"There is no such thing as humanity left. We have tortured our planet to extinction, and we are now suffering the consequences of our ingratitude." the high priest assured our congregation. There was a murmur of agreement. It was hammered into our minds, like hot metal bending at the collision of a blacksmiths relentless tool: We were the closest to civilization of the three continents left on earth. The Great Spirit revealed the way to the high priests to save this planet by extinguishing the other pests left on our sad earth. With the recent development of our warship Xeni-shu II, we are now even closer to our mission. Lithuahalla, the greatest of peoples, was chosen to rise and restore the planet to its natural course.

“We will rise and restore, as our destiny has been divined to us!” The high priest boomed, like clockwork.

We are not like the other cursed nations that do not understand the sacraments of the Great Spirit. They worship false gods, and their leaders only care for power. They even misuse His gifts of spirit travelling. We are told from youth to be wary of spirit visitors from other continents that come to poison our minds against the Great Spirit and Lithuahalla.

Suddenly, my thoughts take a sharp turn. I am pained with the image of my sister, Shiva, and her last words to me before she was taken by a spirit traveler.

“Now is not the time, Vissara”, she whispered through tears. Even here in this temple, I can still feel the loosening of her grip on my hands, the ends of her soft hair brushing my face as she stood up and backed away, leaving me behind. The spirit traveler had the look of another continent, another people. He had pitch black eyes, and glowing ebony skin. His hands and forearms seemed to shimmer as he took my sisters hand in his, and they left in a vortex of bright white light.

Just like that, I was left in my room with only her physical body. Later, the high priests came to collect her for their study and to keep her safe and intact with the other bodies that have been taken by spirit visitors. They interrogated my family and I for clues as to her kidnapper, and worse, to investigate her possible involvement with ST-88, an organized group of spirit travelers that works to infiltrate Lithuahalla’s government in order to usurp our nations war efforts. We did not know anything, and we vehemently denied her involvement. She was a perfect citizen, daughter, and sister.

Ping

My ATCD chimed sharply and I was pulled from my fire fueled thoughts. The person next to me glanced discouragingly at my insolence.

How could I forget to turn it off? Embarrassed, I stepped outside. Rest Time was almost over anyway.

Outside, I peered at the blaring sun--a stark and unwelcome contrast to the cool darkness that is customary of every temple in Lithuahalla. I stood for a moment and felt the sun prick at my dark skin and a slick sheen of sweat spread across my body.

Irritated, I looked at my ATCD. A new message lit up the screen:

To: Vissara Ekom-alla

Message: Please report to Ship Level 99-1 immediately.

A chill went up my spine despite the insistent sun beating down on me. The correspondence came from contact number 900-A …unfamiliar. Ship Level 99-1 is rumored to be where the bodies of the kidnapped Lithuahallans are kept…another rumor stated that it was a meeting room for high priests, top-level engineers, and captains. Either way, I could not fathom why I had any business there.

I was not late from Rest Time as I input my time back to the Clock Station:

1:30 PM – Vissara Ekom-Alla, Xeni-shu II Ship Worker #809477

Status: Returned to work.

I hesitated at the Clock Station, considering the message again, uncertain of what to do next. My legs tingled with anticipation as I shifted and made my way to the elevators, hoping nobody would notice me. Nervously, I pressed the ‘Up’ button and it illuminated to a cool blue-ish white color, signaling its descent to my floor.

Ding

The metal doors slid open, and I walked into the cold, well-lit elevator. Inside, I pressed level 99-1 and the elevator hummed mechanically as it flew up, passing floor, by floor, by floor…taking me to my fate.

My thoughts wandered back to the message again, what could it be about? Maybe they ended up finding a connection between Shiva and ST-88, and I was to be punished for being affiliated with her. What would happen to my family? Will they also be punished--

Ding-Ding

My thoughts were halted as the elevator signaled its stop and the doors whirred open. I stepped out to the floor and into a dark room that was only dimly illuminated from the elevator light. This was strange. I turned around and noted the elevator frame marked with the number 88-2. Wrong floor, I thought. I made for the elevator just as the doors whirred again and closed abruptly. The room became pitch black and I was keenly aware of another energy in the vicinity. My skin prickled with fear as I felt my heart rate accelerate.