"The rain hasn't stopped since the machines took control. The counsel of nine who ran my valley's colony we call "Big Gulch" decided it would be best if our climate was controlled by an artificial intelligence. It was fine at first. It was nice and sunny for a week, then one Sunday it started raining and it didn't stop. By the time we adapted to the first flood, our farmers lost most of their crops and ninety percent of our electronics were wiped out. It's no surprise everyone's in a perpetual bad mood. It's been fifteen years. Oh sure! People have tried climbing the onyx obelisk to turn off the A.I, but everyone who's tried has never been seen again. Until today."

There's a knock on the wooden door. Entering is a girl wearing a transparent plastic poncho with bright green wavy hair with blonde highlights visible underneath. Zeta smiles as he sees her pink short sleeve tailcoat with white tech lines, fuzzy hot pink arm sleeves, and black skirt. She holds something wrapped in a blanket under her arm.

"That's my girl Kiwi, AKA K.K. We've known each other since forever. We'd be married right now but none of the local priests are brave enough to let us be official. The machines have a mandate that Neon Gyaru like her a major cyber threat. They'd get into a lot of trouble if the machines find out if they've been in contact with a cyber gal like her."

Kiwi chuckles. "You're recording your 'hero log' Zeta?"

"You know I gotta. No one's gonna believe unless I do. Can't figure out how to change the date though. It's stuck way behind in two thousand five. Ey! You got my blade!"

Kiwi unwraps the blanket. Inside is a somewhat thick matte black rod with a prong tip with steely metal lining on the inside. Zeta's sky-blue fingerless rubber glove grabs a hold of this protected device.

"Aw yeah. Rico rigged up something good."

Kiwi points towards the bottom of the tool.

"Rico told me to warn you that he could only find an older Styx-3 battery for it. Those can explode when overheated."

"Then I'll take out the enemy in one hit or less. You got your firmware update?"

Kiwi bends over to look at her mate in the eyes. Binary code dances in her red and violet heterochromic contacts lenses. Zeta gently takes her by the chin never breaking eye contact and after they stand up, they kiss passionately. Zeta's bare thumb rubs Kiwi's cheek.

"I like the little star sticker under your eye."

Kiwi nuzzles his nose.

"Thanks. It'll keep me awake when we climb. Now come on. The water's already on the second floor. Let's get to the roof. Petrock's waiting outside with a barge."

Zeta grabs his marine green colored jacket and orange scarf and dons his modified swimming goggles with a camera attachment . The audio/video recorder is still active.


His gold and red hair hangs over the lenses. Lastly, he places his pronged "blade" in a cardboard cylindrical poster case and slings it around his back.


"Let's zap n' scrap!... Oh! Can't forget my mind keys."

Zeta grabs a torn backpack full of books and exits the splinter filled dorm room with Kiwi. They enter the top of the creaking hollow floored stairwell. Looking down, they see the bottom floor is completely washed out. Furniture spirals in the foamy water currents. Kiwi giggles and shrugs.

"That's why it's now or never."


Zeta and Kiwi turn around and head up a narrow cement stairway dimly lit with a flickering orange light. When they finally push the door to the roof open, they are greeted by the same dome covering of dull blue clouds they've seen for years, poorly hiding the pulsating red lights within. It's only a second later they feel the familiar sting of the rain on their scalps. In the distance beyond the tops of sinking structures, piercing the heavens is the black shimmering obelisk, their destination. Without missing a beat, they scurry to the right, not even having to think to step around slippery puddles littering the flat top roof. Looking down over the ledge they see what appears to be a mound of aluminum foil with a dish satellite sticking out on top. The whine of a motor gives away its true function. They grip the cold metal ladder with on the side of the wall and steadily step down.

Zeta stops when his foot rests on the bottom step. He can see the multicolored innertubes and exercise balls keeping the raft afloat.

"Hold on Kiwi."

Zeta raps his foot on the foil. Through the hazy static of raindrops, he hears a muffled voice from behind the mound. Zeta shouts.

"I have but I prefer the album Solar Nostalgia."

After a moment, the bottom of the mound is lifted up and a hand with thick fingers beckons them inside. The raft wobbles as Zeta and Kiwi step inside. It is cramped. All three figures have to squat and crouch to fit themselves and their luggage inside. The congestion made even more apparent with the delicate wires surrounding the couple. Crunchy music is playing from a jerry-rigged Mega Genesis game console on the side. Looking forward Zeta can see the square back of his comrade Petrock covered by a thin makeshift poncho made from a white trash bag, revealing his burgundy polo underneath.

Zeta peers over Petrock's shoulders to see the monitors. Thier covered raft is slowly but surely navigating through a maze of decaying buildings, occasionally passing by other makeshift rafts.

"Looks like the coast of clear."

Unmoving, Petrock responds with his static-filled froggy voice.

["Por ahora..."]