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Rise

As he zoomed down the highway, Sanjit sang along to the radio. It was an oldies channel. And it made him feel old. He knew the lyrics to these better than the current tracks.

Surprisingly, driving wasn't too hard, once he had gotten used to it. The helicopter was harder. He was glad the car was automatic. If it had a gear stick, it would have only made it more confusing.

Sanjit was lucky that his family were on holiday in Vegas- he could get to Lana quicker. According to his sat nav, Swindon walk was on the outskirts of Vegas. Ten minutes away from where he was now.

"Hold on Lana," he said to himself. "I'm coming for you."

Astrid had brought Dekka into the flat, and made everyone a coffee before Dekka began her tale.

"I was in Tesco, yesterday evening," Dekka began. "And I saw him, in the car park. In the trees. I don't think he saw me."

"Are you sure it was him?" Diana asked. "You know, he's dead an..."

"I know it was him. Which other psychopath with a whip for an arm do I know?"

"That must mean it is all back," Astrid mused. "I mean, Drake died because the Gaiaphage died. If Drake's back, it must mean..."

"The Gaiaphage is back..." Sam whispered.

"Or, at least, alive in some strange shape of form. It may not be like it was before."

"Little Pete!" Diana suddenly said. "When he died for the first time, he came back. What evidence is there against the Gaiaphage being trapped in a similar lingo."

"Exactly," Astrid said. "Which is another good reason Lana is on her way. She can reach into its mind and tell us if it is there."

"Astrid," Sam asked. "You knew this all along, didn't you?"

"Ever since you shot that boy, I guessed. It was the gaiaphage who caused the mutations. Id yet were here again, something similar must have happened again."

"It's strange though," Dekka interrupted. "How Sam has the light again. And Diana can still read. I bet I can still cancel gravity. They are the same as before. No different."

"That is what leaves me to think it is the same Gaiaphage. And the fact that there hasn't been another nuclear accident like it."

"You said about Lana reaching into the Gaiaphage's mind." Diana said. "Why don't you try and see if Little Pete is still there?"

"I have."

"And..."

"No. At least, I don't think so."

At the time of the FAYZ, it took Astrid's parents two days to find each other. One had been transported all the way to Santa Barbra, where as the other, simply to the other side of the tennis court. It took them even longer to grasp what had happened. Like Astrid, both of them were highly intelligent, but didn't understand how this could happen, within the logical rules of physics.

Neither of them had contributed much to the 'families', simply trying to adjust, and begin there lives again. Surprisingly, it didn't take long to get used to not having Little Pete around. In fact, after a few months, Astrid's mother began to wish that the barrier would stay there. Life was much more peaceful now.

And then, the barrier came clear. They were both worried, for three reasons. Firstly, they were worried of what they would see. Secondly, they were scared their children had perished. However, they were also worried that the wall would come down. Their children would have changed. And so had they. They didn't know if they could be a proper family again.

On that fateful day, when the wall came down, they received a telephone call, simply telling them that their daughter was in hospital. They rushed over to visit her, but, at the same time, were worried. They were out. And Mrs Ellison wasn't sure if she could adjust to her highly autistic son. So, when she found out he had died, she was more relieved than upset.

After Astrid was released, she didn't live with them for long. She moved out as soon as she could. Mr and Mrs Ellison hadn't talked to her since. So they were surprised when they received the phone call. Even though it wasn't from Astrid herself.

Clothes. All of them. Into the large, pink suitcase from under her mother and father's bed. Books, plus her laptop and iPod (with the chargers) into the matching purple one from the loft. It took a while for Lana to sneak that one without being caught. All of her other stuff that she cared about were thrown into a black back pack. It reminded her of Brianna's. Lana had cried for a bit when she thought of that.

Lana had gotten changed too. Denim shorts and a baggy vest top; something she would have worn in the FAYZ, but cleaner. She had also stolen one of her fathers thick leather belts. She stuck her old, automatic rifle, that Sam had returned to her, into that belt (she had hidden it in a box in her wardrobe), along with a three different knives from the kitchen.

"It really is to easy to steal stuff here," Lana had thought to herself.

She had also put on a thin jacket, which covered the belt. She didn't want anyone to see her weapons. After all, he wasn't licensed to carry either a gun or a knife. Not like she cared. It would just ruin her plans if she got arrested.

She was ready. Now, just to wait.

Through the building works, large machines and scaffolding, the little girl crept. Her clothes were in tatters, and dried, crispy blood covered her from head to toe. Fresh, scarlet blood trickled from a large gash on the side of her leg. It didn't bother her. She could heal it later.

Past the building works stood a black, steel fence. The plaza. The war zone. The graveyard. The gate was locked, but that's didn't stop her. With a flick if her wrist, the lock came off, broken. And she continued her journey onwards.

Past the graves of marble. Past the graves of stone. Past the graves of rotting wood. All the way to centre most grave. Where she knelt down.

"Rise again. Rise again, children of the Gaiapage.