Later that night, Ashanti and I snuck out of our homes and met up in the back of the complex. We sat down together on a small bench that faced the Hudson River, which was beautiful at this midnight hour with the moon’s reflection shining on the water.

“You ready for tomorrow?” she asked, watching the waves flow.

“Yeah. I hope Agent Dai and the Obsidian soldiers can take down Mr. Payne.”

She smiled and shook her head. “No, I’m talkin’ ‘bout fightin’ with Obsidian. I already spoke to Tory about it when you left out to speak with Darius. He agreed we should join in and help the soldiers. Agent Dai even assured our safety from Obsidian’s side, so I think we’re good as long as we watch out for the Cogs.”

Her intention to battle in the war left me speechless until I had to ask, “I hear what’chu sayin’, Shanti, but you sure it’s a good idea for you to be in all that? I mean, I’m not tryin’ to offend you or nothin’, but—”

“I can handle myself, Zay.” I chuckled at the nickname as she rolled her eyes and grinned, continuing, “I’m just tired of watchin’ people die. If I can prevent someone from losin’ their life, I’ll risk mine to make sure it happens.”

Our discussion led me to thinking about Marcus, whose death I never talked about with Ashanti. “So, on that subject a lil’ bit… Marcus…” She looked at me when his name was mentioned. “He was a chill dude. Y’all two were close and kinda seeing each other, right?”

“Well, he was a very sweet and respectful guy with a lot of passion. It’s why I took his offer to go on a date that day ‘cause no one asked me out in a gentle manner the way he did. But to sorta answer your question, no, we weren’t serious or anythin’ like that.”

I regretted bringing up their closeness, because now I was clueless on how to follow up in the conversation. She looked back at the river, which was a good sign so she wouldn’t see the nervousness on my face. But what could I say next? Bring up Mr. Payne? Talk about her friend, Ciara? Marcus, again?

Okay, I went with Marcus again.

“I think if he was here, he’d be fightin’ alongside us, you know? Probably locking the Cogs in submissions and drop kickin’em.”

She laughed. “True. So, with that said, are you with us tomorrow?”

“Yeah, of course. Thing is, though, I’m still lost on how this whole power system works.” She turned her whole body to me and listened. “Like, say if I somehow get over my nightmares and start livin’ a normal life, would my abilities disappear ‘cause I no longer have the desire to fight my demons? I’ve been tryin’ to rationalize it all and figure things out, but it’s so complicated with the bits of information we have.”

She was so attentive that I could see the care in her eyes. The sudden spread of her lips to form a smile still didn’t remove the keen expression on her face. She was special.

“Zayn, I believe your power doesn’t come from just your own problems, but from the issues that other people have to deal with, too. You can see the Shadows ‘cause you have a desire to get rid of them. You want to make a change in our society. You want to cleanse the negativity in the air. You, Zayn, are different from most. You have a heart. You are special.”

As if her words weren’t enough, she raised her hand with her palm facing me, leading me to press my own palm into hers. She then laced her fingers through mine, causing my heart to skip a beat as I looked at our entanglement before staring back at her pretty brown eyes. Like magic, her next move didn’t register in my mind until the warmth of her breath caused a shiver down my spine. It was then that the softness of her lips against mine created a euphoria I would never forget.

Still holding hands, we sat for a little longer and gazed at the moon in silence. Stars aligned, as did the motion of the tides in the river. Everything was perfect. For now.

☾☼☽

Phone in my hoodie. Headphones around my neck. This was it.

Showtime.

Beside me were Tory, Ashanti, and Darius. We stood a short distance away from a large factory under the clear blue sky. The building towered over the tall trees and small warehouses that were all stationed in a secluded area surrounded by grass and concrete pathways.

Lined up next to us were an army of men and women wearing black, full-body armor with a white O insignia placed on their protective gear. They were led by Dai and another male agent in a navy-blue suit.

“Are you all prepared?” Agent Dai requested to know after walking over to the four of us without armor. We gave our confirmation with different gestures of approval before he said, “Good, good. We were unable to prepare protection for the four of you on such short notice, so remember to fall back if necessary. You are more valuable to us alive than dead.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ashanti snapped at him.

Before he could give an explanation, the agent in the navy-blue suit approached us. He lit a cigarette in his mouth before asking, “So, this is your group, Dai. We’re never going to get a break from teenagers thinking they’re superheroes, are we?”

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He said that like he knew others our age fighting against corrupted individuals. Could he have been talking about the girl with silver hair from the deleted video?

“Oh, we don’t think we’re heroes, sir,” Tory began, “we’re just some cool kids from the block here to make a difference. That’s all.”

The agent chuckled before walking back to the soldiers. Tory had been the most hyped out of all of us. He was dripped out in all white despite the fact this’ll be our dirtiest confrontation to date.

“Really, bro? Why the white?” I couldn’t help but ask.

He smirked. “’Cause we ‘bout to cleanse the streets.”

Weak, but whatever.

Both Dai and the other agent gave a rundown of the mission to everyone present before commanding the soldiers to move out. I gripped my phone in my hoodie at the sight of them marching forward. Music had been my saving grace throughout my entire life, and that wasn’t going to change here. Not when I was so close to bringing peace to myself and our society.

Gunfire howled through the air the second we were close enough to be spotted. Multiple Cog members were positioned in the windows of the factory and warehouses with their guns aimed directly at the soldiers rushing toward the buildings. An exchange of bullets from both sides led to us unarmed individuals hiding behind whatever sturdy defense we laid our eyes on—like trucks and rows of steel equipment.

“This wild as hell,” Darius shouted over the storm of gunshots. He, Ashanti, Dai, and I were crouched behind a long barricade while Tory and the other agent progressed onward through the commotion.

“I was not expecting our enemies to be so prepared,” Dai said to us, standing fully on his feet. “Regardless, we are not safe here. We must move the moment—”

Ashanti pounced on Dai out of nowhere just before a bullet was fired over the barricade. Had she not pushed him to the ground, he’d most definitely have a hole in his head.

“Thank you,” he said to her, wide-eyed.

She slid off him, still lying low while gripping the side of her head. “Save it, okay? Let’s find a way inside the factory.”

“H-How did she know?” Darius’s baffled expression was something new. “She can see the future or somethin’?”

Explanations had to come later, especially with our chance to enter the devil’s domain now being wide open after the sudden subsiding of gunfire. Even though the Silicon Cogs had the field advantage, they were no match for the armor and weaponry of the Obsidian soldiers, who had already put an end to the Cog’s surprise assault.

After looking around, however, our environment was anything but peaceful. It was a massacre. Bodies of lifeless men hung from the windows of the buildings, the grounds below painted with their dripping blood. Ashanti could do nothing but frown at the unsettling sight before making her way to the front of the factory. Tory and the other agent were already positioned with the soldiers.

“This coldblooded,” Darius mumbled, his eyes low. “These dudes ain’t deserve this. They never had a chance.”

“It’s Mr. Payne’s fault,” I told him. “He has control over them with his manipulation power. I don’t believe they’d be throwin’ their lives away like this if that wasn’t the case.”

He made a fist and chewed his bottom lip. The death of the Cogs was hitting him harder than any of us.

“Come on, Zayn. Let’s do somethin’ ‘bout this.”

We joined the others at the entrance of the factory, where the soldiers used a battering ram to break open the front door. Inside were boxes, industrial robots, and manufacturing machines that seized operations without the Cogs at the handle. The lack of gang members had us all on alert. There had to have been some of them remaining.

“There.” Dai pointed to a large steel door at the other end of the room. “That should be our way to traverse further.”

Half of the Obsidian soldiers did a sweep of the first floor while the others attempted to break down the large door with the battering ram. The impact couldn’t even leave a mark for some reason, leading Tory to crack his knuckles and step up.

“Aight, let me take a shot at it.”

The soldiers backed away and gave Tory his space. The other agent smiled next to me and said, “I like this kid.”

Tory was ready to put on a show, but the sudden arrival of multiple Cog members with automatic weapons canceled our plans of reaching the finale. They stampeded from different parts of the factory, ambushing us and the soldiers who were investigating the area.

Most of us took cover once again, this time behind a long conveyor belt. Both sides appeared to be taking hits as blood-curdling screams echoed through the building. Unable to move without the risk of being shot and killed, I started to doubt our decision to come here.

“We have to open that door,” Agent Dai hollered. “If we take out the core, the machine will fall.”

Tory gritted his teeth before yelling, “Cover me, everybody.”

He dodged the incoming fire with lightning-fast reflexes as the soldiers stood together to fend off the Cogs with their own round of bullets. Machines exploded around us as Tory punched and kicked the door with incredible speed and power, leaving dents with every strike.

A Cog slithered his way through the danger zone and aimed his rifle at Tory, whose back was turned while he focused on breaking down the door. My finger was inches away from hitting play on my phone and dashing over to save him, but Dai extended his arm forward and made a gripping motion with his hand, somehow resulting in the Cog member being unable to move his body. He struggled trying to release himself from the invisible restraint until he fell on the floor, giving Tory enough time to smash the door wide open.

“You’re a Dreamer, too?” Ashanti questioned Dai in disbelief.

“Yes,” he answered. “My power isn’t strong enough to restrain those with overbearing negativity, but my desire has always been to resolve conflict without violence. I never wish to hurt or kill anyone.”

Ashanti gave Dai a small smile before we heard Tory call out, “Yo, come on. Let’s go.”

Every person on our side sprinted toward him, but unfortunately, more Cog members showed up. This time with even bigger guns.

“Time to get serious,” Tory shouted. He cupped his hands together and released a wave of energy with the thrust of his arms. The blast lasted until every Cog member in our presence was laid out.

“Bro, was that—”

Tory groaned and fell to one knee, unable to answer me. The strain of his video game abilities was beginning to take their toll on him. This was bad for us as more Cog Members bolted in the factory from the entrance we entered in.

Where the hell were these guys hiding in the first place?

“You.” Dai turned to me. “Go. They will keep coming until the marked Dreamer is defeated. You have to stop him.”

Ashanti nodded in agreement. Darius stood by me and said, “I’m goin’ with him.” He then looked down at Tory. “Lil’ bro, rest up. I’m proud of you.”

With the Obsidian soldiers and my friends shielding me and Darius, the two of us headed toward the final battle. It was here that we would confront the true source of our problems.