30

“After this it’s not going to be much longer. We start in here, we hit 10, by that time we just start looting the facilities, and somebody better show up” You

“We’re gonna have to head into the keep.” Jane
“Yeah that’s inevitable, this should kick up the process.” Ren

The mag bombs opened up the wall like a tin can, the metal torn through mortar, a fist of mineral curled around a couple of the guards pulled into the structure. A couple more tosses and the snowball was full, the substructure pulling up through the ground.

“Well, lets go Alice.” No bees from the hive you crossed the earth, the giant ball of yarn sat perched at the edge of an uprooted hatch in the sand.

“Is most of this buried?” Jane

“Yeah.”

“M***********s.” Kaite

“What else do we have in the bag?” Jane

“A little black magic and witchcraft.” Ren

“Raise the earth.” Jane

“Plant.”

It took a minute to set up, the mines, the map serving as reference for fireworks. The first one triggered, the ball of rock and metal wrenching towards the blast. The mass pulled up more and more of MAG Nine from the ground, tentacles of twisted metal pushing along this slug of structure. There wasn’t much to do but watch it evolve. The ground shaking for three minutes. You and your friends standing in line watching the world take shape to your liking. You took a seat in the sand to watch the fireworks, drawing down your friends to your side, the pulse of the world flowing through you. Your head on Kaite’s shoulder, the ground bowing and falling. It was beautiful. Your ears deaf to the sound. The damage done, you had birthed the underworld, The labyrinth sat waiting for whoever would chose to sort through what was left of the commotion.

“We’re camping.”

“It’s not going to take that long.”

“This is how the west was won.”

“Even if its just to see to see what its like if someone should come.” “Do you think that measured on the Richter scale?”

“Yeah that was an impact.”

You passed out in Kaites lap. The sun was starting to set. Plenty of excitement for the day. The hours were passing faster and faster. It was becoming routine, day two of the revolution. Your sleep coming on in minute long lapses. They kept you safe while your rested, and you kept vigil when they needed on a hairpin between waking and sleep. The dreams soundless flashes before your eyes. Jane's snores, her head on your thigh, Ren curled next to her tucked underneath arm. You and Kaite moved the cars into formation of campsite the headlights turned off.

Satellites dotted the sky. Across the horizon you could see the small holes appearing in the black. Bernal’s nightlife seeping up out of the packed sand, the glowing orbs from the town brought out to greet the stars. In all the time here you never knew where they went during the day. The crystal ships that sailed above you on so many nights, diffused light glowing just out of your reach. Out of the dust they were strung together the shapes twisting into and spinning into the perfect spheres you recognized. They were flying low, paths sunken, breeching and subsiding out of sight, their glow coming to rest over the ruins of MAG Nine. You woke sleeping Jane and Ren to watch the light show. They drifted through your campsite, the light like vapor the splash of dust breaking on your skin and out the other side. You moved in slow motion with your partners. They burst into atoms; you reached out and grabbed handfuls of charged particles, mimed finger guns firing bullets through the centers of the mass. They swirled above your head, cold light dripping upward in globs into the atmosphere. You dropped down to your back. It looked like a giant glowing ball of sugar.

“We’ll never see this again.” Ren drew you up to sitting her arm around your side. Jane and Kaite crawled to join in. You sat in a clump, all‐falling backwards on each other. Piece by piece the globe was pinched off until nothing. Starlight was all that was left. You glowed bright in the darkness; moonlight and star shine filling the sky. Far off the lights of the city were gone, the horizon blackened out. No approaching headlights, no sirens, just friendly skies.