Hexagon Skies

“Here they come.”

The words broke my daze and I looked up from the dry ground. They were there, ahead on the horizon, as planned. Dust sprayed from behind the vehicle and the low hum of the motor was beginning to fill the silence around us.

Our hiding spot wasn’t one that provided much cover, but nothing really could on this barren land. The inhospitable soil was only home to a few old trees now, and they were far from flourishing, with only the odd green leaf still present. Their frames remained as though it was a habit they couldn’t break, rather than standing upright with pride that they had survived the bombs. But now they had purpose again: hiding an awaiting attack against the enemy.

“Is everyone ready?” Roscoe spoke again. Silence, aside from the approaching motor. “Mara? At least tell me you’re ready,” Roscoe tried again, turning his focus on me.

“We’ve been over the plan a million times,” I replied. “It’s now or never.” Although my future actions had been imprinted in my mind, I still carried doubt that I could carry them all through to completion. It was scary and risky - I would be the first to admit that - and I was in no way trained for such a scenario. Yet somehow it had been decided that I was our best shot, so I had been given the task of infiltrating the enemy’s home.

“Cover your ears everyone! There’re almost here!” Eshana announced, hardly able to contain her excitement. I pressed my fingers into my ears and watched her lips move as she counted down from five. Then she pressed the button on her remote control and the ground beneath my feet trembled.
I peeked out from behind the tree trunk to see that the armoured jeep we had targeted was now on its side and smoke was fizzling out from the undercarriage. Aside from that, there was no visible damage. The Dome’s vehicles were designed to be tough and withstand the harsh environment, so it was no surprise that one of Eshana’s explosives wouldn’t make a dent. But then again, that’s partly why Roscoe was here.

With their guns raised, Roscoe and four of our other friends approached the jeep in cautious stances. Eshana and I waited by the trees and I could hardly breathe. A lot of weight rested on Roscoe’s shoulders right now, and I found myself bearing a small hope that he failed at his task so I wouldn’t have to go behind the enemy lines. But who was I kidding; with Roscoe’s mutation giving him enhanced precision, the enemy didn’t stand a chance.

Suddenly a spray of bullets erupted from the vehicle and our friends went running, splitting into two groups. They fired back, determined to hold their ground, but even I could tell that our bullets were hardly scratching the vehicle’s paint. Nonetheless, Roscoe’s confidence didn’t falter, and he soon heaved open the back door of the jeep. The guns stopped firing and then Roscoe whistled, sending Eshana and I into a sprint to meet them.

While the others carried the bodies of the fallen away, Roscoe held the remaining survivor at gunpoint. “Take off your suit!” he instructed, but the trembling woman didn’t obey. “Take it off, damn it!” Roscoe repeated.

The woman began weeping. “Please! No! I can’t!” she begged, her voice muffled by the mask that covered her entire face. “I won’t survive! The radiation! Please!” A thump stopped her pleading and the woman fell limply into the dirt. Dominic was standing behind her, the butt of his gun raised, and he met eyes with Roscoe and then gave a shrug.

“We don’t have much time,” Dominic reminded us.

“No need for you to decapitate anyone!” Roscoe countered and Dominic frowned.

“I can keep my strength in check,” he reminded Roscoe before entering the jeep in search of supplies. Roscoe gave a frustrated shake of his head, obviously not impressed with the man who possessed super strength. Out of all of the mutations discovered amongst the Scavengers so far, that was one ability I was pleased I didn’t have. All I saw with super strength was too many opportunities for things to go wrong.

Eshana and I knelt on either side of the unconscious woman and rolled her over, fortunately discovering that Dominic had kept his word and used a regular amount of power in his attack. Down the front of the full-body protection suit was the zipper, covered by an extra layer of protection, but I managed to pry it open while Eshana removed the woman’s mask. Together we shuffled her body out of the radiation suit, and then Eshana stared expectantly at me. Now it was time for me to take that woman’s place.

With a sigh I lifted the floppy suit up and rearranged it so I could step inside. The material ended at my ankles and my wrists, but I knew that the boots and gloves would secure the suit tightly to my body. After I pulled the zip up, Eshana helped me secure the second layer over it, and then I sat down on the ground. The hood was hanging around my shoulders and my hair tickled my neck as it swayed in the breeze. I took a moment to appreciate the smell of the fresh air and the openness of the world around me, aware that that was all about to change.

Harley plopped down beside me and opened his briefcase. I refused to look inside his briefcase because I had a feeling it would spur anxiety deep within, and right now Harley needed me calm. Instead I focused on lying down and getting as comfortable as possible. The sun was heating the earth at an extraordinary rate today, and the desiccated dirt only radiated more heat onto my body while I squinted at the sky.

“Mara…” Harley began but I still didn’t look in his direction.

“Just do it,” I confirmed.

Roscoe appeared in my vision, hovering watchfully over me. “Stay strong,” he said right before I felt Harley create a tear in the fabric of my suit with his pocketknife. It was to be small, believable that I had got it snagged on a branch, but large enough for him to insert a needle through. Cold alcohol brushed against my skin, followed by the sharp pressure of the needle breaking my skin and entering the visible vein on the inside of my elbow.

The fluid was colder than the alcohol wipe. Harley had ice packed inside his briefcase to help preserve the chemical’s activity, but that only made it feel more foreign as it began to flow through my body. I could feel it seeping into my muscles and then my organs, highlighting every part of me as it sought out new regions I wasn’t even aware I had.

The strangest sensation was when it entered my brain. That was when the weakness and nausea hit. Even though I understood that I was lying motionless on the ground, my vision started to spin and I felt as though I was tumbling down. My breathing quickened and I experienced flashes of a sensation similar to brain-freeze. The chemical was working, binding to my mutated cells and modifying them to appear normal to the Dome’s tests that I would certainly have to endure upon my arrival. Without this suffering, our plan would be void.

After sitting on the brink of fainting for an unknown amount of time, I was brought back to reality by the odd prickles that were brushing against my skin. Cautiously I lifted my head and fortunately the motion didn’t make me feel like vomiting. Harley was packing his equipment away while Roscoe used a branch to irritate my skin around the needle’s puncture. Now the reddening and bruising from the needle would look normal, and help justify the torn suit which was the excuse for any remaining radiation in my cells.

Once he finished, Eshana appeared by my side and helped fasten the mask to my face and tighten the hood. Now I was entirely sealed away from the dangers of this world, except for the tiny tear.

“Okay, tell me if I’m lying!” Eshana challenged me, staring at me with unblinking eyes. I tensed, anxious for her test, and focused hard on studying her face for minute changes. “The sky is green.”

I chuckled at her statement. “That’s unfair,” I pointed out. Of course she was lying - that was obvious in her words - but I hadn’t spotted any micro expressions. That was my wonderful mutation; being able to spot the flashes of true emotions on people’s faces and therefore know their true feelings, and whether or not their words were false. But Harley’s chemical had dampened my levels of radiation, which meant it also diminished my special ability.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine, Mara. Good luck,” Eshana wished me with a smile. I held her gaze for a second longer and managed to identify the wrinkling of the skin around her eyes, producing crow’s feet. That minute expression gave away to me that she was truly feeling positive about the situation, and some of the tension in my body dissipated now that I knew that my powers weren’t entirely gone after all.

“Thanks, Eshana,” I replied, a quick goodbye before she left to set up her next explosive device. After all, she had to make the scene look good for the Dome soldiers who would come to investigate the crime.

“How do you feel?” Roscoe asked while holding out his hand. I took it and managed to get to my feet without any side effects.

“Normal,” I admitted.

Roscoe looked to the sky to spot the position of the sun. “You should get going,” he remarked and that was when the reality of our actions sunk in. I was going to commit a criminal act in attempt to save the people who despised us. Yet it was what the Oracle asked for, and she had sworn it was the right path to take. We had to do our best to prevent her vision from becoming reality.

With Dominic carrying stolen supplies away from the crash site, Harley heading back to the camp, and Eshana ready to blow the jeep, it was truly time for me to go. Phase one had been successful, and now it was all up to me. I spared little time thanking Roscoe and saying goodbye, then turned to face the direction of the Dome.

It loomed in the distance, the only thing shining in the otherwise barren and browned landscape. The Dome was a large city encased by a glass sky of hexagons that twinkled in the sun, and I was forbidden from entering the pure area. But today I would make history and become the first Scavenger to enter alive. My only wish was that I would also be able to exit the Dome alive.

After taking in a deep breath to steady my nerves, I began running to the Dome.