It was sundown, and the siblings waited patiently near the glowing capital. Lights took over the sky, and outside the gates were countless dead zombies and hordes that tried to attack. The gates were covered by heavily automated turrets and guard posts, constantly watching over the wasteland.

  The siblings were far enough not to be seen, nestled in a small cave on a distant cliff, their armor resting inside as they scouted the capital.

  "You got a plan? 'Cause this place is massive," said Blood, his voice low as he glanced at Omen, who was quietly observing the cityscape.

  "Well, all we have to do is cause a ruckus so that AR shows itself. We destroy it, and we're done. In the meantime, we can also check around for warehouses, see if they have any firepower for us to destroy."

  "How are you sure it's an AR, though? It could be a hacker for all we know. And what are the odds they'll send the robot after us?"

  "That bamboozle wasn't a regular hacker. Nothing else can mess up my suit like one of those prototype models. If they have one, it's bad news. And surely, if we show ourselves during the raid, they'll send it after us, that thing has the only 'real chance' against us, and they know it." Omen's eyes narrowed as she stared at the distant lights.

  Blood remained silent for a moment, taking in her words. After a few minutes, he broke the silence.

  "Isn't it nice?"

  "What is?" Omen turned to him, brows raised.

  "Out here. Sure, it's all sand and filled with freaks, but... there's some beauty, no?"

  Omen blinked in surprise, not expecting that sentiment from her brother.

  "What are you implying?"

  "What if we could... you know... just run away together? Out here." Blood looked out into the wasteland, as though envisioning a life without the constant fight.

  Omen was taken aback, staring at him in disbelief. Blood continued.

  "I just... I can't keep killing and killing because the government wants me to...you know be loyal to what matters."

  "Seth, what's up with you? You've been so down these past few days."

  "Sarah, both of us have been through enough. I want a break from NURO. Just a break from all the orders, the training, the sitting around at that base doing nothing and once we do something it's usually killing some innocents by accident."

  Omen sighed, shaking her head. She sat down cross-legged and met his gaze.

  "And do what out here?"

  Seth remained quiet after hearing her response.

  "We're feared out here, Seth. One good look, and we're wanted by everyone. It isn't that we can't handle ourselves, but at least at the base, we have some peace and quiet. Out here will be more killing than being with NURO. Everyone will be after us."

  Seth didn't answer right away. He looked at her, troubled, then stood up and paced a few steps away.

  "I just..."

  Omen softened her tone.

  "I know what you mean, Seth. And I'm trying to find a way... a way to get us out of this." She stood and walked over to him, wrapping her arms around him and holding his head to her chest. "But we can't yet."

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Seth looked up at her in confusion.

  "Why?"

  Omen paused, looking out at the horizon, her eyes distant.

  "Because we have nowhere to go yet. We still need to use them—NURO—just a bit longer until we figure something out."

  Seth's gaze flickered to the capital.

  "What about The Barge?" he asked, hopeful.

  Omen considered it for a moment.

  "That's an option... but getting their trust will be hard. Like I said, we're feared out here, even by The Barge."

  Suddenly, the suits emitted an alarm, and the visors pulsed with color. Omen stood up quickly, stretching before moving toward the suit.

  "Omen, status?" The commander's voice crackled through the comms.

  "We're outside the capital, thinking of a POA." Omen answered quickly, watching Seth, who was sitting outside, keeping watch.

  "Alright. Think you'll need reinforcements?" the commander asked.

  "No, we got this one. We'll contact you once we're done for the pickup." Omen finished, before hanging up.

  She looked over at Seth.

  "Come on, Seth. We have work to do." She stood by her suit, arms crossed, waiting for him to join her.

  Seth stood and walked over to her, pulling her into a hug.

  "Thank you, sis..." he murmured, and Omen kissed his cheek, feeling her heart melt.

  "So... how are we doing this one?" she asked, voice still serious.

  Seth looked at her, his expression thoughtful.

  "Well, when you said we're feared, that wasn't entirely true."

  "What do you mean?" Omen raised an eyebrow.

  "Well, the SUITS are feared. But us, without them? We can just blend in. No one's seen us without them."

  Omen's eyes widened in realization.

  "So you mean we go inside without protection, risking them finding out who I am?" she asked, voice laced with hesitation.

  Seth gave a quick nod.

  "If that happens... or even if it's about to... you call the suits, and the capital turns into a mushroom cloud, again everything we do results in innocent cssualties.."

  "But how do you think we get in? We can't just walk up to the gates without a reason." Omen asked, feeling the weight of the decision.

  Seth nodded.

  "We'll call back the commander, see if he can do anything."

  "Alright, fine, we go your way." Omen relented, recalling the commander on the comms. The suits began pulsating in their respective colors.

  "So, we got a plan, but we ran into some trouble." Omen explained as soon as the comms opened.

  "Already? What problem?" the commander's voice came through.

  "We're thinking of going in without the suits, since we'll blend in. Blood made a good point about them fearing the suits, not us."

  "And the problem is?" The commander's tone was flat.

  "We have no way in. We can't just walk up to the gates without a reason."

  "Want me to send a convoy down?" The commander asked.

  "Convoy? How will that work?" Omen replied.

  The commander's voice came back with a plan.

  "We intercept a nearby village convoy, hijack it, and tell them it's a supply convoy from that same nearby village. By the time they realize what happened, you'll be long gone."

  "And I assume the convoy part will be your doing?" Omen asked, raising an eyebrow.

  "Yes, we'll take care of the hijacking and send an elite squad. You two rest up until it's time. Tomorrow night, most likely...we got a target already it seems like...right?" The commander explained, his voice becoming more faint as he talked with other analysts.

  "Alright, thanks." Omen said as the comms cut off.

  Seth chuckled lightly as he sat back down near the cliff's edge, looking out at the capital.

  "That will be fun, first time going to paradise."

  Omen followed him, sitting down beside him, her gaze still on the capital.

  "Sis?" Seth asked quietly.

  "Yes, Seth?" Omen replied.

  Seth turned to face her, his expression somber.

  "Who... are our parents?"

  Omen blinked, taken aback by the sudden question.

  "What do you mean? What kind of question is that?" she responded, her heart skipping a beat.

  "I mean, we have these tattoos, but... I can't recall their names. Or who they were... or are..." Seth's voice trailed off as he tried to make sense of his thoughts.

  Omen was left speechless. She had never questioned it before. But now, standing in the quiet of the night, she too felt the weight of the mystery.

  Suddenly, her parasite reacted.

  "I... what... is going on..." Omen said, clutching her head as a headache seized her.

  "Sarah, something is not right," Seth said softly.

  "Yeah... the parasite doesn't act like this unless it's a fight-or-flight response..." Omen muttered, rubbing her temple.

  "You think it's trying to tell us something?"

  "You... made a point. I can't remember their names either, Seth. I think it's trying to tell us something."

  Seth looked at her, confusion written all over his face.

  "It's probably nothing really—"

  "NO! It IS something. This isn't normal, Seth. Not at all." Omen snapped, her voice shaking.

  She began removing her shirt, revealing the tattoos on her skin, but she left on the lingerie, covering herself just enough to be modest, her entire torso being covered with ink.

  "Any names?" Omen asked, looking at Seth, who was standing next to her.

  "No... it just says 'mom and dad.'"

  "No, something's not right. I don't like this." Omen shook her head.

  Seth remained silent, taking in the new information.

  "We need to find them, the parasite is telling us something."