The Trash Picker and the Secret King

The Fall from the Sky

The blue energy beam cuts through the air straight toward my chest.

There is no time to duck. There is no time to think of a clever escape plan. I throw my hands out in front of me by pure instinct, and the purple light explodes from my palms with a blinding flash. The beam hits my wall of energy with a loud crack that shakes the metal platform beneath our feet.

The force of the blast pushes me backward. My boots slide across the wet metal edge of the roof, and for a second, my heels hang over nothingness.

Below us, hundreds of feet down, the dark slums of River City wait in the cold rain.

Jax steps forward through the remaining smoke, his rifle still smoking from the shot. His face twists into an ugly sneer. He does not care about freeing the city or helping the poor people in the mud. He just wants the power for himself, and he is ready to throw anyone off the edge to get it.

You should have stayed in the trash dump, kid, Jax says, raising his rifle for another shot. You were never a king. You were just garbage.

Before he can pull the trigger, Lyra moves. She does not run away. Instead, she charges straight at Jax, slamming her shoulder into his side. The unexpected hit knocks his aim off, and his next laser blast shoots harmlessly into the dark sky.

Get off me, you little traitor! Jax snaps, shoving Lyra back hard.

Lyra stumbles, hitting the metal railing of the platform, but she does not lose her footing. She looks at me with her sharp dark eyes, her expression completely steady even as the armed guards raise their weapons to back up their leader.

Kian!" Lyra calls out over the howling wind. Take the core network! Do not let them win!"

Jax points his rifle at her. Shoot her, he commands his guards.

Two laser beams streak through the air. One hits Lyra's shoulder, and she lets out a sharp gasp, collapsing hard onto the wet metal floor.

A cold rage sweeps through my body. The last bit of doubt and fear I felt vanishes into the freezing wind. I am done running. I am done letting other people control every move I make.

I thrust both of my hands forward. A massive wave of purple energy blasts out from my palms, hitting Jax and his guards with terrifying force. The shockwave sends them flying backward across the roof, their weapons clattering away into the darkness.

Jax struggles to his feet, coughing and bleeding from a cut on his forehead. He glares at me with pure hatred, pressing a hidden button on his coat sleeve.

You think you won? Jax laughs, blood dripping down his chin. I set the tower to self-destruct the moment I reached the roof. If I cannot rule River City, nobody will."

Behind him, the master satellite dish begins to spark with wild orange flames, and a loud warning siren starts to wail across the entire glass structure.

I do not look at Jax anymore. I turn and run toward the master terminal, slamming my glowing hands directly into the main glass control panel.

The purple light from my skin floods into the computer system. The data streams flow through my mind like a river of fire. I can feel every screen, every door, and every security lock in the entire city. I reach out with my power and override the self-destruct sequence, locking Jax's commands out of the grid completely.

The alarms stop wailing. The fire on the satellite dish dies out into a quiet hiss of smoke.

Jax stares at the dead control panel in absolute horror. No. That is impossible. The system belongs to whoever holds the code!

The system belongs to the city, I say, my voice echoing across the quiet roof.

I raise one hand and flick my wrist. A beam of purple light hits Jax and his guards, lifting them off their feet and throwing them through the emergency exit door down into the lower level, slamming the heavy steel shut behind them.

The roof goes quiet, except for the whistling of the wind.

I turn around and rush over to Lyra. She is lying on the cold metal floor, holding her injured shoulder. Her breathing is shallow, and her face is pale, but she still manages a weak, tired smile as I kneel beside her.

You actually did it, Lyra whispers, her voice barely audible over the wind. You beat them.

Save your energy, I say, pressing my hand gently against her coat to stop the bleeding. The purple light from my palm glows softly, sending a warm, soothing heat into her wound. The bleeding slows down, and the pain fades from her eyes.

I thought you would leave me up here," Lyra says softly. "After everything I did to manipulate you.

You made mistakes, I reply, looking out over the edge of the glass tower at the sprawling city below. "We both did. But we are going to fix this together.

Before Lyra can answer, the sky above us begins to change.

The thick, heavy clouds that always covered River City start to break apart. For the first time in as long as anyone can remember, warm golden light begins to shine down from the horizon.

Down in the slums, the giant metal gates that kept the poor people locked away from the upper districts slide open with a loud, grinding groan. People step out of their small rooms into the streets, shielding their eyes against the sudden, bright sunlight. They look up at the shining glass towers, finally seeing a world where they do not have to hide anymore.

I stand up, helping Lyra to her feet, and look out over the city I just saved. The corrupt council is gone. The rebels who wanted to rule through fear are defeated. The system is finally open.

I take a deep breath of the clean air, ready to walk away from the glass towers and go back to the ground as a free citizen.

Then, a sudden, sharp cold wind sweeps across the roof.

The purple light on my hands flickers out without any warning. My chest feels tight, as if an invisible hand is squeezing my heart.

Lyra gasps, stumbling back against the railing. Her eyes go wide with pure terror as she points down toward the control panel we just locked.

The main computer screen has turned from purple to a deep, glowing crimson red. A new message starts typing itself across the glass in letters of fire.