Rain fell against the windows. Liam always noticed the rain first. Not because it was loud. Because it was wrong. There had been no rain that day. Not a single cloud. The sky had been bright blue from sunrise until dusk. Yet every time the dream came… It rained. Perhaps memory was trying to soften what really happened. Perhaps his mind simply couldn't bear to remember the truth anymore. Either way… The rain never stopped.
He was eight years old. Small enough that his feet didn't touch the floor while sitting at the kitchen table. Old enough to believe his parents could solve any problem. Old enough to dream of becoming an awakened one day. Too young to know that sometimes adults met problems they couldn't defeat.
His mother smiled as she set breakfast in front of him. "Eat before it gets cold." His father chuckled from across the room. "He's too busy staring out the window."
"I was watching the birds."
"Oh?" His father raised an eyebrow. "And what important business were they discussing?" Liam thought carefully. "They're deciding who's fastest." His father burst into laughter. His mother shook her head with a smile and said, "He's definitely your son." Liam laughed too. It was such an ordinary moment. He would spend the rest of his life wishing he had known it was his last.
Three knocks echoed through the house. Slow. Heavy. Deliberate. His father frowned. "Stay here." He walked toward the front door. His mother unconsciously placed a hand on Liam's shoulder. Not tightly. Just enough that he noticed.
Looking back… That was the first moment something felt wrong.
The door opened. Government soldiers stood outside. Black armor. Silver insignias. Expressionless faces. Four of them. One held a leather folder. Another rested a hand on the weapon at his hip.
His father's voice immediately hardened. "Can I help you?" The soldier opened the folder. "Citizen identification confirmation in progress." His eyes lifted. "We are looking for Liam Vale."
His father stepped into the doorway. "My son? Why?"
"Citizen identification officially confirmed." The soldier removed a folded document. "By order of the Central Government, Liam Vale has been selected for mandatory state labor placement."
The silence was deafening. His father blinked. "…What?"
"The child is to accompany us immediately."
"What? No. That's not happening." The answer came without hesitation. "Absolutely not." The soldiers didn't argue. They simply stepped forward. His father blocked them. "He is eight. He belongs here. He belongs with his family."
One soldier finally spoke. "The state requires additional personnel for portal resource operations."
"I don't care, find someone else."
"Yeah… No can do. The selection is final."
With shaky fists Liam's father growled, "I said no." His father's voice shook the walls. For the first time in Liam's life… His father sounded afraid.
Everything happened at once. His mother grabbed Liam and pulled him behind her. His father shoved one of the soldiers backward. They detained him quickly with their numbers advantage. He had to try and keep his cool for Liam's sake. Not only that, but their daughter was asleep in their room and he had to be around for her.
Steel scraped against leather. Weapons were drawn. Liam froze. His mother turned toward him. She was crying. He had never seen her cry. Not even once. "Liam… baby, I love you." She knelt until their eyes met. "You have to listen to me."
Liam started crying. "I don't want to go."
"I know."
"I want to stay home."
Her lips trembled. "I know you do, baby boy." He didn't understand. Why wasn't she fixing this? Parents fixed everything. Didn't they?
His father looked up at the soldiers. "Let me… Let me go to him… please? The soldiers released him for his last moments with his son. He knelt beside them and placed both hands on Liam's shoulders. Strong, reliable and warm hands. Hands that always made him feel safe. "Look at me." Liam did.
"No matter what happens…" His father smiled. It wasn't a brave smile. It was the smile of a man trying to convince his son that everything would be okay. "We'll find you. Even if it takes me to my last breath. Stay brave my son." Not goodbye. Not farewell. A promise.
The soldiers reached for him. Liam screamed. He kicked. He fought with every bit of strength an eight-year-old could find. His mother wrapped both arms around him.
One soldier pulled. She refused to let go. Another joined. Still she held on. Until… She just couldn't. Her fingers slipped.
Liam reached desperately toward her. "MOM! Help!" His father's voice echoed through the house. "LIAM!"
Just like that, everything disappeared.
His dad's voice echoed in his mind. "Liam!" His eyes flew open. He shot upright so quickly the thin blanket fell to the floor. His chest burned. His breathing came in desperate gasps.
For one impossible heartbeat… He expected to see his childhood bedroom. Instead… Gray steel walls. Rows of metal bunks. Cold artificial lights. Then—
BWOOOOOOOONNNNG!
The wake-up bell roared through Facility Forty-Seven. The sound shook the entire dormitory. Around him, hundreds of workers immediately climbed from their beds. No one complained. No one lingered. Years of routine had trained hesitation out of them. The night shift had begun.
Liam pressed both hands against his face. His heartbeat slowly settled. The dream. Again. Not a dream. A memory. One he had relived countless times over the past twelve years.
Some details faded with time. Others refused to disappear. His father's promise. His mother's tears. The feeling of her hand slipping from his own. Those memories remained painfully clear. He sat quietly while the rest of the dormitory prepared for work.
Twelve years. Twelve years since the government had taken him. Twelve years without seeing his parents and older sister. He didn't know if they were alive. He didn't know if they had searched for him. He didn't know if they believed he was dead.
Government extraction records were sealed. To the system… He was Worker two hundred eighteen for facility forty seven. Nothing more. But Liam refused to believe promises died so easily. His father had said they would find him. Liam intended to meet them halfway.
He stood. His movements were practiced. Blanket folded. Bed straightened. Boots tightened. His work gloves inspected for fresh tears. They were little habits. Little routines. His father had always said discipline wasn't something people did when others were watching. It was something they did for themselves. Liam had held onto those words. Some days they were all he had left.
A cracked mirror hung near the exit. He caught his reflection. Twenty years old. Silvery white hair that never seemed willing to stay neat. Blue eyes that always looked older than the rest of him. Calloused hands. Small white scars crossing his fingers from years spent repairing portal-processing machinery.
He looked like every other worker in the facility. Ordinary. Forgettable. Invisible. Sometimes that frightened him. If he disappeared tomorrow… Would anyone notice?
Outside the dormitory, thousands of workers flowed through the steel corridors. Facility Forty-Seven never slept. Half the workforce began their shifts as the other half ended theirs. The machines never stopped. Neither could the people maintaining them. Liam joined the stream.
"Didn't sleep again?" Marcus fell into step beside him. Liam smiled faintly. "I slept." Marcus snorted. "You had the dream." Liam didn't answer. He didn't have to. Marcus already knew.
He was one of the few people who knew Liam's real name before the government assigned him a number. One of the few who knew Liam had once had a family. One of the few who treated him like a person instead of another worker.
Marcus glanced sideways. "You know…" He hesitated. "This is our last shift as mundane people." Liam looked ahead. At the massive blast doors leading into the processing sectors. Beyond them waited twelve hours of machinery, repairs, and endless noise.
Tomorrow morning… Everything might change. Not because he'd suddenly become powerful. Everyone began with a Spark. No exceptions. But tomorrow… For the first time in twelve years… His future wouldn't already be decided for him.
Marcus grinned. "Feels strange, doesn't it?" Liam stared at the slowly opening blast doors. "It does." Marcus adjusted his gloves. "Ready?" Liam thought of his parents. He thought of the promise his father made. He thought of the Awakening Ceremony waiting at the end of this shift. Then he took his first step toward the roaring machines. "As ready as I'll ever be." Together, they disappeared into the factory. Tomorrow… Liam Vale would awaken. Tonight… He still belonged to the government.
End of Episode One