Return of the Legion

Ivy's POV
My name is Ivy Black and the year is 2187. I work for the F.E.A.R. Correctional Facility as a Guard, but I hate my job. I can't let anyone know that though, unless I want locked up in one of these hellish cells myself.

Our Global Leader is President Cecilia Harris, a wretched old woman who honestly believes the shit that comes out of own her mouth. Then again, just about everyone else does too, but that's only because of the chip that was implanted in their wrists at birth. It's the law. You must have one.

These chips control everything about a person. Their thoughts. Their feelings. Their actions. They monitor everything too. Thankfully, my sister and I were deemed geniuses, so it's normal for our brainwaves to be going haywire at all times. It makes it impossible for them to read out thoughts, though they think they can control us still.

The chip doesn't work on us. It didn't on our mother and father either, who were executed when we were 5, for working with a group of terrorists, known as The Wild Ones. The difference between our parents and us though, we learned to keep that little fact a secret and haven't had contact with the terrorists at all.

They wanted to give me a higher up position, which I refused on the grounds that I wished to work my way up through the ranks, that way when I got to the top, I could better the lives of the rest. I would know what needed tweaking and what was perfectly fine the way it was. They agreed and gave me the title of Guard.

The sound of a scuffle nearby pulls me from my thoughts, as I look to the monitors in front of me to figure out the cause. My brow furrows upon seeing a large group of guards bringing in five men.

I look around the corner and see the terrorist known as The Prophet, being brought in. Behind him are The Deviant, The Destroyer, The Mystic and The Mourner. I watch with wide eyes as my fellow Guardsmen lead them past me to five empty cells in my block.

"Open!" One of them calls out, and I fumble to open the cell doors, as ordered to.

I watch the guards roughly push each of them inside the white cells, then I press the button to close the cells. Before they can see my shock, I sit back in my chair and look boredly at the monitor, curling the corner of the page of the book I'd been reading, The History of F.E.A.R.

Once they're gone, and I'm left to my own devices, I look curiously back to the cells. I stand, deciding to do my rounds now, rather than wait. This was normal behavior for pretty much any grunt, like myself, who worked at the facility, so it wouldn't really stand out.

I take hold of my stun baton, clipping it to my hip, then grab my keys and start walking through the row of cells.

I come upon The Prophet first, who just sits on the bed, staring at the floor. His jaw is clenched tightly, anger in his shockingly blue eyes, as he glares up at me. I pause looking directly at him, watching his anger subside and turn to confusion, then recognition, as his jaw slowly falls slack. A chill runs up my spine and I quickly move on to The Deviant.

He wears a look of frustration and anger as well, leaning up against the white bars of his cell, staring out at nothing. His gaze shifts to meet mine and his brown eyes widen immediately. He grabs the bar, pulling himself up to get a better look at me, as I quickly move along, wondering what's gotten into them.

Next to The Deviant is The Mourner, who paces back and forth in his small cell. When he looks up at me, recognition flashes on his face, before he gives me a lopsided grin, and nods at me. I shake my head, then keep walking to see The Mystic.

He plays with matches, sitting on the bed, with special shackles around his wrists, subduing his abilities. He smirks at me, like The Mourner had, swishing the lit match so it goes out, leaving a smoke trail in its wake. He bows his head to me, in a sign of deep respect, which shakes me to my core, as I move on to The Destroyer.

He leans up against the wall, opposite of the bed, a playing card in hand. When he sees me, his eyes widen and his jaw falls slack. He breaths out only two words. A name.

"Eve Black?" He whispers.

I jump back, startled by the name. The name of my great, great, great, great grandmother. How...How does he know that name?

I close my eyes for a moment and shake my head to clear it, before I say in a harsh voice, "No, I'm not Eve Black. I'm Ivy Black. How do you know that name?"

"How couldn't I know that name? She was part of The Legion of the Black," he calmly responds, pushing himself off the wall and walking closer to the bars. Closer to me.

"No. She couldn't have been," I murmur, shaking my head again.

"She was," he whispers, "She was known as The Divine and she was The Prophets one true love. And here you stand, the spitting image of her, yet you submitted yourself to them."

"No. You're lying," I reply, as my pulse picks up, the sound of blood whooshing through my ears.

"If I were, how would I know these names as well? Austin Black. Conner Black. Jeremy Black. Eric Black, and last but not least, Alex and Bethany Black. Didn't know they had a kid to tell you the truth, but it's obvious you're related to them," he challenges, naming off all my ancestors on my father's side, "Same hair as Eve. Same eyes as Bethany. Alex's steady gaze. Oh, yeah. There's no mistaking it. You're their daughter."

At my stunned silence, he smirks and tells me, "If you don't believe me, ask The Prophet himself. I'm sure he'll tell ya."

Shakily, I look back towards The Prophet's cell, actually considering it for a moment before shaking it off and grabbing my baton. I point it at The Destroyer and tell him, "I know what you're trying to do, and it's not gonna work."

He looks between me and the baton, his hands raised in surrender, before taking a slow step back and leaning up against the wall again. He looks at me with sadness in his eyes as he tells me in an even sadder voice, "Your parents would be ashamed of what you've become, Ivy, and you know it just as well as I do."

I put my baton away, then hastily finish my rounds, before taking my seat back at the monitors. The Destroyer's words haunt me for the rest of my shift, and well after I get home.

I change out of my uniform, turning on the TV, as an emergency broadcast is aired. I only half listen, until I hear President Harris say something about the immediate execution of The Prophet and anyone who's working with him.

Oh shit. They can't. What if The Destroyer was telling the truth? If that's the case, then The Prophet is my grandfather. I can't let them kill anymore of my family. I have to do something, even if it means getting myself killed.

"No. What are you thinking, Ivy? Don't be ridiculous," I tell my reflection, in the bathroom mirror.

I'm pulled from my thoughts as my twin sister enters our shared apartment and calls out for me. I swallow back my nerves before walking back to the living room, and greeting her.

"Hey, Ava," I say, doing my best to hide my frazzled nerves.

"Hey, Ivy," She replies, taking off her coat and hanging it up on the back of the door, "So, did you hear? They finally caught The Prophet and the rest of The Legion. Now we just need to find the rest of the Wild Ones."

"Oh, yeah," I reply nervously, "I heard. In fact...they're being held in my block."

"No kidding? And...What's with the look?" She demands, frowning when she turns back around and sees the strained look on my face, "Did something happen?"

I swallow hard, not sure how to tell her or even what to tell her. Finally I decide to ask her, "Ava, do you remember those stories dad used to tell us about our grandma, Eve Black?"

"Yeah. He used to say she died fighting for what she believed in," She replies, smiling, but her eyes tell me she's confused, "Why? Ivy, what happened today?"

I sigh deeply, flopping down on the couch and putting my head in my hands, before softly telling her, "I spoke with one of them today. The Destroyer. Ava, they all recognized me, but not as me. They...The Destroyer called me Eve Black."

"What?" She demands, sitting next to me and placing a hand on my back, concern washing over her soft features, "Did he say anything else?"

"Y-Yeah. He named off all our ancestors, and told me Eve was known as The Divine. He said she was part of The Legion of the Black and The Prophet's true love...He then said...He said our parents...would be ashamed of me," I tell her, fighting back tears. I calm myself before asking, "Ava, if what he says is true, we have to stop them from executing The Prophet tomorrow."

"You mean...You believe him?" She gasps, looking me in the eye.

Returning her gaze, I whisper, "I have no choice but to believe him. Our parents died trying to fight F.E.A.R. They died trying to build a better future for us. One where we could be free to think and...and live the way we want to live. To believe what we want to believe."

After a long moment, she nods, then says, "Alright, fine. I might...I might be able to hack the chips, wake everyone up, but...if we fail..."

"If we fail, we join mom and dad in the afterlife and the Black bloodline dies out forever," I finish for her, "But if we succeed...we could change the world...for the better."

She looks at me, then to her chip and sighs. Shaking her head, she releases a dry laugh and says, "Let's do it or die trying."

I smile at her, then squeal and wrap my arms around her in a tight hug. God be with us as we try to do the impossible...

Notes