FLUX

VOLUME ONE: FLUX: FreedomAlex crept down the stark white hallways lit with generic compact florescent lighting. The tile echoed every whisper of her careful, quick movement. A dark line beneath each office door gave away the emptiness of the building. She slowed her elegant stride as a corner approached and pressed her pointed ear to the wall. Alex heard no vibrations and carefully peeked one dark eye around the corner. An empty row of office doors stared back. She continued down three more vacant corridors, exact copies of the previous, as if hallways could be mass produced. Her mental map guided her through the winding maze until she finally faced the door number 1672.Alex flicked a lock-pick set out of the sleeve of her maroon leather jacket and manipulated the lock. The lights wavered as the local magnetic pole fluctuated wildly. Her ears twitched as the tumblers clicked into place and she rotated the makeshift key until the dead bolt released. The door made a whooshing sound

The clouded sky became dark except for the faded auroras brought on by the local magnetic pole. The green and purple lights pulsed against the tops of the mountains, while the wind turbines glittered under their glow. The night air hung thick, wet, and warm against Alex's skin. The bike sputtered to a stop and the man pulled his helmet off."What's wrong?" Alex asked as she slid off the back of the bike."Out of gas," he said, wiping sweat from his brow.She stretched out her cramped limbs. "Of what?""Gas. Fuel. Energy. It makes the bike go vroom, vroom," he said, irritated. "I swear you hybrids have no sense."Alex scowled at him. She wasn't stupid. She knew it needed energy, just figured it was solar or something. Fuel based vehicles hadn't been used in a hundred years, everything on the surface was solar, wind, or touch powered now."How about you give me the file and you can be on your merry way," he said, holding out his hand for the file.She pretended to protect her jack

Jack cut the engine to the motorcycle. They had driven northeast past the desert into another set of mountains, bigger than the last. What used to be a grand forest now looked to be more like large dry tinder plunging up through the terrain. Evidence of great fires scorched the rough bark. Jack pulled up in front of an old white farmhouse next to a river. The wheelhouse peered from behind the farmhouse showing its worn siding, looking as if it would fall over in a gentle breeze. An old waterwheel turned under a constant pull from the strong current in the river. Dark grey clouds hung low in the sky, dimming down their normal tan shade."Where are we?" Alex asked after pulling off her helmet. "It's still two hours until sunset.""It's a storehouse. We can stock up on supplies and stay the night in a bed.""We just happened upon a storehouse up here?" Alex asked, her eyes searching his face."Oh, this is just one of many.""There's more than just one bed, right?"Jack grinned back

They laid there trying to catch their breath before Jack broke their contact and rolled to the side."What was that?" he asked."I'm a Delta Six," she said breathily, "it's one of the newer enhancements bred into Deltas. There aren't many with the gene yet.""Well go Deltas, lucky me." He turned to her. "I knew I would get that roll in the hay," he said with a grin, brushing away a strand of burgundy hair that was plastered to her face.Alex scowled at him. Luck had nothing to do with it, he engineered this with that damned pearl device. She stared up at the high ceiling laced in cobwebs. Through the window, light from the sunrise lit the room. Particles of dust danced in the sunlight streaming through the window. The creek bubbled merrily as it spun the large wheel. The smell of seared flesh came flooding back into her senses suddenly and she gagged.Jack propped his lean frame up with an elbow facing her. He reached out and put a big paw on her thigh. Alex snatched it, but he he

They floated down the river until dusk, stopping occasionally when Alex had to relieve herself. She wasn't about to jump into the river, or pee off the side like Jack seemed to enjoy doing.Jack fished a lantern from his pack and lit it with a flick of his hand. He set it on the floor in the middle of the boat. The light cast mysterious looking shadows across his hairy face."How are we going to avoid the rocks? It's so dark, even I can't seem to see them anymore," Alex said, poking the paddle out into the nothingness."There aren't any from here on, so don't worry so much." He offered her a spoon and an open can of ravioli."Oh thanks, I love cold ravioli."Jack smiled and put his hand over hers. Warmth flooded through them and into the can until steam started to rise."It's warm now." He released his grip."Thanks." She sat stiffly on the front bench and ate the warm ravioli quietly. Something about him made her say things more harshly then she normally would. The words just t