Linux couldn’t breathe. All the air in his lungs was stuck in his throat. He choked on all the carbon dioxide that was meant to leave his body, and became light headed from it. When he started breathing again, he coughed into his shoulder so hard his throat went sore despite the Gaxtex shield. Everything that he ever wanted was finally being given to him. His eyes watered as the urge to cry became stronger than ever.

“Really?”

Kauss nodded, and a smile appeared out of the corner of his mouth. Helona sighed, not too happy about the arrangement. She didn’t want to have to worry about another person with them. He was strong, she could admit it, but one extra person meant that they’d need to get more food. Her mouth watered and stomach rumbled as she thought about eating, and realized that they hadn’t eaten in several days.

“Want to get something to eat?” Helona asked, placing her hand on her stomach.

Everyone nodded, deciding to end the day with a big meal, then hit the bed. It was probably one of the best ways a tired, worn out, and hungry person would want the day to end. They went up the stairs, discussing about what they needed to do.

“Helona,” Linux called to her. “I’m going to make that gun of yours. It should be ready by tomorrow if I start working on it after we eat.”

She nodded and thanked him for the service. At the very least, they could learn about the Gaxtex quicker. They gained something off of it, but it was something they could’ve also gained from time. To her, this was still a horrendous deal. Especially since they needed to kill one of those things outside the dome.

They left the lab and shut the cabinet door; hopefully for good today. Kauss had gotten tired of going in and out of it repeatedly. Linux walked over to the door and said something about going out for some food. He told them to stay behind for obvious reasons and opened the door.

Kauss looked outside with the brief second the door was open. His eyes widened as he looked upon a tremendous sight, one that he didn’t know ever existed. The sky was alive with a soothing orange. The white stuff, clouds, hid the sun so the light blazed to life around the cloud’s edges. They gawked at the sight - except for Linux who had grown used to it - as they tried to figure out if the world was ending or if it was somehow a natural part of life here.

“What’s going on?” Helona asked in a shaky voice.

“That’s the sunset.” Linux explained. “It happens when the day is nearly over.”

The sunset’s orange glow reflected in Kauss’ black eyes, giving off an array of warmth that he never experienced since being born. He wondered if the tower had more sights like this lying above. If something like a setting sun could cause this, then what would the top of the tower look like?

That question was laid bare within his brain. He couldn’t stop thinking about a ceiling that cast a variety of colors, turning the sky into an endless party that wouldn’t stop until the guests leaves the party behind.

Linux left, closing the door behind him. He walked away from his home and onto the streets. His shadow was no longer twice his size as it would be in the afternoon; now it was barely even a foot long. He looked around, scouting for anyone nearby. When he saw no one, he grinned and yelled as loud as he could in a triumphant hurrah.

Once he completed the Gaxtex, he could finally leave this godforsaken place. His father’s, and by extension, his dreams were finally coming into reality. The damage had already been done and the accomplishment wouldn’t cause long-lasting change throughout the floor, but it would at least set his mind to rest. If there was an afterlife, he wondered if his father was looking down at him with a grin and wave.

“It’s finally happening.” Linux said out loud.

“What’s happening?”

Linux froze when he heard the voice. It was a voice that sent chills down his spine every time he hears it. The command and frightening power behind that voice made anyone that heard it realize what they’re place in society truly was.

He looked up and saw one of the four council members, Oculn Magnus. His hair had been turning grey for the past five years, and now strands had begun leaving his scalp, becoming part of the dust that hang in the air. His blue trench coat looked heavy for someone as old as he was, but the Gaxtex shield kept him in top condition.

He held a cane in his right hand, not because he needed it, but because he just liked the look it gave him. He wanted to be seen as someone above the common masses and as much as his ego shined to an annoying degree, he could back it up easily. Someone like him wasn’t to be taken lightly despite his appearance.

“What’s happening, Linux?” Oculn asked with a sly smile.

“Oh, sorry. Didn’t hear you.” Linux stammered. “I think I may have found an alternative for the weapon.”

Oculn nodded, understanding what he was saying. Linux didn’t know if he bought it or not, but he wasn’t necessarily lying.

“Will there be enough of this alternative for more Gaxtexes?”

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Linux shook his head. “No, there won’t be. Sorry about that.”

His expression never changed. He still kept that deceitful smile and showed no signs of belief or doubt. It’s what made him such a powerful enemy. He always hid behind a mask and somehow convinced people it was a genuine face. After years of dealing with it, he’s managed to discern truth from lies.

“So, can you tell me what the alternative is?”

Linux knew he was about to ask that, but he didn’t have a clue on how to answer it. He wanted to avoid the council for as long as possible, but it backfired horribly. His mind raced, coming up with excuse after excuse. His brain turned into a machine meant solely for coming up with poor solutions.

“It’s a simple solution.” Linux stalled. “One that I hadn’t realized sooner from the simplicity.”

Oculn’s grin widened, showing off his ever yellowing teeth. “Pray tell. What is it?”

Linux cursed himself. All he did was limit his own options and doom himself to more thinking. He had to just say the first thing on his mind and hope it works.

“A fan.”

“A fan?”

Linux blinked and began coming up with more to say. “Yeah. Not just any fan either, a fan so strong it could blow away a house.”

Oculn looked at him, eyebrows raised. His fingers thumped the side of his cane as he thought through what Linux had said. Linux doubted he believed him, but hoped there would be no more questions.

“And you think that will work?”

“Better than trying nothing.”

Oculn didn’t lower his eyebrows. Beads of sweat fell from Linux’s face and dripped down onto his shirt. It was clearly visible to anyone looking, and it would be the thing that outed him out if not careful.

“Are you actually going after a Tetson?”

Linux laughed the accusation off. If word got out that he was actually going after one, then the council would send guards to his house and position them there for several months on end. They couldn’t lose him, so it would be better to keep him locked up and unhappy rather than being given the freedom to kill himself.

“No. There would be no reason to risk my freedom for that.”

Oculn sighed and walked away. Linux’s heart beat so fast it felt like it was pushing on his chest. Beads of sweat dripped down his face in a fearful torrent. He took a deep breath to calm himself. When the first one didn’t work, he took deep breath after deep breath until his heart fell back into rhythmic beats.

He was sure that Oculn didn’t buy his story. Someone in his position was too smart for a lie like that. He may know how to build complex and hard to comprehend machines, but he wasn’t smart on any other front. He was a mechanical genius, not a word smith. Taking one final deep breath, and he continued his walk. Not only did he have to get supper now, but he also had to prepare for a trip out of town.

Zavin walked down the road with a fan in hand. It was a simple fan that he ripped from his room. He thought that since it made his room cool during the summer, then maybe it would be able to cool a complicated machine of wires, motherboards, and mysteries electrical energy. He was truly a child, lacking the understanding and severity of the situation.

He knew the door was unlocked since the council forced him to keep it unlocked when he was out. He would have knocked on the door normally, but on the way, he saw Linux and was about to get his attention until he saw him talking to Oculn. So he decided to just wait in his home for him to return.

He had to hurry since his curfew was coming and he needed to be back home before the stars came out. He ran to the home and made it to the house with little time to spare. He could only hope that Linux was coming back soon from his meeting.

He opened the door and closed it behind him. “Linux!” Zavin called out of habit.

When he yelled his name, he heard something moving around in his bedroom. He assumed Linux had somehow made it back before him, but even to a kid, that would be farfetched to think. He ran to the living room and looked around. The cabinet was moved to protect the lab like normal, and the bed was all that was there.

That’s when he noticed it. Under the bed, he could see a white tank top of someone hiding under it. He crouched and looked under the bed, seeing not just one, but three people hiding under it. They looked at him, shocked that he found them.

“I told you we should have just went to the lab.” Helona said.

“We didn’t have the time.” Kauss argued.

They broke out into an argument about who was right and wrong as Zavin stared at them. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do, so he just stood back up, waiting for them to finish. Killian, getting tired of their bickering, slid out from under the bed and stood facing Zavin.

They stood there silently, not knowing what to say to the other. Kauss and Helona were finishing their argument and climbed out from under the bed. The air carried a silent agreement of secrets and promises to be kept.

“Who are you?” Zavin asked.

Killian looked at the boy and crouched down to his level. He placed his hand on the boy’s shoulder and squeezed, but not too tightly to hurt. Zavin didn’t know if he was in any danger, but an uneasy and restless feeling wormed into him.

“We’re from the other town.” Killian answered, taking the initiative. “Sorry if we disturbed you and your thing going on.”

Zavin’s eyes widened, and he held in his breath. Killian wondered if he said something wrong, or if he accidentally squeezed too hard. Whatever it was, it seemed to take a massive toll on the boy.

“Where are the guards?”

“Guards?” Kauss asked.

“The guards that are supposed to come along with people from other towns.”

The uneasiness Zavin felt became even more potent. There was something wrong here, but he didn’t know what it was. He just knew he had to get out as fast as possible. His feet began moving backwards, seemingly of their own volition. He wanted to make a break for it, but he didn’t know if he’d even be able to make it out.

Then he heard the front door open and Linux calling out to someone. “Got supper!”

Zavin took the chance that was given to him. He made a break for it out the bedroom door and ran into Linux’s arms. Linux, shocked at what happened, tried comforting him as soon as he ran into him. He was crying, asking for him to protect him from the bad people.

Linux sighed, realizing he had been caught. It didn’t matter to him now, though. He was already in hot water thanks to Oculn, so it didn’t exactly matter if he was caught hiding first floorers now. But, he could still remedy the situation, if only a little bit. He could even come up with a long-term way to keep the people safe upon his departure also.

“Calm down.” Linux said.

Zavin looked up, confused at what he was doing. He wasn’t trying to fight them or anything. He looked back and saw the three people standing there with awkward smiles and nervous steps. They didn’t look like people that would hurt anyone. Was he just scared for no reason?

Linux knew things would no longer be the same, but he wanted to keep the normalcy for a tiny bit. However, freedom wasn’t too far from his grasp, so sucking up the fear in his heart, he decided to explain things the best he can to Zavin. Once that happens, a storm will come, and whether they make it out alive and outside of a cage, all depended on the moments coming forward.