Enhancement

- - 76 - -

this is an extra little chapter i'm adding to enhancement. i've written it for the Wattpad Block Party Summer Edition II on August 8, 2016, hosted by @kellyanneblount . if you're experiencing emotional or mental turmoil right now because of chapter 75, then i hope this helps you out a little bit!

hopefully this is the missing little link that ties up the loose ends.

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Tanner's POV

I gaze the sunken canyons and towering plateaus hiding me from the world, the city skyline of Sedona, Arizona, behind me. There's still so much for me to do, yet not enough time or energy. For now at least, I need to rest.

Grainy dirt and dust crunches under my shoes as I sit down among the boulder-like mountains. I pull out my AirPhone and accompanying technology, awaiting Commander Liad's orders. It's been weeks since I last contacted Holland and Stephen about the continued efforts of Pod 14, but I had moved on. Over time, I hit up five other cities hosting the most important rebels in our scattered army. Even though Liad was transferred to a different Pod as our own Pod 14 collapsed back into enemy territory, I still hold on to hope that we can pull this miracle off.

I kick at the burnt dirt. The flare of glee the rebellion ignites in me doesn't float to the surface anymore. My nerves are too shot, too worn, to muster any form of happiness.

My AirPhone buzzes, and I scramble to flash it on. A message from Peyton emits from my device, the sunset plateaus masking the sight from the Screener-filled city. I miss her and her stupid, annoying banter a lot, so I perk up at the sound of her voice.

"Check the mandatory broadcast feed," Peyton's hologram says, voice worried. "Quickly. It's important."

My stomach drops as I pull open the feed. "Mandatory" is this stupid country's gift-wrapped word for one thing: execution.

The video stream pops open, a hologram showing me Peyton's reason for fear. A wide stage stands surrounded by lower-class workers. Three people kneel on the platform, sacks no longer covering their faces. A girl with light hair holds a gun stiffly pointed at their foreheads.

I switch the volume off with shaking hands, knowing all too well that gunshots will follow soon enough. The view of the feed switches to the announcer at the podium, President Hybriad.

Holy shit, I think to myself. Hybriad never attends executions unless they're important.

I squint at the screen. One of the people is definitely Stephen! But the girl...

Oh, my God, it's Holland!

BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.

Three casualties fall, spilling blood like it has no value. I flinch at the screen but don't dare to look away. Horror, madness, evil. I know for a fact it's not Holland doing it, it's that Project she hated.

The Enhancement Project. When the Screeners came to Pod 14, our trackers showed all of Pod 14, crammed in our atrium watching in live time, that Holland was taken to the actual Project location. Stephen merely ended up in another city, but it was Holland who showed us where exactly the Project operates: 70 miles into an untouchable desert with the hottest temps in the nation.

Basically, tucked away and totally out-of-reach for our weakened rebel forces.

BOOM.

I turn towards the hologram again, the flash of a bullet firing once from her gun. Holland herself falls to the ground, weapon clattering right next to her.

I gasp out loud, stomach heavy. Suicide by Project manipulation? That's a whole new level of messed up for Hybriad.

The feed continues, showcasing the devilish President's speech as I glare at him. How could so much evil exist in one person? What does death even mean in his mind? Nothing? Anything?

It's easy to understand the message he sends, silent words directed at the rebellion: when I find the rest of you, you will all be executed. Too bad Hybriad doesn't know where or how we centralize our campaign. Though he might have caught onto Liad by transferring him, he only dented our efforts, not permanently crushed or destroyed. A lot of us might be gone, but not all.

I switch off my AirPhone and shove it in my pocket. Hunkering down on the hard ground, I curl into the most comfortable position I can. Until I get word from Liad, my mission is complete. I contacted all the rebels I needed to reach and now need more instructions in terms of what to do next.

The orange sun crawls behind the plateaus and rocky ranges in the distance, casting a dark shadow onto the world. I watch with a dreadful feeling in my chest, hoping the Pod 14 standstill isn't truly the end. The nation thinks it won this war, but I really hope it somehow didn't.

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hope you enjoyed this little add-on piece! I really enjoyed writing it. sorry for torturing all your emotions, guys, but i am incredibly thankful for your support for Enhancement.

IF YOU CAN'T GET ENOUGH of the scifi, dystopian worlds i create:

1.) there is still more content in this book to read!! see the next chapters

2.) my new novel Years Ahead is available and posted on my profile!!

thank you so much for being awesome! keep reading, keep fighting, and never stop... now and always!

-- scifiwriter

(( next chapter --> ))