Scade Rover sat drowsed, strapped in a seat slanting his head on his shoulder. Through a monitor below his militaristic boots, dark thundering clouds blitzed flashes, blinding the video feed for less than a second. Thick lines bloomed white cracks on layering supercharging clouds. Wild turbulence shocked his drowsiness awake to alertness. 

Confused, Scade looked with frantic obsession his tickling senses screamed that something was very wrong here. Surrounded and confined in metal by metal, blinking red and yellow lamps flick switches, screens displaying triangulations. Numerous clustered bleeps heading for same destination. A planet?

Turbulence shook the coffin, the metal shrieked and bolts groaned. Scade clasped the seat belt tight, figuring what to do next. Beside the seat, a battle rifle was stashed, clicked into the walls. It was matted black. The barrel and muzzle of the rifle were indiscernible, giving it stocky rectangle look. Cartridges were wide and short, which Scade assumed to be high caliber rounds. 

Scade grasped at his head and felt the shaded glass helmet covering it. Which to his surprise was comfortable and almost unnoticeable. But knowing now… the feel of something lingered on his skin. A hud opened in the visor. The value of his heart rate appeared which was quite high, beating at 104 a minute. And a radar of some kind, bleeping green dots near him.  

The computer screens blared a warning, ‘Warning! Danger Incoming’. 

Scade blinked erratic. What the fuck? 

A load crash rammed the coffin to a spin. Scade scanned the monitor under his feet. An endless cloudless sky with a horizon of a dreadful dark sparky sea. Scade sunk into the side, head spinning and gut slushing. The belt tightened around his chest plate, and boots clanked on the surface, magnet glued.

‘Course deviated. Adjusting.’

Ignition thrust gushed with short bursts stabilizing the coffin straight. Scade started to sigh but quickly shut lips tight, holding his breath, not in excitement but fear. Dull behemoth scrapers sprung the surface, havocked towers covered in ash. Tall glass towers, broken in warlike destruction, caved towers dusted and blotched city parts. Buildings blazed in fire, plums of smoke escaped under the smoldering heaps of concrete.

Apocalyptic. That word sprung in Scade’s mind. Though he never been in a war, he had seen destruction in movies. But at this scale… how the fuck did I get here?

Remembering the past week.

Scade sat on his bed with his back at the barren wall, gazing away at the screen to pass time. It had been a two years since his sentencing, just a month more. In the first year he often fantasied about freedom, instead now he started fearing it. 

There was a certain charm to prison life. Knowing were to stand, what to do and what is expected from him, a routine instilled by an unstoppable force, the oppressive power of incarceration. Before, he thieved around the city, stealing jewels and priced possession, barging from unlocked windows, scanning the floor for quick cash. Now he stared at screens and walls, man playing cards or pool and on occasion escaping in virtual reality. 

But at least his bed was safe and dry. All in all life a minimal security prison wasn’t too bad. He was already sentenced before he got imprisoned, no family or nobody to hold on too. Although he had occasional hook-ups, all were short lived. Maybe he shouldn’t have pushed Lera away. But its been two years, too late to regret now.

The channel finally started the program he planned to watch. Lucky Shot was a lottery program, with its main focus on his district. A system for the estranged, extreme amounts of money in exchange for service. Everyone in the district knew the catch, service. 

A service of no return.

He stared with disinterested at the overtly excited presenter, her bouncing blond hair caught most his of attention. Does she really need to move her head with each sentence?

After she finished introductions and fading into the background, the eight digit counter appeared with above an empty picture frame. Eight digits, a million forced to roulette the lottery. Maybe the intrigue pulled Scade into watching. It wasn’t that he liked the despair of the ill-fated. 

The zero’s started to shift and Scade hastly grabbed the remote, idling his thumb above the control pad. His eyes shifted and narrowed to a frown. Was it just curiosity or a morbid satisfaction? 

He pushed the latter thought away. Just curious.

Scade placed the remote on his mattress shoving it away under the sheets. Months and weeks prior such question never rattled his mind. A thief with a sense of morality… he scoffed at himself and resumed watching.

The numbers halted to 50917583 displaying Dan Whistle a weathered man. His mouth hidden behind a thick well groomed beard, the gray and black strands intertwined, an odd style choice with the brownish faded beanie, visible worn to tears. The middle-aged man reminded Scade of a hipster hobo, he at times saw wandering the streets. There was defiance in his eyes, tranquil and bright, unlike a caged animal accepting its faith but fearless and determent.

The presenter walked around the digital counter arms flailing wide and evaporated the man from the screen with a swoosh. She widened the corners of her mouth, flaunting enchanted pearly teeth, almost tricking Scade into thinking it was a genuine smile.  

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Numbers spun once again.

A young man with tired eyes appeared on screen. His ruffled hair stark black. And face clean shaved. Tiny wounds blotched his chin, as if he had been in a hurry that morning with a dull blade. As if he needed to be presentable for a job interview that morning. As if it was him… 

His eyes shot at the name. Scade Rover, 10363636 

His insides fried, everything went to shit.

After the television screen and prison lights died, the alarms blared loud. Light switched orange-red blinking, disorienting. Inmates talked hurried, asking about the situation while scurrying into their cells. Yells came from afar, guards bashing their sticks against the bars. Their uptight yells had an immediacy tilt to anger, different than their usual friendly demeanor. 

A flash shone in his eyes, masking the shadow casting it with bright blinding light. Scade’s legs sprawled kicking his sheets from the bed, wildly grabbing the remote. 

“Careful now. I don’t like it anymore than you do.”

Recognizing the hefty voice Scade threw the remote at guard. 

“Oh yeah! Fuck you Jim.”

The remote bounced of Jim’s potted belly striking the concrete floor, batteries clattered and rolled in tense silence.

“You know the drill Scade.” Jim said. He holstered the flash light and instead brandished a baton tapping it softly on his palm. “Nice and easy.”

“I just got a fucking month left…” Scade nimbled of the bed, shifting his bare feet on smooth concrete for footing. Adrenaline coursed through his heart, increasing the muscle twitch and brimming him with unknown strength

Scade bit inside of lip, “come and get me!” he snarled.

In the blaring orange-red lights Jim stared surprised. There was a visible struggle on his face. Jim glanced beside him, whispering quick words with another guard and shook his head. He returned to the stare, and this time, he made up his mind. 

Scade’s thoughts deafened in the silence, only perceiving. His gaze steadily fixed at Jim.  The baton barely slid from his fat fingers until he clasped, and hell broke lose. 

Jim bulldozed roaring like an angry hippo at him, swinging high. 

Scade tensed his quads and hurdled with twirl around the swing, the gust of the baton skimmed through his hair. In a twist, Scade thrusts his elbow in his side, twisting and digging for weakness.  

Jim howled lunging at Scade’s arm grabbing it pull him down, striking the baton with power on his back and legs. 

Feeling that the situation started to turn dire, Scade yanked free slipping through the fatty’s sweaty fingers and side stepped back to the corner. His struck legs soared with pain, weakening them considerably. 

Fuck you for blocking my way.

“IT’S OVER SCADE!” Jim growled, huffing and puffing with beads of sweat collecting on his bald head. 

Bits of strength returned to his leg, shifting weight from feet to feet, he smirked. 

“I decide that jimmy. Not you, the Directive, this prison or anyone else. It’s me!” 

Scade leaped with balled fist at Jim, dodging his thrashing arm and swinging baton with swerves. As if time was slowing, Scade leveraged his arm and shifted his feet and threw a punch at Jim’s jaw. 

Jim panicked and stepped back trying to dodge the incoming fist. As it hit, something inside snapped. Jim’s eyes rolled upwards collapsing against the wall. His hefty body fell on his side, breathing loudly. 

Scade gave Jim a short glance, idiot. On to the next.

Scade stepped out of his cell and strange ejection sounded. Sharp darts hooked and punctured his skin. Before he could react, high volts ripped down through the wire. His muscles contorted to the point of losing control and fell on the ground.

 Surrounded by the guards standing in the shallow flaring lights. Scade growled mad, and moved his head with willpower to the side.

A loud sigh sounded from of the head guard.

“It might be minimal security but serious. Who in a right mind think they can escape prison. Believe me I have seen stupid… but this Scade. This is really the icing of the cake.”

Scade eyed him with hatred. Parker!

“Increase the volts.” 

The electricity spasmed his flesh and muscles, micro tearing by overexertion. A sudden regret of everything washed his will the fight away.  

“You know… it’s not just the job. Seeing bugs squirm gives a unique kind of pleasure. Especially worthless fodder like you, Scade. The sad thing his the only friendly face around here is that pig. And you know gullible old Jim is. He even tried to persuade me to let you walk, you know… but his wife and kids… They would’ve been accountable for the mess you made.”

Scade tried to speak but growls only escaped his mouth.

Parker stroked his thinned above the lips mustache and crouched beside Scade and whispered. “Even just a petty crook like you, Scade, doesn’t deserve to life. You will die out there and no one will miss you…” 

Scade raised his brows shock. 

Parker started to walk circles around him, smiling with his coffee stained. “I spend my time know my prisoners. And your history was an especial bundle of joy. Losing your parents at 14 and subsequently dragged through an inheritance issued court… correct me if I’m wrong. By your loving aunt. I got to say that house of yours… hers. Last time I checked was on sale, and I’ll be damned if don’t take my family for a quick house tour. 

Memories of that time flashed before Scade. Fury bubbled over the memories, I want him dead. There was no coming back anyways. Scade struggled up pushing himself from the floor and slipped, falling once again. 

“Believe me. I know love when I see it, and you got none, not in this time line.” Parker reached for his baton and struck Scade on the temple, knocking him out cold.