “Dude... that wasn't us...”, says Gemma, her voice shaking. “If it wasn't you guys then... How did it happen?” As Branden asks the all-important question: The power goes out in Piper's house.

“Ok someone must seriously be out to get us...”, Brody says under his breath.

“Oh come on guys no one is out to get us but... something is for sure going on and we need to figure out what it is.. Our watches are all dead, Branden suddenly awake, this is not normal...” recites Kailyn. They all start wracking their brains.

“Let's head to my place and see if something works there.”, LeeAnne says with hope in her voice.

“Oh, shit, we can't teleport without service...”

“Just hop in the minivan, we'll get there in no time!”, Piper exclaims, trying to seem cool on the outside but boiling with fear internally. Piper is a tiny little thing at five foot two but she sure knows how to drive a car full of passengers! She may not have any kids but she has nieces and nephews galore that she helps to cart around when her sister Paisley goes away on business trips. Six kids later and one more on the way, Paisley is a determined, hardworking mama. Teleporting is an amazing way to get around, but it can only be done within a thirty-mile radius; everyone around here needs cars in case there's ever no service. Besides, where's the fun in just hitting a button all the time when road trips are some of the gangs' favorite activities?!

They arrive slowly but surely to the welcoming home. Her and Brody don't have any children either, but they do have three cats: Loki, Captain, and Dove who come to greet everyone at the door. The navy-blue carpet in the living room keeps any stains from showing too much and the white walls brighten the entire house. Painted tan on the outside with a fully furnished up and downstairs, this is the most lavish of any of their places. They all start chatting towards the cats and petting them gently as they try to figure out what's going on. “Even the little guys seem off... don't they?”, asks Brody. The cats that are usually so excited to see everyone are skittish even after some petting. “Maybe there's a storm brewing?”, suggests Branden. No sooner does lightning crack outside the bay window. Rain begins to drum onto the roof as if they were at a metal concert. The cats run and hide. Finally, one by one their watches gain service again. Branden starts to feel dizzy and falls off the old tan couch with a loud thud. “BRANDEN!”, Kailyn runs to his side and she feels dizzy too. All of the friends start to feel dizzy and weak. Everyone passes out. The night becomes even darker. The power in the house goes out. Sirens go off. Lightning strikes over and over again. Their watches jolt them all awake every time lightning hits. “I think the weather is affecting the towers and our batteries and watches are being affected too...”, says LeeAnne. Somehow they all manage to stay awake trying to fight their exhaustion. “But that's practically impossible, our internal batteries and watches aren't supposed to be connected, they're supposed to run on separate circuits and our body temperature controls the watch batteries until they need to be replaced.”, says Kailyn. “There's got to be some sort of glitch in the system...”, says Branden. Suddenly, their watches are all on with a message from the mayor: “RED ALERT: There is a glitch in our towns' Wi-Fi and the towers are all down due to weather changes. You are getting this message through the emergency bypass system. Please stay calm and charge yourselves while you can. They'll be watching you. - Signed Mayor Shawns”

“They'll be watching you??? Who the hell is watching us?”, says Branden shocked.

“Oh my god, there's no way...”, says Gemma

“What? What is it, Gem?”, asks Piper curiously terrified.

“Branden... Is your uncle spying on us? Just how broke is that mother fucker?”

“How would I know Gem? I haven't seen the bastard since 2038 when all of this stuff was first in development... Glitches happen. I swear I'm innocent in all of this, I'm just as thrown as y'all.” Maxwell Baxter, also known as Uncle Mac, not only created but funded the newly updated watches and helped with battery repair and implants when things first got going. He's since retired but still has access to the system's most basic functions.

“Did we forget that it also says “they'll” be watching you? Hello? The Way Brothers? The nasty men who actually own the company now since Mac left. They tinker with new stuff all the time. This could just be another one of their stupid experiments.”, shouts Piper.

“Dude, they're in Cancun, it can't be them. They'd have to be here in their office to have access to all the control panels...”, says LeeAnne. (Would they?)

“What about Branden waking up even though his battery is supposed to be dead? What about the phone calls all sounding the same? There's way more to this than just some weather interference...”, Kails says as her voice shakes.

“Wait a minute... Lee, how would you know all of that?”

“What can I say, I follow their socials. You seriously don't think I'm involved do you Kails?”

“I'm sorry but I think we all have a right to be paranoid right now. Someone is spying on not just us but the entire town, possibly even our whole state. There's no way we're safe here right now. I truly think we should try to flee...”, Kailyn says as she fights back tears. A bubble of pain bursts in her belly as she thinks of leaving the place she and Branden call home just for some safety when they thought this was the perfect place to be planted.

“Kailyn... Honey...We can't leave, it's for our safety, especially mine. You know the drill. You and the rest of our loved ones might be okay... But once we leave the state our watch connections aren't as strong, our batteries are no longer using local chargers, they're slower, less effective, it's such a huge risk...Our family and friend road trips barely make it past state lines for more than an overnight at Aunt Kim's' at Christmas.”, says Branden holding her shoulders tenderly. He understands her fears but how could she suggest he risk his life because there's a little glitch going on... I mean... Seriously. How could she? Is leaving the state really as bad as it seems? Will the glitch just go away on it's own? Is someone favoring Branden through all this or is he somehow involved in a way he's not even aware of? Was LeeAnne bluffing? Is the Mayor behind this or just trying to send out a warning? Is something much deeper going on?

To Be Continued.