Battle for Earth

The Reacher

Cato woke up early the next day. He looked at his clock. 5:32 a.m. Today was activity day. He looked forward these, the one day a week that he wasn't cooped up in his dorm. Lying in bed, he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep anymore. Carefully, he crawled out from under his sheets and crept down the ladder. He grabbed his book and sat down in one of the small chairs in the dorm. He stood up to get a glass of water, but stopped when he noticed a tiny speck of light outside his door. It was open. The door was always locked from the outside, except for the testing days.

Cato had never really explored anywhere on the ship. He didn't remember how big it was, and he barely remembered what it was called. The Reacher. That's what the huge ship was called. It had been so long ago that he had been told that. He hesitated a moment, then slipped his feet into his shoes. Silently, he slipped through the doorway and into the hall. It was exciting, breaking the rules. With his palm flat against the cold metal door, Cato looked down the ship. It was dark, except for the few night orbs that lit up the long hallways. He had been down the right hallway for his tests, but he had never been left.

Glancing quickly behind him, he lifted his hand from the door and jogged off. His footsteps He peered into the window of the closest door to his room. It looked identical to room P13, where his tests were held. Moving quickly, he made his way towards the end of the hall. He was looking in the last window when he heard movement around the corner. His heart pounding against his chest, he tried the door. To his amazement and relief it opened. He closed the door behind him and stood with his back to the wall next to him. He heard the footsteps come nearer, and looked out the corner of the window. It was Black, but there was someone with her; a boy. He had the same black hair, and the same dark eyes. He wore the same grey lab coat and white sneakers. Cato ducked back down, and looked around the room for the first time. It was different from the rest. Much larger. Being careful not to step on any of the many small machines that littered the floor, he moved deeper into the room. He looked around, and noticed that the entire room was covered with machines.

There was barely any space for Cato to walk, as the entire room was covered with towers of metal. "Alex would love it here." He muttered to himself. His mind was clearer than he could ever remember. He'd never been on an adventure like this. He tripped over a particularly small invention, and and reached down to pick it up. It was a golden ball, slightly smaller than his fist. The weight of it led Cato to believe it was real gold, but there as no way to be sure. Turning it over, he saw there was something engraved into it. He couldn't read it in the dimly lit room, so he stuffed it in his pocket to look at later and continued on.

The farther he went, the bigger the inventions. He ran into an old car from what looked like the 2000s, and a hovercraft from more recently. He started to see light coming from the other side of the room. Stepping over every pile possible and maneuvering around everything else, he quieted his footsteps and made his way toward the light.

He looked up and saw a giant pane of glass that stretched from the ceiling down to the shining white floor. Cato had never seen anything like it. The galaxy surrounded him, and he was lost in it. He'd never seen anything outside the giant ship, but now he was looking at the silver coated wings and the galaxy that lay beyond. The sight took his breath away. The pitch black universe was interrupted by little shining stars and planets. He gazed out over the world before him with his hands pressed to the glass. The universe seemed to swallow him up. He desperately wished that he could go out into that world, and explore the worlds within it.

He thought of the planet he'd come from, Earth, and wondered if it was still out there. Would he ever see it again? He'd never thought much about Earth, figuring there was no point. But now, looking out into the universe, it seemed so much closer.

He was so distracted with the sight in front of him that he almost didn't hear someone enter the room behind him. Almost. Cato sprung from his position and rushed forward, sinking down beneath the cover of a particularly large pile of scrap metal. Something fell from a pile close to him, and he prayed that it hadn't been heard. His heart was beating so hard he was sure that whoever had just entered the room could hear it. Slow footsteps made their way toward him, and it seemed as though there were two people. Moving as quietly as he could, Cato crept around the tall pile and took cover behind another which was a few feet closer to the door. He noticed that this pile had a few high tech contraptions, and he paused a moment to pocket a small shimmering blade. He hopped from one pile to the next, taking cover behind each one as he made his way to the exit.

Cato was hiding behind a pile that barely concealed him when he started to hear voices. He stayed put to let himself catch his breath and listened to the conversation.

"The boys are almost ready." The voice was definitely female, but it was feeble and hoarse.

"Good, we may be needing them soon." The response came from a man, and his voice was steady and powerful. There was a moment of silence before either of them spoke again.

"How many were lost?" This was the girl.

"Sixty four. A small price to pay for the reward." Reward?

"Indeed." As she responded, Cato looked up to the door and saw that he was close enough that if he was quiet he could probably make it out without being noticed. He darted over the miscellaneous items on the floor, and stopped when he had his hand on the door. As he pushed it open, he looked back and could see that backs of the man and woman standing at the window.

He let the door shut silently and stood in the hallway, his breathing heavy. Checking his watch, he saw that it was almost time for him to wake up. He turned and sprinted down the hall, trying to be as quiet as possible while running. He slowed as he reached dorm 662, and took a deep breath before opening the door. It was closed. Cato could've sworn he'd left it open. What if it's locked? Fear pounded in his chest when he tried the handle. It swung open easily, and he slipped silently inside. He checked to see that Alex was still asleep, and was glad to see he was. Deciding there'd be plenty of time to read later, he slipped into the safety of his bed and breathed a sigh of relief.