“I’ve contacted the Intelligence Department. They are asking you to give them some identification. Do you have something you know that your sister would immediately identify? Something only both of you would know about?”

Edith’s mind raced through the past.

“It’s okay, Edna. There’s nothing to worry about.”

15-year-old Edith stood with a young Edna in front of the door to their small shack which they had recently moved into. Edith had decided to take her sister out into the dark, but Edna was afraid.

“I’m scared. There’ll be all sorts of things out there. I’m afraid.”

Edith kneeled and looked her in the eye. She gripped her smaller palm into hers.

“I’m here. I would never let anything happen to you. You know that, don’t you?”

The 10-year-old gulped and nodded. “Yes.”

“Then why are you afraid? I promise you, there’s nothing out there. If there is, I’ll keep you safe. I won’t let it hurt you. I’ll whack it in the face like I whacked old Johnny Bunman.”

Edna giggled. Johnny Bunman had been a boy who used to bully her in school until a year ago when Edith had given him a lesson.

“I’ll come with you.”

Edith stood up. Slowly, she opened the door. It was a full moon. Edna gripped her hand tightly as they walked out together.

The moon shined above their heads, lighting up the area. It wasn’t that dark.

“You see that thing there, the white light?”

Edna looked up at the moon. “Yeah, the moon.”

“Even if I’m not here, it will protect you. It will drive all the bad things away. You understand?”

She nodded slowly. “I do.”

Edith smiled at her. “Never be afraid of anything. There isn’t anything in this world worth fearing. Always be brave.”

Edna looked at her earnestly. “Like Superman?”

“Yeah. Like Superman.”

“Commander Garson?”

She was jerked out of her thoughts, returning to reality.

“Yeah. Give her four words. Darkness, Moon, Fear, Superman. She’ll understand.”

General Cartwright nodded. “Okay. Your message for her?”

“Ask her if she’s safe, and tell her that we’ll get her.”

“Okay. You can go.”

Edith walked out of the room. For once, she was feeling better. They had a chance at rescuing Edna, and she wasn’t passing on it. Never. She took out her radio.

“Hello? Riley?”

There was a bit of crackling before the reply came. “Yes, Commander?”

“Come to my office along with William. Now.”

A few minutes later, she sat in her office with the two. William was staring down at the floor, not meeting her eyes. She knew how he felt, and she felt that to a certain extent he deserved to feel that way. But she also knew that she had to forgive him.

“William.”

“Yes?” He mumbled, still refusing to look at her.

“Look at me.”

He didn’t look up and continued to stare downwards. Riley sighed. Edith leaned forward towards him and spoke in a stern manner.

“Grayson, as your Commander, I’m ordering you to look at me. And I expect to be obeyed.”

Slowly, he raised his eyes and looked at her.

“There’s no point in feeling guilty. You made a mistake, the best you can do is remedy it by helping us get her back. I forgive you, but be careful. Get it?”

William nodded. “Got it.”

She leaned back and continued. “She’s in the border facility. We’re going to conduct an operation. Not only to rescue her, but to take over the facility. We’re in a full-blown war here. Our battalion will be leading. I want you both to rally them all and get them prepared. Everything, from the weapons to the launchers, should be perfect. Do you understand?”

They both nodded.

“I will come to inspect it. On the ground, if anything happens to me, you, Riley, will take over as Commander.”

“Wait a second,” Riley said incredulously. “Me?”

“Yes, you. No questions asked, no objections entertained. Now, get to work. And remember just one thing – never lay your arms.”

They nodded and left.

“You won’t need to worry about anything at all. Nothing. No shooting or running, not unless you wish to. And when you run, it’ll be as a free person, on smooth ground. Not as a slave on broken glass. With strong and sturdy feet that won’t be bleeding. How does that sound?”

“Wonderful. It is like a dream.”

“It’ll be real. I know it will. We won’t be here forever.”

Edna hugged Aries closer and held her as the girl snuggled into her. They sat together, discussing things, as Edna described how life in a normal world would be. She realized that there was no life that could be described as ‘normal,’ because the word had different meanings for each person. What was normal to her, would not be normal to all people. Each human had different lives, different circumstances, and different definitions of ‘normalcy’.

Aries could not yet fully comprehend everything that had happened in the last few days. This person was strange to her, in a good way. No one had ever shown this type of affection for nothing. Why would someone care for a child like her, someone whom they did not know? Why would they feel the need to protect her, to keep her safe? They had no attachment, no obligation. She had done nothing for her. She was real, it had lasted too long to be a dream. And she knew, that for once, she had something good to look forward to when she left this place.

Both of them were jerked out of their respective thoughts when they heard footsteps approaching. Although her first instinct was to, Aries did not retreat into the corner. She stayed in Edna’s arms, which made her feel safer than any corner would. After all, going in there had never saved her.

A man came up to the cell. He looked around. Seeing no one else, he opened the bars. He had a shaggy mustache and a beard. He kneeled down onto their level.

“Don’t worry, I’m not here to hurt you. I’m a spy, from the Baldornan Intelligence Department.”

Edna did not relax immediately. “Prove it.”

“Your sister gave an identification which you would understand. She asked me to tell you four words: Darkness, Fear, Moon, Superman. Does that ring a bell?”

She lightly smiled as she remembered. Trust Edith to choose something completely foolproof. “Yes, it does.”

“They’re coming to get you. We just needed confirmation that you were safe and alive. Of course, knowing Commander Garson, she would have come regardless, but the General wished to be sure whether it was a revenge or rescue operation. She, along with Deputy Bancroft and the Commander, will be presiding over the operation. Rest assured, they’ll have you out. Do you have any proof, any code that I can transmit to assure them I communicated with you?”

“Here.” On her neck, there was a black thread, with a brass cylinder hanging off it. Edith had given it to her many years ago, as a memento, when she was first inducted into the military. She untied it and handed it to him. “Keep it safe. You will keep in touch, won’t you?”

“Yes, I will.” His voice was confident and reassuring. “My name is Ross. Ross Jarden.”

She nodded. He stood up and left.

“You heard that? They’ll be coming. When they do, they’ll take us with them.”

“What if they are defeated?”

“They won’t be. My sister, Deputy Bancroft, and General Cartwright, they’re very strong people. Especially the General. She’s not like your General. She’s strong, but she’s a nice person too.”

Aries shrugged.

“Just a question out of curiosity. You said you were given injections, and you were experimented on. Did that give you any special abilities?”

She nodded.

“What sort of abilities?”

“Speed. Jumping. Strength. Power of electricity. Combat.”

“Power of electricity?”

She stood up. “I am weak now, so it may not be very effective. But I shall try.”

She raised her hand, opening her palm. She concentrated on it. In a few seconds, a blue light appeared, with sparks.

She panted, leaning against the wall. Edna stared in awe.

“Wow. Do all the kids have such powers?”

She shook her head. “Only me.”

Edna sighed. “Sit down, and rest. When we escape, that might help. Does this work on humans?”

“Yes. I can blast a person or an object backward.”

She sat down, and Aries leaned onto her. In a few minutes, the girl was asleep. Edna sat there, thinking about her. The girl was powerful. But first and foremost, she was a child and a vulnerable one at that. And that was what mainly mattered. If Buckhoff knew of her, he would waste no chance to get his hands on her. She swore that Aries was not going to become a weapon, not as long as she was there.

The General walked amongst all the soldiers. They stood at attention as she inspected everything, from the missile launchers to the tanks. Bancroft assisted her, checking that all the machines were charged well and the quantities were correct.

General Howard Kesslar, the Head of the Air Forces, inspected all the planes ready for flight. Everything was in the best condition.

Finally, General Cartwright stood in front of all the soldiers. She spoke to them all.

“So, we are here, all of you. We’re here to honor the deaths of our fallen heroes, who were martyred not long ago in a cowardly attack by our enemies. We are not just pulling off a rescue operation, this is an attack. We are not here to only rescue Correspondent Garson, we are here to avenge our men as well. We shall not back down. Currently, our countrymen do not think of us in a very flattering light, thanks to certain persons who manipulate the public to their benefit. But now, we have a chance to prove them all wrong. We have a chance to redeem ourselves in their eyes. We have a chance to prove that these persons are simply feeding delusions. So, this is not just a normal war. This is life or death. Every last drop of blood shall serve to show our country that we are their true protectors, and no egoistic politician can stop us from doing our duty. Are you ready?”

A loud ‘YES!’ echoed across the entire ground.

“Now you may rest, and get ready for battle tomorrow. Sleep well, soldiers. You will need your strength.”

They all dispersed, invigorated, and ready to go to battle.

Edith was in her room that night, polishing her guns. Someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Bancroft replied.

She stood up and opened the door. Bancroft entered. “You should go to sleep, you know.”

“I know. I guess I’m just nervous.”

“Well, you can’t really fight well, if you are sleepy,” she quipped. “Seriously, Garson. Take rest. We will get your sister tomorrow. Ross said she was relatively fine, didn’t he?”

Edith nodded, fingering the necklace that Ross had brought with him. She sighed.

“I guess you are right. I need to get some sleep.”

Bancroft patted her shoulder. “Go to sleep. We’ve got a rescue and a revenge to carry out tomorrow.”

She left shortly after. Edith undressed and lay down. For a few minutes, she lay awake, but eventually, she allowed the exhaustion to take over and fell asleep.

The next day was going to be a significant day.