Civilization of Oppression

The year 2531. Humanity had finally succeeded with colonizing Mars. For the past four hundred years, Earth and Mars have been under the rule of the Midnight Empire. Overlord Arthur Cedrix had been driven to madness with power. Once he rose to power, Earth had become a research facility and a prison. It was a barren wasteland. Humanity escaped to Mars in an attempt to escape his wrath, however, one of Cedrix’s henchmen had caught word of this and he immediately expanded his empire and began to take over Mars just as he took over Earth.

In the year 2338, A group of rebels banded together in order to overthrow Cedrix. They were no match for his army as the rebels were only human while Cedrix’s soldiers were genetically engineered hybrids. They were humans mixed with the DNA of lizards, gorillas, lions, tigers, sharks, many other ferocious beasts and machines. His empire was also much further advanced than the rebels. They were overwhelmed in battle and the survivors were taken as prisoners.

Though the empire was in control on both Earth and Mars, there were a few safe areas unknown to Cedrix. The rebels made sure to send their friends and loved ones to these areas to protect them.

Two prisoners known as Lero and Zimong were determined to end Cedrix’s reign. These two were both captains during the rebellion. They had been captured and sentenced to eternity in prison.

Zimong was a large man. He was almost seven feet tall and he was very muscular. When he was captured, The Empire had shackles made specifically for him. Lero was more of an average sized man.

The two men had been imprisoned for two hundred years. They were determined to bring peace back to the galaxy.

Lero reached into his pocket and pulled out a heart shaped golden locket. He opened it to reveal a photo of him and his significant other. It reminded him of a simpler time. He didn’t even know if she was still alive. He sighs then puts it back into his pocket.

Just then they receive a call on their cell’s intercom. They did not recognize who it was. The voice was raspy much like an old man. He told them to meet him in a remote area of the prison. He gave them the code to break out of their cell. Lero began to ask the voice who he was. However he hung up before he could answer as he did not want to be caught.

Lero inputs the code into the cell’s system and the shackles are released and the cell doors open. They quietly tiptoe out of the cell. The two men board a monorail and they are brought into the remote area the strange voice had mentioned. They enter a secluded room with just a few chairs. Sitting in the corner is an old man. He tells Lero and Zimong to each have a seat. They sit down and Lero asks the old man if he is the one who contacted them. He ponders for a moment before informing them that he was indeed the one who contacted them. Zimong asks him who he is and the old man tells them that he fought alongside them during the war. He pauses for a moment before telling them his name is Maximillian Tagwell. Lero and Zimong both perk up immediately. He was a faithful warrior who was determined to end Lord Cedrix’s oppression. The two men are delighted to see him as they are relieved that he is still alive. Zimong can barely contain his excitement. “YOU’RE ALIVE?” he cries out. Tagwell holds his hand in front of him to signal Zimong to calm down. “I must advise you to keep your voice down. You never know who lurks nearby” Said Tagwell. Zimong nods his head in agreement. Lero asks Tagwell how long he’s been out of prison and how he’s managed to escape the law for so long. Tagwell begins to stroke his beard and exhales. “I’ve been out of prison for one hundred years.” said Tagwell. “How did you manage to avoid capture for so long?” asks Lero. He pauses for a moment before he answers “There are a few remote areas on this planet that are unknown to Cedrix”. Lero and Zimong are stunned by this information. The three of them don’t speak for a beat. After a moment of silence, Zimong asks Tagwell if he can take them to this sector even though Lero is very well aware of Tagwell’s answer. He remembered how faithful he was during the war four hundred years ago. Tagwell slowly smiles before responding “I’ve been waiting for a hundred years to return the favor.” Lero and Zimong were delighted.

After a long conversation, Tagwell takes Lero and Zimong to his vehicle. It’s a silver speeder the size of a medium car. It can hold a total of five passengers. It’s currently sitting on the ground. Tagwell takes out a small remote and activates the speeder. It levitates a foot off the ground and the lights emit a sky blue glow. The roof retracts revealing five seats. The three men enter the vehicle. Tagwell is in the driver's seat, Zimong is in the front passenger seat and Lero is in the back seat. They travel to a secluded area on the other side of the planet. After what seems like a few hours, the men arrive at their destination. The three men exit the speeder and Tagwell enters a code into a keypad and he then puts his hand on a scanner. A few seconds later, a computerized voice utters the words “ACCESS GRANTED”.

They enter a bunker. The area is cluttered with blue prints, various inventions and spare parts. “Where are we?” asked Zimong. “This is my laboratory.” Said Tagwell. Lero and Zimong look around the lab for a few moments before Tagwell directs them to the other side of the room. He shows them an invention. A large ring with a few steps leading up to it. “What’s this?” Zimong asked. “The answer to our problems.” Answered Tagwell. He then explained that this was a time portal and there was currently no way to overthrow Lord Credrix. However, if they stopped him from ever rising to power, their chances of restoring peace were much higher. He activates it and it emits an intense blue glow. A swirling portal appears.

“This will not be an easy task.” said Tagwell. Time travel was a complicated subject. Even for a civilization as advanced as them. There are many factors to take into consideration. There are always consequences to altering time. There’s a ripple effect. One change leads to another. In spite of the consequences, it was for the greater good. Tagwell instructed the men to travel back to the year 2100. Just after Mars was colonized and just before Cedrix rose to power. Their plan was to capture him and imprison him to prevent his reign of oppression. Lero asked Tagwell if he was going to come with them on their journey. He could not come with them as he had been tortured many times while he was a prisoner and he was extremely feeble. However, he gave them two elongated hexagonal devices with a screen and a speaker. He presses a button on the bottom of each device and the screens activate. He pulls out a third device and explains that these are communication devices. Though he can’t travel to the past with them, he can still guide them from the present. After a few minutes, the time portal was fully booted up. Tagwell enters dates and coordinates for their adventure. They were going to Earth before it had become a barren wasteland. He then asked the two men “are you ready?”. “Ready as we’ll ever be” replied Lero. Zimong enters the portal and disappears. Just before Lero entered the portal, Tagwell handed him something. “By the way. An old friend instructed me to give this to you." It was a letter. Lero grabbed it immediately. It was from his significant other. “This is from Sarah!” Exclaimed Lero as he missed her dearly. He quickly reads the letter. He then checks the date of this letter. August 26, 2416. He was overjoyed as she was still alive. A tear rolls down his cheek. He then pulls out the locket from his pocket and he looks at the photo of them. After a moment, he closes the locket and puts it and the letter into his pocket. “Where is she?” Asked Lero. “Unfortunately, we do not have time for questions. All in good time” replied Tagwell. Lero nods and he salutes Tagwell before stepping into the portal.

The portal emits an extremely bright white glow. In an instant, the men are teleported out of the lab and into the past. They land in Manhattan, New York. The year is 2100. Their quest for justice had begun. They knew that they had to find Cedrix before it was too late.