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Georgia, 2031"Kaiser, do you see the stars?"
He couldn't really tell. The two of them were crouched behind their farmhouse, shrinking back from the lights sweeping across the field, crickets singing to the quiet night.
"Why are they taking everyone?" The warm kitchen light spilled from the window above his head. He tried to stand and take a look behind him, but Caelia yanked him back down.
"Don't look. We have to go."LA, 2037The apartment was empty. A delivery drone hovered and beeped outside the window with their dinner. He slid the glass open and shut quickly, the rumbling traffic and flashing billboard advertisements creeping in.
'Thank you for choosing Sahara Integrated Logistics for your delivery! Guaranteed service with a smile.
The drone chirped and whizzed away. Why was the apartment still empty?
Markus waited, just a little longer.

I

"Astronaut"
LA, 2047 (Present Day)"Kaiser, what do the stars look like?"
He couldn't really remember.
"They used to send people into space," he replied instead. "We can go see the stars, one day. You, me, and Caelia. Whenever this is all over."
Markus glanced at the display on his glasses. 9:08pm. The automatic doors swiped open and the fluorescent lights of the convenience store buzzed in his ears. 'Welcome! Today's selections are brought to you by Trillions Co-'
"Sure, whenever that is. Hurry up, it's almost curfew.""Payphone"
LA City Outskirts
Markus squinted at the unassuming payphone, tucked away amidst the run-down buildings. He was sure that this used to be a lively suburb, judging from the boarded storefronts, broken signs, and even the few abandoned cars. It wasn't the first time he'd seen one of these in his explorations, but it was a rare occurrence that the phone hadn't been ripped off the hook completely. As it was, Markus let his curiosity take over as he took the phone in his hands, half expecting a Trillions advertisement to blast from the speaker.A dial tone greeted him. Markus nearly lost his grip as he instantly fumbled in his pockets for the quarter he carried precisely for this purpose. Even as he looked for the coin slot, he knew he shouldn't be doing this. With each shaking press of the unfamiliar physical buttons, he told himself this was a terrible idea, that it wasn't too late to stop before he quite possibly ruined everything. And then it was too late. Markus could hardly hear the other end ringing over the blood rushing in his ears."Hello?" A voice that was not his mother spoke.
Markus choked. "Sorry," he mumbled, "I must've dialed the wrong number."
He slammed the phone back on the stand. He couldn't believe that he'd wasted one of his precious remaining quarters, yet he knew he should have known that the number would be reassigned by now. It had been the better part of a decade since he'd found somewhere he could dial it without being traced.Markus went home.
"You look horrible, what happened to you?" Kaiser's polite observation landed upon him as he moped into the apartment.
"I found a working payphone today." That was all he really needed to explain.
"Oh...Oh no, don't tell me you used - "
"The number's been reassigned. I know it was dumb to try."
Kaiser grabbed him by the arm and shoved him into a seat at the kitchen table, tossing a bag of cheddar popcorn at his face. "Hey, uh, don't worry, I'm sure we'll find your parents soon. Definitely, and then you can call them all you want, and we can all have dinner together, and..." Kaiser trailed off as Markus stared blankly back at him. Even now, he didn't know when to stop talking.It was fine, Markus supposed. He only had two quarters left anyway.

[..to be continued]

[ LOADING PERSONAL DATA... ]

"All systems bypassed. I'm in."

NAME: MARKUS SEVYN
AGE/DOB: 26 // DECEMBER 29
HEIGHT: 6'0" WITH SHOES
INFO: N/A
NOTE: Appears to be investigating his parents' disappearance during their employment at Core Technologies. Currently unable to monitor activity.

"Target location in sight."

NAME: KAISER STARFIRE
AGE/DOB: 25 // JULY 14
HEIGHT: 6'1"
INFO: Rescued a stray cat. Targeted advertising info updated.

"Are you guys done yet?"

NAME: CAELIA STARFIRE #74183
RANK: 32 - SPECIAL CLEARANCE PERMITTED
AGE/DOB: 27 // MARCH 9
HEIGHT: 5'5"
INFO: Research Operations Unit since 2041. Located in Sanctioned Housing Unit 58. No additional info required at this time.

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