Alicia smiled as she read the most recent article. “An anonymous tipster” would be sure to have people from every walk of life searching for her missing android. While they were doing the legwork, it would be child’s play to follow the more promising trails.

  Of course, Alicia had no plans to actually grant anyone those wishes. She didn’t even know if the android could reach that function yet, and the scattering of penciled notes across her desk held information on possible malfunctions she would have to assess when she got it back.

  No, Alicia’s plan was simple: wait until someone had found the android, or at least gotten very close, and then steal it out from under them. Once she had the android back in her possession...well that’s why she had a list tucked neatly away. She hardly needed it on paper anymore, having burned the different notes into her brain, into her subconscious to the point that she ran through the task list in her sleep most nights.

  Alicia tapped her fingers in time with each note, re-test the android in a safer location, she would have to find one that couldn’t be hacked into, but all in due time. Another tap of her fingers and she moved onto the next task, take the android apart, simple really. The final items would be the most difficult: re-coding the authoritative protocols and rebuilding it. Difficult, but do-able. And she would do it.

  Closing out of the paper, Alicia turned off her tablet and leaned back in her chair. Her eyes scanned the walls before landing on the board of printed and clipped news articles “Where is Dr. Lambari?” read one, another was a picture of the ruined facility. She had also delved into a few conspiracy blogs, printing and pinning threads discussing possible genie whereabouts and strange occurrences in any important internet systems. Promising pieces of information were underlined in red, while some more ridiculous theories were crossed out.

  Alicia was aware she would seem like a madwoman to anyone who saw her now, but she didn’t mind. Whatever it took to complete her work. Whatever it took to find more knowledge and share it with the world. At a price, of course. Doctor Alicia Lambari read over a few of her notes, and smiled.

  All she had to do now was wait.

  Hide

  Alexiah Barkle

  Kian looked around the corner. The Keepbots were still frozen at the end of the long corridor. They looked almost human, but he knew better. He had seen too many people taken away by the Bots. They had been living peacefully for years. Then people started disappearing.

  Including their parents. He was only 17. His sister MayLee, 6, came up behind him, tugging on the back of his jacket. They were the only ones left on their floor of the airship.

  “Kian,” she whispered loudly. “When are we gonna see mommy?”

  “Soon.”

  “Aww, but I’m bored!” Her last word was spoken much louder than her whispering. It echoed, bouncing off the narrow walls of the corridor.

  Kian’s hand instinctively went to cover her mouth, his eyes glancing quickly toward the dormant Bots. He waited a moment. Nothing happened. MayLee, still holding onto Kian’s jacket, started wiggling under his hand. He opened his mouth to say something, but a loud ping at the end of the hall interrupted him.

  Red light surged through the fiber optics and tubing running the length of the hallway. The Keepbots came to life and started walking in their direction, scanning the small, empty rooms on either side of the corridor.

  Kian’s heart skipped a beat as he turned back to MayLee. He looked into her eyes. Her bright, big brown eyes. The Bots were looking for them. For her. He had to save her.

  Kian knelt down beside her, untangling her little fingers from his coat and holding her tiny hands to his lips. She swayed, looking anywhere but at him and humming a little song, mom’s song.

  “MayLee.” He grabbed her by the shoulders. “MayLee, look at me. Please? I want to talk to you.”

  Maylee leaned back, looking at the ceiling. “You said we can’t talk.”

  Now? Now she chooses to listen to me? Bad timing.

  “Yes, MayLee, but that was before. Now I need you to pay attention.”

  She looked at him. There you go.

  “MayLee, I love you. Mommy and Daddy loved you too, you know that?” She nodded.

  “I need you to take this.” Kian removed a chain from his back pocket, attached a green and silver piece of metal to it, and hung it around her neck. “It’s a key. It’s a very important key, and you will need it.”

  “Won’t you need it?” Her eyes widened in worry, making her look small and scared.

  He swallowed. “Keep it safe for me, ok?”

  She nodded again, and he risked another glance around the corner. They were close.

  “Go hide, alright?”

  “But…,” her eyes spoke of oncoming tears. “I don’t wanna be alone.”

  “You won’t be alone. We are playing a game, okay? Just like we used to. Hide and Find. You hide first.”

  “I wanna find you!” She hopped around, all signs of tears gone. Kian peeked at the Keepbots. They were nearly at the corner. He went to the far wall and threw a screw through a hole. The Bots all paused to scan the room next door. No time for a ten-second count.

  “Alright, but you have to only count to five.”

  “No! You tell me when you’re ready.”

  “Fine.” Kian grabbed a piece of scrap from his bag and hid his face behind it. “Ready.”

  MayLee, who hadn’t covered her eyes all the way, gladly skipped to his side. “Found you! You didn’t even really hide! You’re supposed to-”

  “Well then, you better show me how.” He thought for a moment, then loosened the oxygen grate a little. Just enough to let her through. “Just so you know, I will not be looking in that grate, so don’t hide there or I won’t be able to find you, ok?” She eyed him suspiciously, then moved his hand so it covered his face, patted his shoulder, and skipped right over to the little grate.

  Kian stepped out into the corridor and watched MayLee’s foot disappear before he turned towards the Keepbots and shouted, “I’m over here, ya dirty lumps of metal!”

  The Keepbots turned to him and hesitated. One inched closer. Stupid glitch. When there were more people, the Bots had been more aggressive.

  “C’mon!” Kian motioned to the nearest Keepbot, trying to get them to follow.

  It stopped a foot from Kian’s face, its taser flashing in the light. Kian jabbed his dagger at its ugly metal neck, barely scratching it.

  Another one came at him, shoving the first Bot aside as Kian slashed, tearing a small gash in the Bot’s otherwise smooth face. Unfazed, the Bot turned, flipping him around its hip and throwing him to the ground.

  Kian scrambled up and ran, dodging tasers and fists as he led most of the Bots away from MayLee. He looked back, watching them emerge from his room empty handed.

  She’s safe.

  Now all he needed to do was lead the Bots out of there and then find a way back to her. She hadn’t wanted to be left alone. Kian felt bad about that, but it wouldn’t be long before he found another vent and he could…

  His thoughts dissolved as he reeled back, thrashing, his face slack. Pain shot up his spine. The Bot behind him retracted its taser, removing it from Kian’s back, and kicked his knee in, bringing him to the floor. Another one zoned in on him, an attached syringe flashing in the light.

  Kian’s muscles pulsed and flexed as leftover electricity circulated through him. He felt like there were bees crawling in his blood, making him twitch and ache. His stomach churned and he threw up, the vomit mixing with his drool.

  As the Bot reached to sedate Kian, a portion of the wall behind him slid into the floor, creating an opening a few feet on each side. He was dragged inside, the closest Bot clawing at his feet, ripping his pants leg as it closed again behind him. Kian forced his eyes to remain open. He was being dragged —still convulsing— through a dimly lit tunnel.

  “Hey man. It’s ok. We’re gonna get you outta here.”

  The tunnel they were in was lined with faintly glowing pipes and machinery, oxygen tubes and wires feeding into the walls. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he saw people. Real people. There were just two of them. As Kian’s eyes adjusted more, he saw who they were.

  A thin, pale, angsty looking teenage girl with purple hair and goggles on top of her head, and a tall man, looking to be in his early forties, wearing red leather and a scarf, who paused and propped him against the wall. They strapped something to his face and Kian tried to claw it off. The man adjusted his hold then spoke again, his voice heavy with accent.

  “Relax. It’s for oxygen. We’d been lookin for ya. Lucky for us you’re still alive! This shuttle will take you off this blasted airship for good and to our own ship headed to safety. We have a doctor on board that will take a look at ya.”

  Kian gurgled.

  The man laughed, rubbing his unshaven face with his free hand. “Yeah don’t worry, the effects will wear off in about an hour. Awww look, Esta! He’s already falling asleep!”

  The girl talked as Kian drifted off. “Yeah, sweet. You know, wasn’t there supposed to be a girl with him? Shouldn’t we go back for her?”

  “Naw. If she wasn’t with him, the Bots probably have her. Let’s just worry about this one.”

  “Okaaay. What about the key? Aren’t we going to need it to shut this place down for good?”

  “We don’t need a key. We won’t be seeing this place ever again.”

  The rest of their conversation faded out. MayLee. Kian imagined her all alone, calling for him.

  “Kian!? I’m ready! Kian, I’m scared.”

  He knew no one would be there to answer her call. He tried to tell them, demand they take him back to her, but his mouth opened and closed as soundless drool ran down his chin. They hit a bump and his eyes rolled back into his head. He dreamt of electricity and vomit.

  Kian woke up hours later with a female doctor leaning over him, pouring a thick purplish liquid into a spoon. He blinked against the bright lights.

  “Hello!” Said the doctor cheerfully. “You had quite the long nap. I am Doctor Belstrom. This doesn’t taste very good, but it will help with nausea.”

  Kian eyed the spoon wearily and allowed her to put it in his mouth. The liquid was cold and bitter.

  “You are lucky Donovan and Esta found you. We were about to leave.”

  “What?” Suddenly, memories flooded back into Kian’s head and he sat up, eyes wide. “Where’s MayLee?”

  The doctor stared at him blankly. “I’m sorry, I don’t know who you are talking about.”

  “MayLee! My sister!” Kian stood, and grabbed the doctor by the shoulders, moving her to the side.

  “Now hold on, you are not finished here, come back to bed and we will help you find her when you are feeling better.”

  Kian shrugged her off and shook his head of the dizziness, stumbling to the door. “Maylee!” He burst into the next room, another hospital room filled with beds. He scanned each one as he made his way through the room to the door straight ahead, blinking back the black spots in his vision. The doctor hurried after him.

  Kian ducked through into a brighter corridor filled with doors. The last door at the end was bigger and more impressive than the others. A plaque on the side read “Control Room.” He headed for that one. If anyone could help him get MayLee back, it was the people in charge. He started to cry. The tears were dry and hot. He had promised his mother that he would look after MayLee. He had promised that nothing would ever happen to her.

  He was almost to the door when the doctor reached him, accompanied by two others, and grabbed him. He was too tired to fight back. “MayLee! No! MayLee!”

  Suddenly the door swung open. “Who is this MayLee y’all are yelling about?!” The tall leather clad man at the door was one Kian recognized. He was the man who had brought him here. He paused when he saw Kian on the floor. “What’s he doing here?”

  “Donovan, this is the boy you brought back with you yesterday,” the doctor said, tugging on his arm. “He just needs to come back with me for his pills for-”

  “I know who this is. He doesn’t need the pills.”

  “but he’s-”

  “He’s been in space before, so leave him alone.”

  The doctor hushed at these words and sulked away. Kian watched her walk back to her lab before turning back to Donovan.

  “What about my sister?”

  “I’m sorry kid, but we are very far from where she is. We aren’t going back.”

  “But she’s my sister! We can’t leave her. You have to go back.”

  Donovan sighed and rubbed his forehead. “We'll see what we can do. Esta, show this kid around.” With that, he slid back into the room and shut the door firmly behind him.

  Kian turned back to where he had been looking. There stood the purple haired girl from before, leaning against a wall. Rolling her eyes, she slipped around the corner and out of sight.

  Kian jumped to his feet and hurried after her. She avoided looking at him as his footsteps fell in line with hers.

  “Listen, I am not here to show you around, ok? Trust me, the captain does not plan on taking you back to get Maylee so stop talking about her.”

  Kian stopped for a moment. “How do you know he wouldn’t?”

  “Because he’s my dad.”

  His anger bubbled back to the surface. “What about Maylee? We cannot leave her! We can’t let them have her! If he is your dad then you can help me! You could change his mind-”

  Esta spun around so fast that Kian almost bumped into her. “There is no changing his mind. I’ve tried.”

  “You’ve tried to get MayLee?”

  “No. I’ve been trying to get the key to destroy the ship and take the Keepbots out of our lives for good. You know, the key that you were supposed to have with you? Where is it?”

  Kian’s face twisted into a sneer. Did nobody care about his sister? “Why do you care where the key is? It shouldn’t matter to you. We’re at least safe on this ship, aren’t we? Unlike MayLee.”

  He tried walking away, but she grabbed him and held him against the wall. They were now in a dark room with circular doors on every wall.

  “I was in one of the very first levels the Keepbots attacked. My mom had been sick. When we struggled, they were too rough and they killed her. My best friend was taken, and I never saw her again. My dad and I started the rebellion soon after. I am going on my own and shutting them down for good because I am not letting that happen to anyone else. If you want to come with me, you can go kill yourself trying to rescue your little sister. Either way, you are telling me what you did with the key. My dad always told me if you have a goal and see a wall in your way, knock it down. Are you going to be a wall? Because I will break you down to get the information I need. Now where’s the key?”

  Kian spoke slowly. “I gave it to MayLee.”

  She stared at him. “Don’t lie to me. Does she even know what it is?”

  “I’m not. She has it. She thinks it’s a necklace that our mom used to wear. I told her it was a key to something and to keep it safe.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

  She let him go and pressed a button next to one of the doors. The door slid open and the room came alive, revealing a small, clean, circular room with a few chairs built into the side walls and one more straight ahead in front of a control panel. Alarms sounded as she flipped another switch, revealing a giant window in the front; a pod.

  “Get in,” she said, gesturing to one of the chairs. “We need to find your sister.”

  Kian did what he was told, energy bursting inside of him as he strapped himself to a chair. The door slid closed right as Donovan appeared in view with three other men at his heels.

  Esta sat at the control panel and started turning dials, working fast. The pod moved forwards and the sounds of muffled shouting behind them was drowned out by the sounds of engines and machinery moving the pod into an ejecting position. She pushed another button, and Kian felt the pod moving, the rushing of air, the velocity pushing him back into his chair. Then they were out, speeding away from the main ship, the stars glinting around them. A moment later the ship was distant and small, the pod was slowing to a fast cruising speed, and both teenagers relaxed, the tension releasing.

  “Alright,” said Esta, playing with a screen in front of her. “We traveled a day’s distance in the cruiser, but they also move slower than the pods. At this speed we should be there in an hour. We will need to get fuel from my old bunk, but once we’ve done that we can go find your sister.”

  She kept talking, but Kian wasn’t listening. He was staring out at the stars.

  “I’m coming for you, MayLee. Wait for me.”

  As he stared out the window, a tiny dot came into view. It was the last planet they had come across before he’d passed out. Beyond that was the enemy mothership. And inside that was a little girl who had found a hole in the vent she’d been hiding in, crawled out, and was staring through a window at the stars, waiting for someone.

  Rediscovery

  Emma Schaumann

  Joshua tried his best to stop complaining as the sun beat down on the back of his neck. The irrigation trench seemed tiny in comparison to the giant field in front of him. But he kept digging, knowing that it could save his crops.

  His wooden shovel suddenly struck something much harder than the loose, dusty dirt of his field. He lifted his shovel, moving it back a little bit, trying to pry up the rock, but his shovel almost started to snap from the weight.

  Stepping farther into the trench and a little forward, he tried to dig around the rock. He stood and wiped sweat from his brow, accidentally dropping the shovel. A resonant clang sounded as the shovel struck the object.

  Hollow metal? He thought. This must be a lot larger and longer than I thought.

  Joshua picked up the shovel and pulled it along the hard object.

 

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