The morning sun that glistened across the waking sky was ever bright. The sand and dried shrubbery that flew past the car were encased in the shadows of an early day, giving off the impression that the land itself was beginning to open its eyes. Taking in that entire scenery was Vincent, head pressed up against the window.

He and the rest of the group had been driving for just over a day, heading in a northern direction. While the landscape that they passed was barren and devoid of any life or structures, he kind of preferred it that way. The vast nothingness—both in time and view—gave him the space to just wonder. He wondered about what honestly had just happened in Cairo. He wondered about why he resonated with the empty planes of Egypt. He wondered about where he was going next—not in the literal sense, but in a sense more profound and abstract. He couldn’t quite place his finger on what exactly, though.

He was seated in the passenger seat of their rusted truck, while Zander and Eliot were in the cramped back “seats.” Fang, seeing as they were the only one who seemed to know their way around the country, was the one who drove the entire time. Vincent offered to drive, but everyone, including Fang, rejected that idea. For one, he didn’t have his license, and also having Vincent drive any sort of vehicle is a threat to anyone in a 15 mile radius.

Eventually, as the sun began its ascension towards the peak of the sky, a new sight began to emerge. Cresting just over the horizon was a familiar vision. Waves of heat emanate from it, sparkles of reflected light shone on it, and the deep blue coloration of it showed off its endless depths. Vincent wondered if that was where their destination was.

“We’re almost there,” Fang suddenly spoke up, as if reading Vincent’s mind.

“You know,” Zander said, his voice a bit dejected, “I’m still against this whole idea. I know you explained it to us, and while I do trust you more than most, I don’t feel right about it.”

“Come on, Zan,” Eliot gently disagreed, “they said he was a friend of theirs, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“So? Vincent’s a friend of ours and we worry about him all the time,” Zander countered.

“Trueeeee,” Vincent replied, nodding in agreement.

Everyone in the vehicle gave a good chuckle, which helped liven the dead and borderline tense air. However, when Zander was dead set on giving his opinion, not much could persuade him to stop, not even a laugh.

“But seriously,” Zander continued, “this is so illegal on so many levels. What if we’re caught?”

Fang, still looking at where they were driving, replied, “Wasn’t everything we were just doing in that casino illegal?”

“Well, yeah,” Zander conceded, “but this is different. We had no choice but to do it. Besides, there was going to be no other way to see the obelisk. And if we couldn’t see the obelisk, then there was no point in visiting Egypt.”

“Exactly,” Fang agreed. “It’s the same thing here. It’s not like you’re hurting anyone, either. Besides, it’s alright to do some wrong things if it means getting the right end. Isn’t that right, Zander?”

Zander just huffed and went back to looking out the window. After a few more minutes, the car came to a stop and Fang announced, “Alright, let’s get out.”

Stepping out of the car, Vincent immediately felt his muscles loosen up with his large stretches. He arched his back, threw his hands up, looked up to the sky, and let out the biggest sigh. Shaking the rest of the limpness out of his body, he took a deep breath. He could smell the salt in the air and practically taste its brininess. It was a familiar sensation, and unlike most of the times in his life, this time he welcomed it.

In front of the group was the monumental expanse of the ocean. Birds flew above it, free as can be, and the occasional giant sea life poked its heads above the water, showing off how comfortable it was in its environment. Between them and the sea was the rusted, mechanized mess that was a port. It wasn’t the same one that they entered from, seeing as this one was smaller in scale and more remote. The port they entered the country from was right off of one of the largest cities, while this one seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Even so, there were a couple of ships docked there, being loaded by far outdated cranes and machinery.

As the rest of the group made their way out of the truck, the black car that was parked next to them rolled down its tinted window. While it was hard to make out any person in there because of how dark the interior was, a voice could be heard coming out of it.

“Fang? Is it time?” the voice asked.

With a slight smile to them, Fang replied, “You better believe it. Come on out, we’re all here.”

The click of the car’s locks unlocking was heard and the driver-side door swung open. Stepping out of the car was a shorter, slightly rotund man in his lower thirties. His face was slightly plump, but not overly so. On top of his head rested a slightly worn bowler hat. When he took it off to fan himself, the balding middle of his hair was shown in all its honesty. The rest of his darker hair was thinning but sincere. Like his hat, the rest of his attire was black and slightly worn. His suit gave off the impression of importance, but the rough nature of it created a persona for the man that spoke of a more honest working guy who managed to attain some level of relevance.

With a big, warm smile, he ran over to Fang and gave them a hug. “Man, it’s good to see you again, Fang.”

Returning the kind gesture, although a bit stiffly, Fang responded, “It’s good to see you too, Lawrence.”

Lawrence then pulled back, patted Fang on the shoulders, and then let go. He then looked around at Vincent and the others.

“So this is the crew you want to ship?” he asked, his voice a bit upbeat.

“Well, yes, and me,” Fang confirmed.

“It’s a bit of a larger group than what we used to do, but honestly this is nothing compared to what we’ve been doing lately.”

Fang raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, that’s right,” Lawrence said, his body hopping a bit, “you’ve been here since this whole thing started.” His demeanor then grew a bit depressed. “Things aren’t so good back home. The entire country has gone to shit and no one feels safe anymore. It’s going up in flames.”

“What happened?” Fang asked. “Resonators?”

“Yeah actually.” Lawrence’s face shifted back a little before turning back to its normal jovial form. “Aries has gotten bold, random people have started to act like terrorists, and no one is willing to protect the citizens.”

“What about the police?” Zander questioned, interesting himself into the conversation.

“Nah, they up and left quicker than a wankster in a gunfight.” He then sighed. “Honestly, if it wasn't for Archard an’ the rest of us, London would’ve fallen weeks ago. A bunch of spineless fools those politicians are.”

“True,” Fang nervously laughed.

“This world’s going to shit,” Lawrence laughed. “But yeah, so we’ve been shipping people outta the isles like the finest exports.”

“Shipping?” Zander asked.

“Well…” Lawrence shook his head, “that’s what we call it. But essentially we’re smuggling people out. We’ve been doing it in unprecedented numbers. Right now we can only do those who can pay, but Archard promises that once we get some more power, we can start helpin’ the average person.”

“Dude,” Vincent finally joined the conversation, looking at Zander, “even I figured that one out. Read above the lines.”

“It’s between the lines, but fair enough,” Zander rebutted.

A loud honking then echoed through the air, originating from one of the larger ships.

“Oh, that’s our cue,” Lawrence stated. “We better hurry so we don’t miss our ride.”

The group then entered the port, following closely behind Lawrence and Fang. Those two talked back and forth during the entire walk, chatting about small things and things that Vincent couldn’t hear. Walking through the port itself, most of it was archaic by the modern day standard. There were various machines that looked in disuse, or if they were used, then their structural integrity would be a gamble with each foot of movement.

With each person that they passed, a look of confusion plastered itself across their face, followed by recognition the moment their gaze landed on Lawrence. Afterwards, they would just look the other way. Even the people that began to approach—like the guards—only partially closed the distance between them and the group before walking away. Not a single person bothered them.

When the group arrived next to the second largest ship that was docked, which was a sizable vessel, Lawrence waved in its direction. Although Vincent couldn’t see anyone, he assumed that he waved to someone onboard. Lawrence then turned towards the group and gestured for them to walk onto the ship.

Zander and Eliot shot quick glances at Fang, who then returned their stares with a nod and a neutral smile. Vincent, on the other hand, walked aboard the ship without any hesitation whatsoever. He was actually excited to head back out to sea, towards another new adventure. The moment his feet landed on the deck, he turned back towards his friends and smiled. He felt the breeze of a freer day blow behind him and he knew that a new start was just over the horizon.