The Gold Code

PART ONE

" Hangman! Hangman! Slack your rope a while, for I see my father coming with my reprieve! Father, Father have you brought my golden ball? Have you paid my fee? Or did you come to see your only daughter hanging from the gallows tree? 

No, my girl, I didn't bring the golden ball. I did not pay your fee. I just came to see you hang from the gallows tree."

- Excerpt from The Golden Ball 

25 Years Ago- 2475 AD

William Franklin was dead.

At least, he was going to be.

He struggled to position the last piece of large equipment he could find against the door of his lab. His task was made harder by the sweat dripping down his arms, no matter how many times he tried to wipe it away. He really shouldn't have been the last one. He wasn't strong enough, Rosalind had said, and she hadn't even been referring to his bad heart. Yet, somehow, they had still given him this role in their suicidal plan. The thought of Rosalind made his heart jump to his throat. It should have been her here. They should have been together in the end.

The screaming of his colleagues was getting closer. It would only be a matter of time before the Imperial freaks broke down the door and killed him. He hoped they would just de-materialize him, instead of taking him back to Augmentaris Prime where he would most-likely be tortured and then indentured.

He looked to the large monitor in the middle of the room praying that the data-wipe would finish before they entered.  

98%. Good enough. 

He took a breath and prepared himself for the next, and worst, step of the plan (aside from his death, of course).  This is for us, this is for everyone, this is for her. It was his mantra, but it didn't make what he was going to do any more palatable.  

Underneath the monitor was a little girl trying to make herself as small as possible. She had stopped crying now and looked at him with apprehension. Her lip trembled as he took a step towards her. He placed, what he hoped was a reassuring hand on her curly hair. 

"Petal, can you give me your hand?" He asked as gently as he could given his fear. She held her arm up obediently and he took her wrist in his hand. With his other hand he took an unarmed laser-blade from his lab-coat. He held her small wrist tightly and positioned the laser blade over her elbow. "Remember the story Mum used to tell you? Your favourite one?" She nodded gravely as tears streamed down her chubby cheeks. "Can you tell it to me Petal? Start at the beginning."

She was too young to have fully mastered speech but her mother had told her the story so many times she had been able to memorize it word for word. But Mama wasn't here. Why wasn't she here? 

She looked into her Papa's eyes for some reassurance, that everything was going to be alright. She had forgotten that it had been Mama who was the strong one. Papa looked like the world was falling apart around them. When she didn't say anything the grip around her wrist got stronger. She winced. Maybe, if she told the story, Mama would come back. 

"Once upon a time, there was a magic golden ball and-" She screamed as her Papa brought the laser blade down on her arm.  

A/N: First story on Wattpad. How does this even work?!! Hope you enjoy :)