Solar Flash

The planet died slowly, and we watched. For centuries, scientists begged society to act for the sake of humanity. They pleaded for drastic change as cities drowned under rising sea levels, famine ravaged the earth, and lush forests turned into barren wastelands. But people don’t care until hell is at their door. Until it’s too late. We’re proactive like that.

Eventually the planet gave out, 75% of it now uninhabitable. Years of climate disasters decimated the global population, and what remained of humanity crammed into a quarter of Earth. When the sun started chronic flaring, the numbers dwindled exponentially. Power outages caused uncontrollable fires, and the energy grids that maintained our planet livable failed. During especially powerful solar explosions scientists called Solar Flashes, temperatures spiked suddenly, lethal enough to drop someone on the spot. The Solar Flashes started in 2,364. A week after my 20th birthday they reached “Critical State”.

Instead of hiding from a Flash twice a day, now they happened at least five times, with no real patterns. The Solar Alarms couldn’t keep up, so the streets were tattooed with drawn silhouettes of the “Flashed”. They served as a macabre reminder to stay inside during the day. Any moment outside could be your last unless you live in Arcadia.

Arcadia stands under a heavily fortified dark dome, protecting it from Solar Flashes. An electrified fence and a fake forest surround it, effectively isolating the Elite from our dying world. The Elite live in a synthetic heaven.

The residents of Arcadia are the “genetically superior” 1% of humanity likely to repopulate a different planet with an optimal genetic pool. No one really knows what makes them superior. Everyone gets scanned at 18; thrown into a research center with concrete walls and bright white lights. Doctors and scientists poke and prod, taking blood samples and scribbling on notepads. Two weeks later participants receive a letter, telling them whether they’ll live past the end of the world. Those who pass are “invited” to Arcadia, but people who don’t comply mysteriously disappear from their homes at night. Being the salvation of our species isn’t really a choice, and the domed city/space-station protects humanity’s last hope from the Flashes, disease, and “the Impure” - or people like me. Born blind in my left eye meant no Arcadia, and it didn’t bother me - not until I met Kayla. Not until the city speakers screeched a different alarm: Ascension. On January 27th Arcadia would launch into space, journeying to X-Gamma-2 or New Earth.

It was January 26th at 7pm and Kayla would be sent into space.

I ran for the pearly gates of Arcadia, my heart shaped locket bouncing on my chest. The sun had gone down a few minutes ago, so people poured onto the streets. Some headed out to work, some to meet up with family or beautiful strangers, and others were swallowed by the shadows of illegal trade. I plowed through all of them as confusion and panic settled over me.

It didn't make sense - everything was happening too soon. I was supposed to be there with her. We’d planned it out for months found a weak link in the Arcadian fence, learned the guards’ schedules, knew everything. So why were they leaving early?

I crashed through the artificial forest surrounding Arcadia, not bothering to hide. All the guards had been pulled for launch; the absence of their shiny white armor more eerie than their presence. I found the small hole in the fence that was just big enough for me to crawl through… if the fence was off. Unfortunately, my luck was as rotten as this planet. The hole was freshly sealed and buzzing with electricity. Kayla paced behind the fence, her tanned skin ashen with worry. When she saw me, her gray eyes widened, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Alex!” she called. I ran to her, panic shooting down my spine like I’d touched the fence. There was no way through.

“Kayla,” my voice cracked, the name coming out strangled and desperate. “What’s going on?”

“I don’t know! They just said we’re leaving in ten minutes! This - it wasn’t supposed to happen until tomorrow. I - I can’t lose you. Please, not you too” she reached out, her fingers hovering just behind the gate. Fear and desperation swirled like dark storm clouds in her eyes, making my heart clench. I knew she was alone in there. Her parents hadn’t made it into Arcadia. They were too old, and the program didn’t care to keep loved ones together. The Elite had one use: keep humanity alive.

“Ten minutes until launch. All Arcadia citizens please return to your rooms and brace for launch. Repeat. Ten minutes until launch,” droned a voice overhead. I paced in front of the fence, thoughts racing. All other exits would be closed by now, but they would open for evacuation … like a fire. I didn’t know if it would override the launch command, but I had to try. I fished out the knife in my pocket.

“Kayla, I need you to run to the main gate.”

“What?! I can’t just leave you here! I’m not being shot into stupid space without you,” she growled.

Despite the situation, I smiled a little. Stubborn as always. “I’m going to short circuit the system. It might cause a big enough fire to open the main gates.”

“Eight minutes to launch,” the PA system taunted.

Kayla looked at me, holding her hands to her chest. I did the same, my fingers tracing the cool metal of my necklace. We had matching pendants. When Kayla was chosen for Arcadia and I wasn’t, we gifted them to each other. Mine had a picture of her smiling up at the stars. Hers had a picture of me drenched in paint from a failed project. It was our way of staying connected while she was in Arcadia, and I stayed back home. I still sneaked out to Arcadia when I could but having the weight of the pendant with me during the day filled me with hope. It anchored me in the light of her love when the darkness of our reality threatened to consume me.

“Will that work?” she asked.

I laughed nervously. “No clue.” Best case scenario, the fire would open the gates and I might manage to rush in before the guards get there. Worst… this fence would kill me before the sun. Kayla stepped forward, reaching towards me but careful not to touch the fence.

“Be careful.” She ran back into the compound. I sighed and looked at the power box.

“I’m never careful,” I threw the knife as hard as I could into the box, putting some distance between us. It exploded in a cloud of sparks, and a fire quickly spread to the forest floor. Even perfect synthetics burn.

“Alert alert. Fire detected: Quadrant 4. Fire: Quadrant 4.”

I sprinted around the edges of the compound. The front gates lowered inch by inch, and I could already hear the thumping of boots. Guards on their way. I didn’t care if they caught me. They didn’t have time to send me back to the city, which meant I’d be arrested and taken into Arcadia’s prison. A crappy solution, but at least I’d be with Kayla. Nothing says “romance” like being a space criminal.

The gates started closing again, the launch command overriding the fire evacuation. I threw myself into the compound, landing hard on my arm. Kayla rushed over to me, her wavy dark hair sticking to her face.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Stop! You are under arrest for trespassing!” shouted a guard to our left.

I sighed, “Not anymore.”

“Miss, step away from the Impure and return to your room,” said the guard.

“I’m not leaving her.”

“Miss, please. Impures are not allowed in Arcadia,” the guard pointed a weird looking gun at me. It buzzed with electricity too. Kayla stepped in front of me, but I shoved her away. They wouldn’t hesitate to shoot both of us.

“She stays!” Kayla shouted. The last thing I saw was a beam of energy hurtling towards my chest.