2400 AD

“Good luck, everyone. See you all in a short while,” Tumelo said from behind the glass divider.

Indranil took a bow and climbed into the pod. “See you on the other side.”

Tumelo pressed a button and all six team members disappeared.

Callum felt disoriented when he appeared on the street before the imposing, heavily guarded Xenocon building. He caught his breath and waited for the team to appear. Calling them to his side he reminded them of the rules.

They were not to leave without Gideon.

If any team member were to get caught, absolutely no heroics would be tolerated.

They were to keep fatalities to a minimum and only strike when personally threatened.

Being on the tattered streets of the city of Egoli, previously known as Johannesburg, was an emotional experience for Callum. It had once been the thriving, economic hub of a region called Gauteng. Black and white lived together in harmony for hundreds of years after the release of Nelson Mandela when the country was still called South Africa. A time when Xenocon didn’t exist and Denizen was just a dream.

The team stopped suddenly as the public tanoy system crackled into life.

Attention all citizens.

All Denizens must surrender to Xenocon before nightfall.

Repeat: All Denizens must surrender before nightfall.

All Solarians are to remain indoors. Show your mark when instructed. If you do not have the mark, you will be treated as Denizens.

All Xenocon Androids have been programmed to use maximum force to stop any person resisting arrest.

All children up to the age of 18 are to report to Xenocon immediately. Children will be given safe passage to this end. If you resist, you will be regarded as an enemy of the state.

The tanoy made a beeping sound and went dead.

Callum dreaded the consequences of the announcement. “What?”

Indranil lifted his hands to the heavens in sheer frustration. “So this is their plan – to find more kids like Jacob and Thespian. Fuckers!”

“But they’ve been doing this for years, I don’t understand

“It is very clear they have decided to come out so to speak.” Indranil grinned from ear to ear.

“We have to save them,” Callum said.

Nkoni shook his head, “Callum, we must stick to our plan. Any deviation from it will endanger us.”

Kendall interrupted him. “Do you have any idea what they will do to these children? Do you?”

“That’s not our business,” Nkoni said. “We are here to rescue Gideon only, nothing more.”

“No. This is all about finding Kines,” Callum said. “It’s the ultimate weapon. We need to save as many kids as possible. Don’t threaten or intimidate them. They must come willingly. Understood? Head in different directions. Cleo, Indranil, come with me. Terces, divide into four teams. Destroy any Xenocon soldiers on site. Patrick, get hold of Tumelo. Prepare him for what’s about to happen. Stay invisible. If Tumelo runs into a problem we’ll bring the children to you.”

“Yes, sir.”

Even as he spoke, children began gathering in the streets. One by one they headed towards the Xenocon facility.

Callum and his team approached them, some individually, some in groups of all races. Some had U tattooed on their wrists, some did not. It didn’t matter. All children had been called to come forward. All.

Three children, two girls and one boy, stopped dead when Callum and Cleo suddenly revealed themselves. They turned to flee in several directions and took cover behind walls and doors.

“We’re not going to hurt you,” Indranil called out. “We come in undisputed peace and harmony. The moment you enter the Xenocon building, they will break you. You will never see your loved ones again.”

Callum gazed at Indranil, admiring his ability to communicate briefly the ominous truth.

One of the girls threw a rock at them, it missed by far, still the threat stood. Many more children would feel this way.

“If you come with us, you’ll be safe,” Callum called. “We have a place for all of you. A safe place where no one can harm you.”

One of the girls came out from behind a door. She hesitated at first, but when Cleo kneeled and opened her arms to invite her in, the girl raced towards her. The boy, on the opposite side of the road behind a parked hovercar, also revealed himself. He ran towards Cleo and almost knocked her off her knees.

A tall boy, older than the others, came out of a doorway with several children of different ages behind him.

“I have the mark. We all have it. They’re going to kill us, aren’t they?”

Callum didn’t know, he said, “All I know is that Xenocon is not safe for you. We have a place, it’s called Denizen 1. You’ll be safe there.”

The boy turned to face the children huddled together, lost and alone. “These children don’t have parents. They abandoned them. They need food and water.”

Cleo held out her hand in a gesture of kindness. “We’ll feed you and give you new clothes and a clean place to stay if you choose to come with us.”

The children moved around the boy and headed towards Callum and Cleo.

Callum could hear the Xenocon soldiers approaching, weapons ready to fire.

“Cleo,” Callum said. “Get the kids we’ve rounded up into a group. Tumelo, are you ready to transfer. I have twelve children with me.”

“I can only handle fifteen at a time. Too many will compromise the system. Some could die during the transfer.”

“Fifteen is fine. Just do it. Save as many as possible.”

“Yes, sir.”

Xenocon missiles and lasers began to rain down on them. Terces’ men fell where they stood, all in the line of fire whilst protecting Callum and his team.

“Transfer now, Tumelo!”

Fifteen children disappeared. Another fifteen lined up, holding onto each other. They didn’t speak, they didn’t move.

Callum adjusted his helmet’s microphone. “Ken, how many children do you have?”

Kendall responded immediately. “Eight. Tumelo is prepping the transfer now. We’re being attacked, but Terces’s soldiers have us covered.”

Patrick Nkuni reported five children ranging in age from six to twelve.

“Kendall, get those children to Denizen as quickly as possible. We’re heading towards the Xenocon building,” Callum said.

“I’ll join you as soon as they’ve been transferred,” Kendall said.

Callum turned his attention to Tumelo. “I need our best fighter drones. The moment they reach within two hundred meters of the building deploy their air bombs.”

Tumelo answered, “Can’t do that. I have an image of the roof. There must be at least 200 people up there.”

“Define people. Soldiers? Androids?”

“These aren’t Androids, Callum. They’re children.”