“Brother, I’ve finished it!”

Cael smiled hearing the elation in his voice. He looked down to the bottom of the hill where a young boy was panting on his knees, his blond hair drenched in his sweat. The boy held a shiny black pyramid in his hands.

“Alright, I’m coming down.”

Brushing the grass off his trousers, Cael made his way down the slope and watched as his brother fiddled with the pyramid on the ground.

“All that’s left is to set the location, and done!”

The boy stood up proudly, and stepped back.

Blue veins appeared on all sides of the pyramid as the top of the contraption peeled open to reveal a round projector. The boy stood to the side, holding his hands in prayer, however-

Suddenly, the veins on the surface started to flicker, and the machine came to a halt. The boy fell to his knees, his eyes shining with tears. Cael stood over him, his hand on the boy’s shoulder, and stepped towards the machine. He bent over and opened the device, and began to re-route the wires. Once more, the machine’s surface began to flicker, and Cael stood back as the projector flickered to life.

“You did well, Spes. This time you were closer than you’d ever been.”

“But like this, I’ll never be better than you.”

Cael chuckled and replied, “Well, it would be rather embarrassing, being surpassed by my baby brother.”

Spes looked up and gave a pout. “Stop calling me that Cael, I’m already seven. Besides, you’re only two years older, you know.”

Cael laughed. “Yeah, but you’ll always be my baby brother.”

They both smiled, and looked up at the clouds. Countless stars sparkled as they were projected across the bright red sky, and they did so until the projector slowly flickered out.

"Cael?" Spes turned to face him with a sad expression, as their view was enveloped in darkness. "Do you really think, that mother is watching us from up there?" His eyes, full of longing, bore straight into his brother's own, as he waited for his reply. His hands clenched in anticipation.

Cael smiled. "I don't really know what there is 'up there', but I'm sure, wherever she is now, no matter where she goes, she will always be watching."

"And father too?"

"Yep!" A huge sigh of relief escaped Spes' mouth, as his expression softened to one of satisfaction. "Cael?"

"Yes?" The younger snuggled up to his brother, and closed his eyes.

"No matter what happens, don't go away."

Still smiling, Cael looked at his brother with an expression full of affection.

"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

A strange noise coming from behind made Cael frown. It wasn't a sound that he was accustomed to hearing, yet not entirely unfamiliar. Years ago, when his mother was still well, she had taken Cael to a place she called a 'hanger', an old building full of machines known as hover crafts. The distinctive sound they made when activated was something he had enjoyed, and something he'd never forgot. And the sound that he heard was of an engine far larger.

Spes looked at Cael uneasily; he had never heard the noise before. The two lifted their heads and looked to the sky behind them, and gazed into the darkness. The sounds continued to grow until they were so close, the wind pushed the boys away through sheer force. The glow of the hover craft lit up the sky and everything around them. The boys gaped at the enormous mass drifting across the sky, surrounded by hundreds of smaller crafts flying in formation.

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"Cael!" Spes was tugging at his sleeve, his fear shining on his face. He pointed towards the woods behind the hill, where a number of dots emitting the same glow as the hover craft came to view. They were people, he realized, carrying long barrels and variety of strange devices at their hips.

Cael started to back away, his hand tightly gripping his brothers. Their movements alerted the men of their presence, and the two boys were quickly surrounded by them.

One of the men stood forward, and slid his right index finger across his fore arm. The glowing armor folded upon itself to reveal a large muscular man wearing a thin black body suit.

"Children!" The man looked shocked, and spoke with a tone of disbelief. "That's impossible! You two!" directing his speech to the siblings. "How old are you?"

Cael felt Spes shiver, holding his arm as though it were a buoy in the middle of the ocean. A burst of animosity towards the man bloomed within Cael. He looked at the man, and calmly replied, "I am nine, and my little brother is seven." His eyes never left the man's face.

A murmur of unease quickly spread through the men, and a one out front continued to openly stare at the siblings.

The soldier opened his mouth, yet no words came out. When he tried again, this time, his inquiry came in a low whisper, "Are there others? Other children living in this nation?" His voice was hoarse.

Cael felt puzzled, although he kept it from his face. "I assume so, although we've had no methods of confirming for ourselves. My brother and I have lived out here all our lives, and have been alone since our parents passed away." Spes continued to shiver, but his breathing slowed down as he listened to his brother's voice. Cael gripped his hand.

The agitation never left the soldier's face as he briefly muttered something into one of his devices, and then listened as a reply was given. When the men began drawing closer to the boys, Cael raised his arm and glared.

"I'm sorry boy, but until we have a better understanding of the situation, we'll have to take you into custody." Cael cooly observed all the men one by one, and then asked, "Do you have any intention to do my brother any harm?" He looked into the man's eyes, waiting for even a moment of hesitation. The man shook his head. There were none.

He softened his expression, and looked at his brother. "Spes, we're going to go with these men for now. No matter what, just stay with me. and you'll be fine, alright?"

Spes nodded once. The fear never left his eyes. "Cael, you promised, right? You'll never go away?"

Cael smiled. "Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."