Graviton I

CHAPTER 1

When an author writes a book on the chemical kinetics specialised for academic purposes in the Graviton Academy and NASA’s latest institutions for Progressive Astronomy of Graviton station three constellations out of the solar system, writing a fictional romance novel must be labelled in a different name if I still want to be taken seriously at the Academy. I sigh in defeat, sliding my daughter’s exercise book into her carry-on bag and her lunch in the side, she steps out of her room, “Mom, I can’t find my mathematics book, for calculus. Have you seen it?” She calls out to me.

I look over my shoulder, “Under your bed, honey. Make sure to brush your hair too.” I say to her, zipping up her bag as I look at the television, turning it off mute, I move forward and watch with astute eyes, keeping the volume down, I move into the dining room.

“Breaking News, Los Angeles main casino outlet shot straight into the ground at a miraculous momentum. The numbers injured and dead are still being confirmed, but currently there are fourteen known residents in the local Los Angeles Hospital with severe smoke inhalation difficulties and other injuries that still do not explain the reason behind this incident. The local police department are scoping through the scene now, where data analysts show fearful, shock-related news of the soil on the Los Angeles floor being softened and weakened by a substance the Graviton Ultimate’s have now confirmed is from another unknown planet specified in the Nova Galaxy system. Three light years away from Earth. We still have results coming in, please stay tuned for more on News State Channel.” One of the reporters says on the television that glitches due to the amount of people on the street truly watching it.

Same channel.

Same time.

Exact same place.

Earth was closing in on a rough season, but the number of incidents squirming around the world was heightening to the point where too many people were getting more and more worried. As was I—“Mom, I’m ready for school...despite not wanting to go today. Barely anyone is at school anymore and Kline only comes to school because I do.” She says to me, I turn to her, turning the television off.

Raising an eyebrow, she looks at me as she holds the two sides of her black school bag, “It’s true.” She exclaims.

I blink, “You’re telling me there are barely any students attending the primary school, dear?” I ask her, watching as she folds her arms, stubbornly. I sigh in defeat and move towards her, leaning down and lowering a kiss to her forehead, before sliding my arms around her.

“I’ll drop you off and talk to a few teachers, alright.” I murmur down to her, she fixes her ponytail before nodding softly and sliding her arms around my neck. She had her father’s smile.

A man I had seen in his documentaries across the galaxy.

A man who had no idea I had his baby girl six and a half years ago. The head General of Graviton and the leader of the Ultimate Graviton team, the same team I used to be on...was Charleston Caesar.

Seven years ago...

The hiss of a chair scraping back against the tile floor was the only thing students jolted against when I opened my senior profile, which would determine whether I got into Graviton. I saw the marks on each test for aptitude and pressed a hand to my lips.

Before the thud, thud, thud of shoes squeak and stop at my desk. Charleston Caesar, the most popular senior at our school, being the son of Vulcan and Ella Caesar, leaders of Graviton, snatched the test sheet from my folder.

I noticed a flicker of fear before his silver moon eyes ran over each line and each grade in my sheet, “Mr Caesar, sit back at your desk this instant!” One of the professor’s snaps, I watch the relief filter through Charleston’s eyes before he slaps the folder back on my desk and returns back to his, the others in his sly group of friends all look curious, but otherwise undisturbed.

I caught sight of some students who were over-ecstatic of the fact they passed, hugging their families to detail the good news that if one child succeeds in getting into the Graviton academy then the entire family goes with them. Other students are in tears, some whose parents understand and others who don’t.

I stopped at the bullet train express beside the school. I didn’t have the kind of home everyone else did, “Where do you think you’re going?”

I grab my keys and phone, sliding out the door, locking it with a detection system code and stepping down the steps in the soft sunrise shining against them through a few skyscrapers. We lived in the city of London and while Earth still appeared beautiful, technology made Graviton the future. A new planet where the majority of our seven billion people had now lived. Only three billion were still here, and the smaller countries were no longer vacant.

Gathering my trench coat, I check Lyra’s uniform, before seeing the soles of her shoes, “Oh, sweetheart, why didn’t you tell me you needed new shoes?” I ask her, softly as I lock the door behind me with a thumbprint keypad.

She yawns with a hand over her lips, “Last time I got so many blisters because of it, besides Mom, these shoes are still comfortable.” She murmurs, reaching for my hand, I sigh in defeat and help her up into my Aero-vehicle. A vehicle with the ability to manipulate gravity using similar mechanical appliances to aeroplanes. I slide into the driver’s side and push to manual, starting the car and gliding into the correct lane, I drive straight for the London Academy of intellectual learning, where my Lyra was at primary stages in the school.

“Do you know if there are many seniors left, honey?” I ask her, softly. I knew the consequences of staying on Earth longer than necessary, but this is where she was born, where I was born, I had memories here, moving to Graviton...I had memories I wanted to forget.

She looks up from her tablet, “More than those in my classes, but everyone’s hoping to win a ticket on the Graviton Launchers.” She says to me, the world treated it like the lottery.

I sigh in defeat, “We already have seats on those launchers, sweetheart. Worse comes to worse, we’ll use them.” I explained to her.

“Kline messaged me, his parents want to have dinner with us tonight by the pier.” She announces, smiling wider. I sigh once again, my exhausted eyes changing the car back to auto.

“Tell them we’ll be there.” I say to her, before finding Kline’s parents standing amongst them. Lilly and Robert Terrence. I step up towards Lilly as Kline calls out Lyra’s name, he’s running towards her with no bag on, eyes wide and fearful.

“What’s happening?” Lyra whispers to him after they hug close.

Lilly wraps her arms around me, “Alex, they’re closing down the school, even giving out free tickets to Graviton given the appearances of those creatures in New York. More shuttles are being sent here as we speak.” She whispers to me.

I furrow my eyebrows, “What? I thought we still had time? Has any been sited here in London?” I ask her softly. Her two oldest twin daughters huddle in closer to Robert, who looks to me with a grave expression.

“One in France, and while they had taken care of it, they know there will be more and Grafton soldiers have been sent to fight them off, but they’re building in numbers now, Alexandrine. It might be time, do you have tickets for you and Lyra?” He asks me, all business-like as Meira and Charlotte whimper in against their father’s chest.

I nod to him, stoically but tamper it with a soft, grateful smile, “I have my own small shuttle if I ever needed it. It’s already packed, just in case.” I say to him, nodding. He gives me a tight smile, just as announcements from the school ring through the speakers.

Lyra glides her hand into mine, holding tightly, she holds Kline’s hand too. Wind shutters above us as I turn and multiple Graviton shuttles fly skilfully down, landing on the empty patches of grass as soldiers and head generals step out around the school, which is close to the main training centre at graviton.

“Return to your homes, collect your belongings and return back here to board the ships. One bag per person!” That announcement continues as Robert picks up both his daughters, Lilly embraces me tightly.

“Have you heard from work?” She asks me.

I shake my head, “Not yet, but I’m sure they’re all boarded. We’ll see you soon, I promise.” I say to her, hugging her back, even while Kline places a kiss on Lyra’s forehead. She sniffles, hugging him back.

“You’ll be on the ship, right?” He asks her in a whisper, his baby blue eyes penetrating

“I promise.” She whispers back, holding his shoulders as he hugs her again.

“I promise the both of you, we’ll be on the launch pads. Now, come on, sweetheart. We need to return home to collect our things.” I whisper to her, rubbing her back gently, smiling at Kline who nods with tears in his eyes as Lilly picks him up too. I pick up Lyra, walking straight back towards my car, rushing back home. The moment I pull in, we’re rushing towards the steps.

I open the door and she runs inside, “Mommy, what about my toys?” She calls out to me.

“Whatever you can’t leave behind, honey. Most of it is packed in my shuttle downstairs.” I call out to her, moving one of the couches and a small square perimeter of the carpet, I lift it up to see the keypad. I had cash, weapons, my old ID badge and everything I needed in there. I grab the black bag, sliding my touchscreen inside, “Lyra, let’s go, sweetheart!” I call out to her, she runs to me, I pick her up immediately, seeing Lilly moving towards her car with her kids.

Lyra turns her emerald green eyes to mine, “Mom, I’m scared.” She whispers to me.

I slide her in closer to me, “We’ll be fine, I promise you.” I whisper to her, reversing out and taking a shortcut home. I raced straight toward the back door, glad we were on the first level, though that was standard procedure for me...living arrangements, specifically.

“Grab those emergency bags, honey!” I call out to her, watching as she races to her room, I race to the lounge, opening the carpet along a specific edge. Before I hear a bang outside the building. My eyes widen when the harbouring of a shuttle up above the skyscrapers move in. That’s when I see men and women, covered in full body suits and biker helmets landing on the cemented concrete. My heart is pounding at the emergency sirens and evacuation warnings above.

“Lyra!” I call out to my girl.

The second the door bangs open and I rip my gun out, straight at the soldier, who stills when he sees me.

Lyra comes screaming, “MOMMY!”

Right before I hear cracks shuddering in the floors above us.

Lyra springs toward me, holding her emergency bag. I hold my finger to my lips, squeezing her hand before I slide her up into my arms, “Formation!” I hear an unrecognisable voice order as six or so soldiers in helmets move in, “Target heading east.” I hear a feminine voice.

“Citizens aren’t safe.” I hear another soldier say, stepping inside.

“Holy fuck.” I hear the same male say just as he sees me.

I slide my gun back into my bag, Lyra sniffles, holding onto my shoulders, “Don’t worry, sweetheart. These are Graviton soldiers. I’m Agent Alexandrine Duo from Federal Head office.” I say to the broadened soldier who still doesn’t move from his position, after speaking to Lyra.

“All citizens in this area will evacuate to the closest available shuttle. Please follow us, ma’am.” The one who had stepped in last tells me in soft plead. I nod, reaching for my bags, before the only female with them grabs both bags.

“Mom, my toy!” She says aloud, arm outstretched to her room.

“Lyra, I’ll buy you another one. This building is no longer safe, sweetheart, we must go.” I said to her,

“What’s the toy?” One of the males in front of me asks.

“Panda bear.” Lyra says with tears in her eyes, pointing to the big one at the doorway to her room. I sigh in defeat as the soldier grabs it quickly and moves back to the both of us, arm out as they direct us outside.

I try to block Lyra from the screams as we’re directed to a smaller jet-like shuttle just for twelve or so people at the most, they’re to take up to the extremely large shuttle above the skyscrapers. The steps are opened, allowing us to step inside the shuttle when an explosion hits three buildings down from us, I roar the moment I see a piece of scrap metal flying for the very shuttle. Grabbing Lyra hurriedly, I pick her up at the same moment I run down the steps, past the soldiers with her in my arms before the shuttle is stabbed through the middle. I hear the passenger’s screams the faster I get us both back into my house.

“We’re taking my shuttle, sweetheart. Emergency level initiated!” I call out. She nods as we bound for the basement and I unlock the very shuttle hidden behind the doors I’d kept locked tight. Lyra screams at another bombing ricocheting above us. The house shutters. I throw myself up and lock her in, strapping the belts over her. I lower a mask against her, she breathes in and out.

“Mommy!” Lyra screams in fear when we hear another explosion.

I hug her to me, “Remember what we talked about, Lyra. Look at me, Mommy’s not scared. You’re going to be absolutely fine.” I whisper to her. She squeezes her arms tighter around me, eyes shut as the door to the shuttle closes and I strap in, turning the machine on. The banging noises just increase, I tell Lyra to hold tight and close to the seat.

She breathes heavily when we lift up higher through our home. People were still running for any shuttle they could find, straight for the larger shuttles. Broken screams for help against the buildings on the side of us has Lyra whimpering.

I breathe in and flick through enhanced protection mode, “Lyra, we’re going to be okay!” I toss over my shoulder. I directed the aircraft towards the closest, largest shuttle that was floating in the air, the scanner outside ensured no damage was detected in my shuttle. The operating system turns to auto when we’re directed to a line of other shuttles which entered before us.

I slide off my mask, turning to face Lyra. She sniffles, reaching up to me while we’re still in the shuttle.

Lyra closes her eyes soothingly when I run my fingers through her hair, fingers sliding along the mask. I give her a soft look, she slowly slides it off, “What about Lilly, and Robert and Kline?” She asks me, tears brushing along her eyelashes.

“I’ll check in with them soon. Don’t worry about it right now, sweetheart.” I whisper down to her.

“I thought we had more time, Mom.” She says to me, concern and pain in her voice.

I slide my fingers along her curls, “I thought we did too, but we made it out. Now, we’re going to Graviton.” I whisper to her, getting her to look out the moment the shuttle doors close and were instructed to stay in our shuttles given the fact the main levels were all full. Grabbing my iPad, I access the control systems on the shuttle with one of my older algorithms from when I worked for a company called Falcon.

I open the footage screens as Lyra leans in, the shuttle skyrockets straight for the skies and as we leave the Earth’s atmosphere, her eyes bulge out of their sockets as the jets slow down and soon we’re directed up. She gasps at the sight of the darkness and stars first, our solar system is behind us. I couldn’t say I didn’t miss this.

Lyra points on the screen, “Mom, look.” She breathes out in shock.

I nod down to her

“Mom, our house. It’s gone. We’re never going back, are we?” Lyra whispers up at me.

I hold her hand and shake my head, eyes only in her, “No, we’ll be living on Graviton now,” I whisper down to her as shuddering echoes against the attachments holding our shuttle in place. I saw other families staying in there’s, some communicating with command to hear what’s going on.

“Will we find a new apartment, Mom?” She asks me, sniffling.

I turn her to face me, “We always have a back-up plan, sweetheart. And another after that. We won’t be living in an apartment anymore, but a house. Big enough for a dog, hmm?” I say, smiling wide when her eyes widen.

“A puppy? A house? But, Mom, you didn’t tell me about you already having a house on Graviton. What about work? You’ve barely been going to work lately.” She murmurs, looking up at me.

I raise an eyebrow down to her, “You noticed.” I say, slowly.

She looks up at me, “I notice a lot.” I pull her in and close her around me, we watch the shuttles that landed on other continents on earth to pick up the remaining passengers. They looked like battleships in space, the latest technology has certainly advanced since I’d last seen the globe created a century ago.

Lyra squeezes her arms around me, “How long will it take to get to...to Graviton?” She breathes out, surprised at the sight of it all. I lower my cheek against her head and snuggle into her. Closing my eyes, I wait until the fleet soldiers enter the room and instruct us all to step out. I have both mine and Lyra’s IDs on hand.

The second we step in line, I pick Lyra up and hold her close on my hip as we move in line. I watch them scan both IDs to reveal the agency I’m inserted into. Federal government on the ground, both American and British.

The soldier nods to me and allows us through. Lyra huddles closer at the cold air that breezes past, “Whose shuttle is this?” Lyra whispers against my ear, “KG-General 14...who is that, Mom?” She read the numbers engraved in the industrial walls of the inner shuttle.

“General Kerrigan Grayson, my sweet.” I murmur, knowing exactly who was commanding this ship. Kerrigan was in my year, in fact he was a competitor, being the leader of another group and in computer engineering. Which is what I majored in. But it was Charleston Caesar, Head of the Ultimate Graviton Team who hated him the most.

We walk slowly into one of the hangers that is levelled into sections inside the ship. Many passengers were listening to the television stations that had drones recording what was happening on earth. I walk Lyra towards the cafeteria and grab us two sandwich subs as well as two water bottles before leading her to a free space in one of the corners, with a round couch seat and an open glass view of the other ships in outer space.

I sit down, she unwraps her sandwich, sniffing the bacon in delight with a range of salad ingredients and ranch. Mine had lamb inside, mixed in before my eyes slowly turn to the screen. Lyra hitches her breath.

“Attention all personnel at the Level One Front Hangers. My name is General Charleston Caesar. I am the head of the original Ultimate Graviton Team, and I want to personally apologise to those of you who have lost loved ones on the route to safety here on Graviton. We are working hard to accommodate all of you to eating and sleeping arrangements, as well as medical attention on the north side of this globe. Any who need assistance and have not yet received any, please call upon any team member close to you, it is our duty, our responsibility and our sole purpose to ensure you are all safe and sound while you are checked in. You will spend two days here while we check everyone, before my teams will dispatch you to safety apartments at Graviton central. If you have families already situated on the planet, this will be vital information to give head staff members, as you may choose to stay with your existing families. Welcome to Graviton, ladies and Gentlemen. Stay safe and stay tuned in for more information soon. Thank you.” It was a recording, or so I could tell as we all watch the screen that had opened to reveal Charleston.

This wasn’t the first time I saw him on screen.

Lyra stared up at him too, meeting my eyes for a moment.

I never kept any secrets from Lyra.

Not even about her Father.

She snuggles into me, “He’s at the entrance?” She whispers.

I rub her back, “He might be, I don’t know who else is there, my darling. Remember, we have to be careful. I still don’t know who I can trust when we get there. We’ll focus on finding Kline and his family, hmm.” I suggest down to her, my eyes back on the screen as a new message relays and shows detailed images of the shuttles who have already made it to Graviton. The place already looks like a chaotic mess.

I pull the iPad from my side bag, and tap the screen.

Using Kerrigan’s operating systems, I access his browsers as Lyra stares up at the screen. His broad frame and tense form—very military-like and strict. It wasn’t often that he’d smile on television, or whenever a documentary of theirs was recorded. I rarely saw him do more than map out everything.

Lyra glances over to me, “What if he’s there, Mom? What if he’s at the hanger we go to?” She asks me softly, eyes uncertain.

I run my fingers over her little hand, “We will handle it when the time comes, baby.” I whisper against the soft surface of her hairline, in truth—I was scared shitless. I had no idea in any mind how to approach this. Because I have enemies, and most of them were on Graviton.

It took forty-eight minutes. To get to Hanger thirteen. They had expanded considering over a billion passengers. Earth was a condensed piece of destroyed land now. The atmosphere had flattened out based on the imaging Kerrigan clearly had even after we warped light years into time to get to Graviton. I hold Lyra’s hand, her fingers curl through mine when an announcement goes out of our arrival and for those with their own shuttles to board them in order to carefully direct everyone out. Our IDs are once again scanned before I help Lyra onto our shuttle, a message pops up on screen to allow controls to take over the shuttle.

The ride was easier than for the people who had to step out of the larger shuttle. Ours is directed into a tunnel, in formation with the hundred others inside Kerrigan’s ship.

Lyra hitches a breath at a glass globe of multiple cities in spherical structures, flat with the bend and inner simulators to resemble the different seasons. And mimic the countries and cultures on Earth.

“It really is triple the size of Earth.” She whispers, breathless.

“With much more possibility. We’ll have to check in to see if Lilly and her family made it out too. I’m sure they did.” I rub Lyra’s shoulders, sitting her on my lap to look at the view after the bay of this shuttle is cleared before main control is surprisingly directing those with their own licensed shuttles to a private hotel. The shuttle even aligned us to our specific room and floor, given the way the place was designed, this sort of thing wasn’t possible on Earth.

I put a mask on Lyra, the oxygen here may be more potent and less polluted compared to the oxygenated molecules at home. Well—not ‘home’ anymore. The hotel room consisted of electronic furniture. The bed was gravitationally suitable to move around and a kitchen that could be extended for bigger families. Lyra reads the scanner for oxygen availability in the room and takes a deep breath through the mask, before pulling it off slowly.

I had been here and had no problems with it, it just tasted sweeter, with a hint of pine and greenery in the view. A water park between two shopping malls that looked inviting, with other skyscrapers around the larger city compared to others near Graviton. Which was on the opposite side of the globe.

Service is provided in the hotel. Lyra kept her eyes on the virtual television screen, “In keeping the globe and our new civilization in the loop on everything that has happened since we extracted as many citizens as possible across e world, we can thank the Ultimate Graviton Team for their newest ethnology. The ship they had held over three billion people, Graviton is now fully stocked and banked out. There have been reports of multiple incidences and casualties due to the severity and damage that enforced quick evacuation from Earth.

“However, despite the levels of new society and changes in our most vital systems, Head General Charleston Caesar has confirmed the safety and security of these systems here on Graviton. We will take you now to the families and soldiers who had been on Earth when the attack happened. From Washington DC footage, here is how the structure changed on ground...the President and his wife are more than thankful for Head General Charleston’s heroics...” The reporter continues, sounding awestruck.

Lyra was engrossed in the television while I sat in the L-shaped black couch behind her. I run my eyes from the screen, back to her, my stomach clenching tight. I still couldn’t get a hold of Lilly, but I did hack into cameras of each hanger and ran prints under their names. I should have the information in an hour.

The last time I was here, I had been thrown through the cracks like a rat on the street, ordered and forced back onto Earth with an ultimatum that would’ve ruined me if I followed the order. The order that no woman should ever be given.

I close my eyes, moving the laptop aside, I grab the other industrial one from my bag and begin removing faces and prints of Lyra and me from all online systems. It would merely just be another number and a glitch in the system. I’d done it all before to protect Lyra, and I was going to do it again.

The names Alexandrine and Lyra Duo wouldn’t be flagged and if they were ever looked up, whether a school record or a past job, it wouldn’t flag me as someone who was on the Ultimate Graviton team.

Opening the programs that I knew central command would run regarding each civilian, I removed the flag on my name, but Lyra’s wouldn’t be in the system, it would only determine the year she was in at school, her grades and profile that I designed.

My phone vibrates next to me, I flip over the transparent screen and open an email notification. I study the words on screen. Well—they weren’t words, they were in fact a range of letters. I opened a grid from my apps and ran the encryption within.

‘Welcome home. We need to talk. —Rocco’

I purse my lips. Sneaky bastard.

Rocco Vincenzo was a second-in-command to the district leader in Falcon associations, one I knew from a past I wished I could forget. However knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have been able to make the money I do, on the side.

Not exactly something I mentioned to my six and a half year old daughter who didn’t need to know every partially illegal thing I did.

I sent my own encrypted sequence and told him I wasn’t on the grid.

It’s barely seconds before I get his email back.

And its coordinates, along with a date and time. In one week.

I raise a brow and run an outer diagnostics before pausing at an outdoor signature that the frequency was picking up.

I frown and typing like I was racing for something, I open the access systems before unlocking the firewalls on the other side. I tense and still when I find a Falcon algorithm on there. Rocco was being followed and his accounts were clearly under suspicion. I narrow my eyes and type in recent gang activity and freeze.

If fate wasn’t twisted enough.

Charleston’s mother owned Falcon, I knew that much, but what I didn’t know is that she had her son who used to work as a double agent, before Falcon was re-entered and welcome to head central. Both for Graviton under his father’s supervision and their council, and for Falcon. My eyes widen when I open a set of restricted files on Falcon securities, run by Cairo. I raise a comical eyebrow when I’m sent a firewall trigger warning. Clearly the hacker or hackers on Falcon’s side were working overtime.

I counteract and barge barriers to my address, creating a mountain of viruses that would temporarily shut down Falcon systems and in huge amusement, I watch the side news talk about a malfunction in Falcon Network that caused the Head General himself to strut into the Falcon building. The press got it all on camera.

The news flickers above me, on a different channel, Lyra was snuggling into her soft toys, half asleep before her cute little head drops right on one of the fluffy pillows, “—Falcon networks just had a major crash down, you see here, Head General was in fact called in, even with the newest developments of society on Graviton, this malfunction was triggered by the latest developments on the Rocco Vincenzo case.” She says on screen.

I sigh in defeat, inwardly saying sorry to Charleston, before sending Rocco a new message that had a clear frequency of no hackers capable of getting in.

Once he decrypts it, he’ll see it as ‘Send the attachment in email now. You’re welcome, btw. #falconmalfunction’

He sends back an attachment that I copy and then delete the original file he’d sent before anyone else could get it. I run diagnostics on the file. Before reading the timeline on it and raising both eyebrows this time when it says a week. What the gigantic—