Cenerea, 3rd planet from the star Letria, Regalius,

The Homeland, Central Region, The Capitol City,

The Capitol City Apartments, Block 2500

Fifteen Cenerean Years Ago

Hidden among the city's shadows, a half-meter long reinforcement rod jutted into an adjacent sidewalk as if anticipating the arrival of someone familiar. From far above, several undulating rays of Letrian light pierced a ceiling of gray clouds and shone down upon the rusty bar and its home, a massive concrete wall rising several stories into the air; all that remained of an ancient apartment building destroyed long ago by a Sub-Region terrorist's bomb.

Without warning, a succession of low groans issued forth from the wall and the rod began to reverbrate in concert. Small rhythmic vibrations at first, but quickly building in intensity until the entire structure shuddered in one massive final birth pang, forcefully severing a corner section of its uppermost level and just tossing it away. The fragment tumbled end over end in a free fall toward the ground. It exploded upon impact. Concrete shrapnel flew in all directions, the largest of them skidding to a stop in the middle of the road.

As if exhausted, the charred, rocky structure once again fell silent just as a small child rounded a corner and meandered into its potential kill zone. The sniffling, small boy, completely oblivious to the ruin's dangerous condition as well as any long lost historical significance was now in mortal danger.

...

"Ow!"

Stumbling over an unfamiliar, out-of-place pile of debris, nine-year-old Jay Levant lurched forward. To keep from falling to the ground, he grasped a nearby rusty reinforcement rod and held his breath as gravity pulled him forward and down.

"No, no, no..."

"For this day, anyways, it seems the laws of physics are in my favor," the young Jay said with a shaky voice, followed by a curse typically reserved for use by someone much older. Summoning his strength, Jay used his metallic savior to right himself, then winced as he glanced down and examined the condition of his small toe poking through a hole in his right boot. The surface of the pale skin had turned completely white and was now beginning to bleed.

Jay released the oxidized rod, releasing rusty droplets of water from the vibrating metal into the air and bent down to rub his painful digit with a dirty finger. The urge to do the unthinkable suddenly welled within him and Jay closed his eyes.

"C'mon don't cry, stupid! Don't cry!"

...

Behind Jay, a singular jagged line appeared in the wall. The crack split into many smaller branches before it began to progressively snake its way vertically up the wall from the metal rod toward the top. Sand and small rocks pattered to the sidewalk as the length and width of the crack increased.

...

The light-headed Jay attempted to stand erect as if he were a proper Homeland soldier, wiped his nose on his uniform sleeve, and then burped as an unexpected wave of nausea washed over him. Taking in a lungful of air and slowly exhaling each breath, Jay attempted to alleviate the awful sensation accompanying the pain radiating from his pulsing toe.

Regardless of the situation, he knew he might need to run, and soon; nausea, pain, injured toe, or not. Jay was not stupid. He was keenly aware of the noisy, potentially dangerous human activity growing in volume behind him. With a forced calm, the boy cupped his hands together and brought them to his mouth, exhaling warm air into the pocket they created. "Get ready, Jay..."

PLOP!

The boy tensed, freezing in place as a single drop of water splattered on his face, then another, and another. "Oh, by the light of Letria, come on! At least let me get home!" Jay exclaimed and lifted his eyes toward the angry gray sky swirling above him. Light vertical streaks of rain fell in increasing size and frequency.

"Fuck."

The boy sighed in frustration as water dripped from his hair and eyelashes masking the pools of tears that had now formed in his eyes.

A gang of boisterous teenagers sat watching him from a nearby apartment stoop, huddling together around a makeshift fire pit to stay warm. Jay slowly turned his head to where he could see them in his periphery. Their eyes were fixed upon him as they pointed and laughed. He heard the snickering and understood very well what they were waiting for, however Jay refused to give them the satisfaction and more importantly, knew better than to even fully look their way.

The young boy was going to be strong no matter what. He had to; because there was one thing Jay understood he could never do, at least not in the open...he could never even whimper much less cry. Around this part of the city, intelligence meant nothing. It was strength that ruled here and weakness of any kind would only bring more pain and misery than any stubbed toe. For in this place, the Homeland apartment complexes that stretched for miles and miles, the strong would inevitably crush anything vulnerable within its borders without mercy. Jay viewed enough Homeland educational broadcasts depicting predatory animals chasing down and devouring the weakest of their prey to understand the similarities and he was preparing to run.

Wind whistled between the ruins as an accompanying gust blew through the fibers of Jay's damp gray uniform with the same ferocity it raged down the alleyways. He shivered as the wet fabric clung to his cold skin. Although it may have seemed impossible that the rain-soaked, coatless Jay could not be any more miserable in this cold nasty weather than he already was, such a probability obviously did exist. Any half-baked examination of this part of Central Region's Capitol City proved this beyond any reasonable doubt.

Jay shook his head in anger, cursing himself for not paying attention and tripping over that damn concrete rock on his way home from school. "I wish I could see the future like momma does," he mumbled. The thought of his maternal parent made him pause, briefly forgetting the pain shooting up from his foot as he recalled her strange behavior that morning before he left for school.

...

Typically, Jay's mother would remind him on his way out of the door, "Jay keep your head down, don't make eye contact, and don't stop to talk to anyone. Walk quickly and be brave, my beautiful little genius."

She repeated these same rules, however, this morning the woman added something extra. When she spoke, it was less cheerful and upbeat. Her voice was somber, a tone the boy found a bit strange and out of character. "Jay, time to put away that old machine, you have to leave soon."

The boy lifted the device up for the woman to inspect. "I know mother, but let me show you what I was able to make it do. It was dead when I found it in the dump. Now, I got it working again and see, I programmed it to keep you company when I am at school. It will answer you if you ask it questions."

"That's so nice of you, sweetie. Come to me for just a moment. Let me see you."

"Okay, momma." Jay set the chattering machine down and walked over to her.

The woman held him at arm's length. "There now, look how big you are," his mother said straightening his ragged uniform collar. She ran her fingers through his hair in a weak attempt to coax several errant strands to lie down.

"Jay, momma loves you. You know that, right?"

"Yes ma'am...an' I love you, too," Jay replied. He noticed his mother had been crying, he saw her doing it enough that he could tell. Actually, it looked like she had been up all night again.

The woman softly placed a finger beneath the boy's chin and lifted his face to look into his eyes. She smiled and said, "You may think we have nothing, but that is far from the truth, Jay, because, you are my greatest gift and with you in my life, you have made me the richest woman on Cenerea. I know it may be hard for you to understand, but one day, my son, you will be the Homeland's greatest gift as well. You will help everyone here in these awful apartments."

Jay wrapped his arms around his mother's neck and hugged her tight, his fingers tracing a hole in the tattered material of her gown. He hated she had to wear these old clothes and despised even more the fact he had to leave her every day, too, just like daddy did so long ago. However, that man never came back, but Jay did. He returned home every afternoon from that stupid Homeland Future Labor Force School his mother made him attend.

Jay's stomach rumbled and the woman released him. Generating a smile, she removed a small silvery package from her housecoat's pocket and placed it in his two small hands. "Here son, take this ration and eat it. You can't learn if you are hungry."

"Momma, that's yours for midday. What are you gonna eat?"

"You don't worry about me. You need to be able to pay attention in school and you cannot do that with a grumbling tummy."

"But momma."

"Jay?"

"Yes ma'am," Jay said sadly and then turned to walk toward the door. He placed his hand on the dingy handle that when turned, would expose him to the dangerous outside world once again.

"Jay? Wait!" his mother exclaimed and ran over to scoop him up into her arms, embracing the boy tightly.

Jay was a little stunned at the outburst. "Momma?"

The woman brought her lips to his small ear and whispered. "I know you will not understand what I am about to say, but one day when you are ready, these words will make sense, my brilliant, brave little man. Put away your anger and your fear. Lay down your sword and open your arms in love. When you close your eyes that will be the day you save the world."

What his mother said was true; he did not understand what the words meant. Then again, she sometimes spoke like that when she was tired. Maybe she just needed a nap.

"Now run along. I love you, son," the woman said, kissed Jay on the forehead, and opened the door.

"Yes, ma'am...I know. I love you, too," he replied with a smile. The boy thought he heard his mother begin to cry as he closed the door.

...

A heavy rumble beneath Jay's feet quickly returned his focus to the present as a section of the old wall began to collapse behind him. His throbbing toe now forgotten, Jay turned with a yell, stumbled, and fell as massive shadow covered him. He scrambled forward on his hands and knees until he could stand and run. With one last burst of energy, the boy launched forward, narrowly avoiding the crumbling structure that came roaring to the ground where he once stood.

The teenagers exploded with laughter.

Jay ignored the banter behind him as he lay on his stomach in a muddy puddle. Rolling over, the boy stared in astonishment at the pile of rubble that nearly killed him. Jay stood with water and blood dripping from his fingertips. He really wished he were at home.

...

Angrily, Jay sloshed down the sidewalk to his apartment building still cursing under his breath. As he turned the corner of an adjacent building, he spotted a Homeland Medical Service (HMS) transport parked in the road with its engine running and stopped to see what was going on. Honestly, Jay was not overly concerned with the activity. This was somewhat typical for where he lived. A rather sad, common event that occurred constantly, all hours of the day and night, and all over this trash pile of humanity.

Jay observed two uniformed men carrying a black bag down the stairs, manhandle it roughly, and then heave it carelessly into the back of the waiting vehicle with a thud.

The boy heard the HMS personnel chatting as he surveyed the scene. "Yeah, this one cut her wrists...I told ya' we'd get one of those today. Pay up!"

"Yeah, yeah. I should've known better. Never bet against the odds, right? Hey, what are they gonna do wit' dat kid she had? You know, the one in tha' pitchas?" asked a burly man fishing a credit from his pocket.

"I suspect he's goin' to da Orphanage."

The large man nodded. "Well, at least he'll be out of this place."

"Hey? Did you catch that terminal pad chattering its ass off in there? I have never seen anything like it...I didn't think those things could do all that."

The two men stopped speaking and glanced over at their vehicle as a communication unit in the transport squelched. A distorted electronic voice issued from its cab and echoed off the apartment buildings.

"Yeah, you're right, it was strange. Probably should've grabbed it. Oh well, partner come on, they just radioed in a jumper over the comm. It's in the 4000th block."

"Dammit. I hate those. They're so fucking messy."

Jay's heart sank as he watched the transport speed away, its taillights and emergency flashers fading into the foggy cold night. He could not place it; there was this...this, something nagging at him the whole day. The way his mother spoke to him. The things she said. Jay shook it off, chalking the feeling up to a bad food ration. He got those a lot. However, the moment the man with the Homeland Children's Welfare Division badge grabbed him by the shoulder and told him he could not go inside, he understood without a doubt, something was wrong.

"Momma?"

...

Cenerea, 3rd planet from the star Letria, Regalius,

The Homeland, Central Region, The Capitol City,

Homeland Orphanage #23

Thirteen Cenerean Years Ago

"Happy!"

Jay saw stars as a fist caught him in the side of the face.

"Fucking."

Another fist, another impact. Jay saw more stars.

"Birthday."

This time the fist went to his abdomen, sending Jay to the ground holding his middle. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth and he spat. Days like this made him curse his mother for killing herself and leaving him in this torture facility disguised as an orphanage.

"...not so smart are you now, huh? Just 'cause you're eleven don't mean nothin'. No eleven-year-old's gonna make me look stupid," spewed the sixteen-year-old obese bully named Devon, bouncing around his victim, a much younger, weaker boy kneeling at his feet attempting to regain his breath. The teenage thug had a particular fondness for injuring Jay, so much so, he made it an art. "That'll teach you!"

Jay could not help but think of how he got here.

...

"For the good of the Homeland!" the Instructor said as she entered the classroom.

Her students replied in perfect unison, "For the good of the Homeland!"

"Great! Now, everyone, before we get started with lessons today, let us wish Jay a happy birthday. He's eleven," she said smiling. She raised her hands coaxing all of the students to join her in wishing the boy well.

"Happy birthday, Jay!" the classroom shouted in unison, minus one individual too involved with making obscene gestures at the focus of the festivities.

Jay smiled. "Thank you!" he said, attempting to ignore the activity that was occurring across the room.

"Devon Morielly!" the instructor yelled, noticing what the teenager was doing.

The boy jumped. "What?" he shouted back in surprise.

"Uh, oh." the classroom quickly grew silent; preparing to observe the drama about to unfold.

"Since you are obviously ready to get on with the day, why don't you tell me about the Confederation of Regions?" the Instructor asked with a scowl on her face.

"Ummm, a bunch of stupid old men in suits makin' laws?" Devon said with a smirk and looked over his shoulder at the rest of the class. "Right?"

The orphanage classroom broke out in laughter.

"No, Devon. Did you even do your homework last night? I do not imagine you did. That would require gray matter. Speaking of someone who has gray matter and since it is his birthday, Jay, why don't you stand up and provide the class with the information that mentally challenged Mr. Morielly is unable to provide. Go ahead Jay; educate your ill-informed peer."

With a nod, Jay stood amidst the dangerous glare of Devon the asshole burning right through him. The boy understood fully his day was going to end in violence, it always ended in violence. That was all Devon knew, apparently, and he funneled it all into his young victim every single day. In fact, this had been Jay Levant's sad life for nearly two miserable years now, ever since his selfish mom left him here to fend for himself with all of these scumbags.

Jay stood, lifted his head proudly, and formally addressed his teacher. "Madame Instructor, all of the Regions met together in the Central Region and after much debate created the Confederation of Regions. This weak failed government was an attempt to keep the states free of violence and war. It was a cooperative binary government consisting of two houses. One-half of the Confederation was a body of Regional representatives headed by a popularly elected Chancellor to Government. The second body contained various Military generals from each of the Regional Defense Forces. Their leader was the General-At-Arms of The Confederation of Regions, or simply General-At-Arms and he answered only to the Chancellor. This was the government before the Great Homeland." Jay bowed and sat back down, eyes forward.

"That is correct, thank you Jay," said the orphanage Instructor, who then turned to admonish Devon. "See, that is what someone who does their homework sounds like Devon."

Devon did not look at the woman. He was too busy staring at Jay and thinking about what he wanted to do to him. Now, in the field behind Homeland Orphanage #23, Devon was physically acting out on those aggressions borne in the classroom.

"Well, do you think I'm stupid, now, genius-boy?" Devon said with a nasty grin.

"Actually, yes. Yes, I do asshole." Jay said defiantly.

Devon's fist rained down on Jay's face sending him to the ground in a hail of flashing lights and a spray of blood. He could hear the boys chanting as they encircled the participants, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" Jay wondered how depraved someone had to be to think that a sixteen-year-old beating on a much smaller and much younger boy was a fight. It was nothing more than abuse.

"Come on, get up! Let's see them smarts get you out of this!"

"Yeah, you are so tough. Seems to me you are just a coward, Devon. You don't go around fighting with guys bigger than you. You're too scared," Jay said as he sat up on his knees with his two hands before him to keep him upright. His two arms shook from the adrenaline pulsing through his veins. Blood dripped from his mouth, and his teeth were stained in red. He tilted his head down to spit.

"Why would I? This is much more fun," Devon said, stomping on Jay's right hand.

Jay screamed from the excruciating pain of his small finger breaking, crushed under the weight of his tormentor's boot. He fell over once again onto his side in agony, clutching his throbbing fingers.

The sadistic audience laughed even harder.

One of the onlookers shouted, "Look he's gonna cry!"

Another, "Yeah, ha ha ha...there he goes. Cry little baby, cry!"

Devon conjured up a mouthful of spit. He loomed above his victim lying helpless on the ground and hocked. He slowly let the warm mucous fall from his lips splattering on Jay's face.

The crowd roared.

Devon knelt, cocking his head to the side trying to catch Jay's gaze. "What about now? I mean, this is why your momma killed herself. Look at you. She couldn't bear the thought of having a loser like