The next morning was like any other. Ray’s alarm blared while Anand blocked out the sound in the shower. He was sure some of their neighbors heard it, too. Ray rushed into the bathroom and was out first.

“Morning, buddy!” he said cheerfully as Anand returned to the room.

He replied with groggy mumble. “You ready to go?”

Ray was always already out the door and walking down the hall while Anand hung back to lock the room. They found Eve waiting in the lobby for them. She greeted the boys before they all made their way to the cafeteria for breakfast. After finishing their meals, the group went their separate ways for class. Anand’s first class of the day was Combat Training. He went to the locker room to change before continuing to the gym.

Students were stretching and jogging on the track while Coach Quin walked around marking attendance. Wooden dummies as tall as the students filled the room. As class started, Coach Quin double checked attendance before standing next to a dummy and instructing his pupils to do so as well.

“On average, your legs are stronger than your arms. That’s why you need to focus on weaponizing your legs,” Coach Quin explained and lightly kicked the pillar near him. “Just like when you punch, do it wrong and you’ll hurt yourself. Thus, make sure to use proper form or you could unnecessarily harm yourself.”

“That’s why weapons are better,” a student chided.

Coach Quin stared daggers at the student and silenced him.

“What about when you don’t have a weapon?” Coach Quin asked rhetorically. “You need to be able to fight without one if you want to succeed at the GDF. That’s why we train. Now, do as I do.”

Coach Quin stepped back and began instructing slowly. Use momentum, keep your balance, it’s all in the waist. Anand had heard it all before. Ever since attending CahlU, he had taken every combat elective he was eligible for. It sucked that he still had to take the Combat Training class mandatory for juniors.

Anand thought there was no reason to over-explain a roundhouse kick. Unfortunately, the sounds of students hurting themselves and asking pointless questions proved him wrong. He blocked out the distractions and focused on the target in front of him. He started off doing each part of the kick slowly. As he got comfortable and muscle memory kicked in, he became more aggressive with his attacks.

“That’s a good sound, Anand. You’ve been practicing it seems,” Coach Quin said while walking nearby.

Anand grunted appreciatively.

“Not to mention he’s always in the community center gym sparring with other people,” another student chimed in.

Coach Quin chuckled. “Maybe I should spar with you some time.”

Anand hesitated and paused. Testing his skills against a GDF agent was always useful. Even if they did go easy on him.

“Are you serious? Because I’d like to,” Anand said.

“We’ll see,” Coach Quin replied before moving on.

Anand refocused and continued practicing. Eventually the bell rang and students couldn’t wait to rush out of the gym. Anand walked to the locker room, cleaned up, and made his way to his next class. The halls of the Cahlgren University were surprisingly quiet during lessons. The few students outside of class made it a point not to disturb those in session. Even if there was a distraction, many students would stay focused on their lessons. That was the only thing Anand would admit his peers could do better than him; focus on their classes.

Anand had trouble staying focused unless the class was one he cared for. The rest of today’s schedule consisted of Biology, Advanced Aid, and Public Speaking; all classes Anand hated. Each class unfolded the exact same. Anand silently entered, sat down, pulled out his laptop, and took notes. He didn’t listen very much during class since all the notes were written clearly on the slides. He could read over them later. The worst part was when there were physical instructions, like when they learned CPR. Seeing something done was far different than reading about it. Reviewing the information later always took longer than he cared for. Anand especially disliked today’s schedule because he wouldn’t have class with either Ray or Eve, he was alone.

It was no wonder he was the first out the door when the final bell of the day rang. Anand left from the back of the building. He almost went to the usual meeting spot before remembering his trip home. He heel-turned and made way for the dorms.

“Why the long face?” Eve asked as she caught up to Anand. She had been sitting in the courtyard.

“You’re here?” Anand asked. “Don’t you want to spend this weekend by yourself?”

“That starts after you dorks leave. I thought I’d see you off.”

“That’s sooo sweet,” Ray said sarcastically while approaching. “Come on, we’ve got less than an hour before the bus leaves.”

Eve joined the boys in their room while they finished packing the last of their necessities. Anand grabbed his laptop charger and textbooks and sat down to wait for Ray. Even if Anand waited till the last day to pack, it was never last minute. Ray hurriedly threw things into his own duffel bag before turning to his friends.

“Alright, let’s go!”

Eve walked them to the entrance of the school where half a dozen guards were watching over students as they entered and exited the premises. There was no road down to the entrance, only a track with a heavily guarded tram.

“Have a good weekend. Text me when you get home,” Eve said while hugging the boys.

“We will,” Anand answered.

He and Ray stepped into the crowded tram that took them down the mountain pass towards the bus station at the base of CahlU. Attached was a parking lot where parents were waiting to pick up their children for the weekend. Anand walked towards the rows of idle buses. Meanwhile, Ray ran into the station to visit the convenience store. Upon returning he passed a can to Anand.

“Got you a soda.”

“Thanks,” Anand said and put the soda in his hoodie pocket so he could focus on his phone.

He found the digital bus tickets and showed them to the driver assisting passengers. The boys tossed their bags in the overhead compartment near their seats and sat down. Anand always took the window seat since Ray “wouldn’t appreciate the sights,” as he put it.

Ray put the bag of candy he’d bought in the cup holder between them and as soon as the bus moved, promptly fell asleep. Anand laid back and watched as the school shrank away in the distance and the highway became surrounded by grasslands and lakes. Cows and horses roamed in the distance surrounded by fences that stretched for miles. Anand started to count the cars he saw to pass the time but repeatedly lost track. He unconsciously kept eating some of the candy next to him while sipping his drink.

He checked his watch and quickly sent a text to Ray’s mom.

Hey Veronica, be there in about 10 min -Anand

C U soon -Veronica

Anand sat back and looked out the window. Before he could assess what he saw an ear piercing siren sounded over the bus intercom. The sound permeated for miles, ringing from rooftops and radios.

“Ray,” Anand said. “Ray!”

“What?” Ray groaned without removing his earbuds. “It’s just a drill.”

Anand punched Ray’s shoulder and shook him awake. Now was not the time for his carelessness.

“Does that look like a drill to you?” Anand asked and pointed out the window.

A blade cut across the sky, leaving a purple scar across the sky. The rift expanded into a sphere hanging ominously over the city. Its surroundings levitated and disintegrated as they were dragged into the gravitational pull of the void. Anand had never been this close to a rift. He’d only seen one during the broadcast of the first appearance. He’d never realized how the air changed near one.

The alarm cut briefly to play a recording.

This is an emergency Gaia Defense Force announcement. A rift has appeared in the proximity of your location. Remain calm. Please follow emergency evacuation instructions to move to a safe location. Do not deviate from GDF instructions. This is not a drill. I repeat…

The driver’s nonchalant attitude had vanished and with a commanding voice, she yelled. “Everyone, leave your things and get off the bus. The nearest Runner location is within walking distance.”

People were rushing out of their cars while others tried to drive onto the sidewalk to bypass others. Panic ensued as crowds rushed towards the local union building which was surrounded by rows of massive armored vehicles that resembled train cabins. GDF agents and officers yelled instructions over the crowd trying to keep order.

“Please remove all facial coverings to assist in identification!”

“Do not exit the premises in personal vehicles!”

“Help those who need assistance getting into Runners.”

The lines moved smoothly as guards with visors quickly scanned each person entering Runners. The speed at which they could wirelessly access the GDF database and confirm an identity was astounding. Anand and Ray were quickly scanned and stumbled into a Runner. They rushed to the nearest empty seats and clipped their harnesses. Anand had never realized how cramped a Runner felt once filled with 180 passengers. There was no room to stand or maneuver, no windows to look out, no fresh air. Though it looked bleak, it was the only way the GDF could minimize mass panic. Anand felt Ray shaking next to him.

“It’ll be okay,” Anand said and patted Ray’s shoulder.

“I’m not worried about us. We’re trained for this,” Ray said. His voice cracked as he continued. “But Mom was driving here, I hope she’s okay.”

“Shoot her a text, I’m sure she is.”

Ray nodded and fiddled with his phone.

“What about Eve?” He asked.

“She’s in a safer place than us. I’ll check on her once we’re in the clear,” Anand answered.

Once the Runner was completely filled, it broke away from the line next to the union and began driving towards the GDF hangar on the outskirts of Madison. The ride was bumpy and felt extremely slow. People around Anand were antsy, preparing for the worst. He remembered his training and focused on staying calm and breathing. He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Sonia.

Did you get to a Runner okay? -Anand

Normally she would respond immediately but Anand assumed she was panicking and wouldn’t respond for a while. Anand was more concerned by the passengers of his Runner discussing when the Riftwalker might appear. More importantly, how long it would take the GDF to deal with it.

Before long, the Runner stopped and the back opened into a hangar that stretched for a mile. Inside were two massive flying vehicles, Breakers, with people entering in droves. The ceiling of the hangar was open in order to allow the Breakers to exit. Anand scoured the crowd for familiar faces. He paused when looking at the exit of the hangar. A chill ran down his spine at the sight of the ominous crackling portal hovering over the city.

Anand had always assumed seeing a rift in person wouldn’t frighten him since he’d learned so much about them. But he’d always planned to tackle them as a full fledged agent. There was no way he could fight without a BEAR. He could feel the hair on his arms standing on end. No one else was frozen like him, instead they rushed for Breakers, hoping to get in the next one leaving. They were embarking for the Midwest GDF base, the safest possible place to be during a Riftwalker invasion in Wisconsin.

Ray snapped Anand out of it and tugged at his hood. With simple signals, Ray gestured to move towards a Breaker. As they began walking, Anand remembered his parents had set up a tracker on the family’s phones. He paused to quickly check everyone’s status. His parents were nearby, likely inside a Breaker. He froze upon seeing Sonia’s location; she was still near her school. On the map her marker was moving erratically towards the hangar. But there was no way she could make it on her own. Anand’s phone vibrated when a message popped on screen.

I got left behind -Sonia

Anand felt his heart sink into his gut. Cold sweat built on his brow. He ran a shaky hand through his hair, tightly tugging at it. He wasn’t trained for this. Learning to deal with civilians was a senior class. A myriad of worst case scenarios ran through his head but he pushed them aside. He frantically looked around until he found a GDF agent. Anand approached one near the door of a Breaker.

He tried to stay calm and asked, “Can-” Anand’s voice cracked and he cleared his throat.

“Can you send someone back to the city to get a person who got stranded?”

The agent calmly asked, “Who got left behind?”

“My sister. See?” Anand said and held up his phone to show the tracker.

The man nodded and replied, “I’ll see what I can do.”

He stepped away and approached another GDF agent who seemed of higher rank. They talked about something but were soon beset upon by other concerned citizens. Anand swore under his breath. The GDF was too busy now to aid in retrieving a lost kid. It was up to Anand to do something. He’d made hundreds of plans. Now was the time to use one.

Looking at the exit of the hangar, there was plenty of unguarded space since everyone was trying to run for the Breakers. He cautiously walked to the edge of the door and peered out. The air felt thicker outside, almost solid. Sweat dripped from Anand’s brow as he prepared to do something far more reckless than he’d ever considered. He took a deep breath, made sure there were no nearby guards, and ran. A Runner honked its ear piercing horn, drawing attention to Anand. He ran behind the machine and an agent quickly exited to chase after him.

“What are you doing?” The agent yelled.

The man barreled towards Anand and he picked up speed. It didn’t matter. Anand could feel the encroaching grasp of the agent. His fingertips were almost on Anand’s hoodie. Then there was a crash.

“Sorry!” Ray yelled back to the agent as he caught up to Anand. “I just tackled a GDF agent for you so you better tell me what’s going on.”

Anand answered, “Sonia is still in the city.”

“What? Pick up the pace!” Ray commanded.

“Why are you coming with me?”

Ray huffed. “Dumb question that doesn’t need an answer right now!”

“If you say so. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Too late for that.”