Cyberlink Cove

Chapter 10

*SIX MONTHS LATER*

CYBERLINK COVE (SKYHOOK ISLE)-2078

 ((HUGE thanks to niallsbbyz for cover on the right!))

The new year had stealthily crept up on Cyberlink Cove. With its arrival, President Ross had implemented many new security measures. For one, stores and public spaces were subject to security inspections without a warning. Thankfully, Smugglers Tavern had only been targeted twice. When the government agents inspected the basement, Francie told them that was where she lived. It was believable, too-there was a bathroom in it, and cots pushed up against the wall. The weapons had been taken off their rack on the back wall and now resided in a musty old chest that had been engulfed by the other mismatched pieces of furniture surrounding it.

 

The government agents actually had no idea of the small shack on the beach that contained smuggled marijuana besides General Thomas, who had attempted to track down Mina and the others again, even searching the property for marijuana. However, Tina had gone in and deleted the security clips that held any of the pirates’ faces. The old shed was boarded up, and Jared hastily constructed a new one within the crevices of the Middle Finger, as the promontory jutting out from the eastern shore of Skyhook Isle was fittingly referred to.

 

The new changes in the government factories were integrated. Of course, this antagonized the majority of the population of Cyberlink Cove who could barely feed themselves and their families with the original conditions.The factories were harsh, dangerous jungles of metal that rapidly manufactured various products which required cheap, unskilled labor. If someone had no prospects of gaining a higher education or starting or maintaining a business, they were forced to work in one of these factories.

 

Out in the poor sector, Abigail Milligan and Sean Milligan were sister and brother, Abigail older by one year. The two were practically identical, down to the mismatched eyes-the left one a light hazel flecked with gold, the right one a soft, comforting shade of bistre. Both of them had bright, vivid autumn-leaf locks, like a brush wielding the hue of the scarlet sunset gently dabbed the brilliant shade of red onto their heads. Abigail, or Gail, had a mop of tightly curled hair cascading down her back, while Sean had a thick, loosely tousled mane.

 

When Gail and Sean’s family moved to Cyberlink Cove, they had come from Ireland, driven out by an epidemic that started in the smog-heavy atmosphere of London. The Milligans were part of the hordes that fled. Gail and Sean could barely remember Ireland; Aileen Milligan, their mother, had made the decision to leave right after their father died from the disease. The two used to pester Aileen when they were children to tell them about Ireland. Aileen’s shamrock eyes would fill with a wistful nostalgia, and she’d slip into a tranquil reverie until Sean’s impatient voice would snap her back to reality. Then her face would become mournful again, and she’d pull the children up into her lap and tell them of the beauty of Ireland; to Gail and Sean, it sounded like something out of a fantastical fairytale wonderland.

 

Emerald Isle was a fitting name, according to Aileen. She told Gail and Sean of lush, verdant scenery, ruins of grand stone castles pointing towards the heavens, and the clear, gray skies that oh-so-perfectly completed the serene image. However, Aileen’s reminiscing was always overshadowed by a slight sorrow that would shine in her grass green eyes. When Aileen Milligan had left, Ireland was slowly being taken over by corporate empires constructing factories that spewed toxins into the air, despite the disease that hit the region. She’d brought Gail and Sean to Cyberlink Cove, hoping that the air and wildlife would still be intact there-and it was. The price she paid was subjecting herself and her children to President Ross’s harsh rule.