Skylocked

Chapter Five - Inauguration

The morning was hectic. Ember was trying to get prepared, having on a dark brown button up paired with his father's jacket and his usual brown cuffed pants, held in place by the suspenders resting on Ember's shoulders. He was fixing his hair in the mirror, carefully putting it into a bun once again as he tried to perfect his bangs.

"Ember, can you please stay? Your body already got all cut up yesterday after just one day on the job! Im worried about you!" His mother approached, her eyes struck with fear for her son.

"Mom, I already told you, I fell on land. My job had nothing to do with it." He lied, brows knitting further in frustration as Mira continued to pester him.

The woman felt tears prick her eyes, Mira suddenly hugging Ember tightly from behind.

"Please... please don't go..." She whispered, Ember still able to smell the scent of alcohol as she buried her face into his back.

He sighed, shutting his eyes as he attempted not to lash out on her. The mornings were always hard, everyday being a transition from Mira being angry, to sad, to scared. Sometimes all three.

He bit the bullet, slowly turning to hug his mother back. Ember embraced her as she began sobbing, the boy resting his chin atop her head.

"Mom, it's going to be okay... I'll be back..." He cooed.

"N-No you're not..." She choked up.

"Yes I am. You know I've always gotten back. This isn't going to be any different."

"But your dad..."

"I'm going to get him back too." He added, leaning back to stare down at Mira, a determined look from Ember being shown for emphasis.

"I promise, I'm going to make us a family again."

Ember walked through the inner-city streets in a daydreaming state, his eyes lost in the tops of city skyscrapers, all climbing the hill of land to extend their height. These hills would elevate each circular row of high rises another few stories, all leading to the largest skyscraper of them all, President Neo's castle.

The pilot was running through a number of thoughts in his mind as he stared up at the imposing kingdom like structure, his dissasociative state being broken once he heard the sound of a holographic billboard puncturing his ears. Ember's eyes would sharply turn to meet the gaze of a digital reporter extending it"s reach into a 3-D effect, the well dressed man wearing a deep red blazer with slicked back blonde hair.

"Today see's the day that our next generation of pilot's send their lives away for a king who only want's to fill his own pockets. One such man being the son of the late Ashe Chain."

Ember's eyes shot wide, feeling his stomach turn as he was halted of his trance.

"This can't be happening..." Ember whispered, slowly removing his sunglasses.

"This would be twenty-one year old Ember Chain, graduating top of his class through a broken system rather than affordable education. Instead, he is going to be selling his life away in the hopes of getting enough money to scrape by for a government that doesn't care if his family lives today, nor dies tomorrow..."