Ellis the Glitch

The Ship

My teeth chatter as I'm being forced up the tube by a current of air, right behind Trellina, Ylessa, and Sierra. Finally, we are on the ship. It looks nothing like what I imagined, nothing like what humanity imagined alien spaceships to look like. 

"This place is awesome," I gasp, running my hand over a smooth, obsidian pillar. 

"Just wait until you see Glaisse," Sierra grins. "Look at this," she points to a glowing, futuristic blue screen. 

"It's an Auramap," she says, noticing my confusion. "It tells us where things are." 

"Don't all maps do that?" I ask.

"Yes, but this one is different," she nods. "It can track down whoever and whatever you want it to. Like, for example, Claire King. Or Princess Viviana, whichever you prefer." 

"But why track her down if you already know she's in WGO?" 

"This is only a small cruiser," Sierra explains. "Our real ship is much farther away. It will take a while to get here. It seems like the rest of the Glitches already know the secret of the Program, and will embark on a journey to escape it soon. We need to keep track of the Princess, so that we don't lose her before our actual shi-" 

She's interrupted by a blaring alarm. All of us whip around, shocked. What could've happened? 

"Esteemed Icehearts," an Ice Guard rushes over, bowing quickly. "There has been a security breach. It seems like someone has broken into the ship!" 

"Who!?" Sierra grits her teeth, enraged. "I shall make sure they are sent directly to Queen Saralee. She will make them regret it!" 

"Oh no," the Ice Guard shakes his head, looking through some kind of video feed. "They have the tattoos, they seem to be White Hot Flame members!" 

"Flame members? This close to Earth? Impossible..." Trellina shakes her head. 

"Who knows? Maybe they really have been extending their reach. I heard Eleanna Myers is desperate to find Princess Viviana," Ylessa shrugs. 

Suddenly, the lights all go out simultaneously. 

"They've cut the power!" Another Ice Guard yells, and we all look around, panicking. 

"Which one of you's Ellis Rodriguez?" I hear a high but firm voice behind me and feel a gun pressed against my back. 

"She is!" Sierra enthusiastically points to me, eager to save herself. 

"Get her!" I hear someone- probably a rebel- yell, and my hands are secured behind me. I stumble forward blindly as I'm led through the darkness, the gun still on my back. 

Ice Guards rush into the area, now greatly outnumbering the Flames. The rebels know they're running out of time, and one of them scoops me up awkwardly as they run away. 

"What do you want with me?" I yell, but they prod me with the gun threateningly and I fall silent as I'm loaded off this ship, through a narrow, portable hallway of sorts, and into another ship. The rebels press a button and the hallway retracts, forming a window. 

This ship is much less sophisticated than the Iceheart one, with dully colored walls, and wires sticking out of the ceiling in many places. I'm roughly tossed onto the floor, and more lights come on, illuminating the faces of the people standing above me. 

They all wear worn, brown jumpsuits and carry dusty guns. Dirt is worked into every crease of their bodies, like it's part of their skin. 

"Sorry for the rough trip," one of them finally says. "Hi, I'm Rory. These are my brothers, Aron and Teren," she points to two of the Flames beside her. "These are the twins, Ashlynn and Jackie Reed, and Ben Pierce. 

"What do you want?" I ask. 

"We wanted to save you," Rory says proudly. "If we hadn't come along, you would've become an Iceheart." 

"What's so bad about that?" I ask innocently. 

"What's so bad about being an Iceheart?" Teren snorts. "Let's see, they're evil, they're murderers, they hate absolutely everyone and everything, they have an uncanny obsession with glittery blue things, and the list goes on." 

"They didn't tell me that." 

"Well of course they didn't," Rory rolls her eyes. "Now get up and come with me, there's a lot of stuff you need to know."