The man stood still as the winds flowed past him. His gaze sunk to the ground, reflecting on his current state of life, as well as what step he needed to take next. The wind started to lift his hat off his hair, and he grabbed it down with a quick jab. The hat meant a lot to him. It was designed after the apparel of the North American cowboys from the old age, back in the era where law was in the hands of the men living it. This era fascinated him, so much so that he had made his designation based on the culture of that era. There was not much info on the old ages that was still left, or available to the public, but from the few resources available to him, he had read about the people of that era. From the cowboys to the native Indians and the lawman or the outlaws. One of these titles stuck out to him, the Pioneers. Those who were the first to create a new land. This had inspired him to be called, from then on, PIONEER.

            Pioneer was headed for Uton, the zone that was closest to him. It would only be the first stop of many on his journey.

            “Oh, Uton.” He said in a grizzled, groggy voice.

He struggled back to his hypercycle and sat. He extended out his arms to push forward on the lever, striking up the roar of the engine, screeching in fury. The gears whirred as Pioneer pushed his wrists forward on the handlebars, punching the cycle into a sound-blasting speed, tracing a blue light trail across the horizon. It wasn’t a safe journey to traverse the uncivilized territories, but with the modifications Pioneer had engineered onto his cycle throughout the years, it’s become much easier. Pioneer had been travelling for a long while, trying to find his place in the world, most importantly just trying to survive to see it come to fruition. He’s realized what he’s got to do. Actually, he’s known for a while, he just didn’t want to face the truth. Now he understands there’s no way not to. Pioneer grabbed his scarf to cloak his mouth and focused his eyes on the path ahead, through the speckles of sand crossing his vison.

            The wind was strong, stronger than most people could handle for long periods of time. The sand storms did not bother Pioneer. There were much worse challenges out here in these territories other than some sand in the eyes. He just had to make sure he wasn’t within a ten-mile radius of those other challenges. The sun had started to set, and the skies began darkening. Pioneer looked down at his hypercycle, where a holographic display showcased the time. 75:20.

            “Damn it.”

Pioneer briskly stopped the vehicle. He approached one of the bags hanging off the side of the seat, and pulled out a small disc. He held it in his hand and investigated the area around him. He dropped the disk and it formed a transparent holographic cube the size of a car. Pioneer grabbed the tarp from the bag and threw it over the cube. The cube seemed to absorb it around the shape, creating a pre-installed mobile tent. Pioneer scanned the darkening area surrounding him before crouching through the cube.

            “Sir,” the boy said anxiously. “There are signs of a man traveling the uncivilized territories. It seems like he may be coming this way to Uton.”

The room was dark, with an army of men sitting at desks analyzing computer displays. The general stood still at the front of the room, giving commands. No one was to approach the general of the facility unless you had vital information. The boy never before had vital information to give.

            “Sir, this may be the man we’re looking for. The one that Fitzwell had informed us to look out for?”

            “Keep watch of this man traversing the unknown. If you can find a location, send the dogs his way. Don’t speak of this and keep it to yourself.” The general did not even turn to look at the boy when he spoke.

“But sir,” the boy said. “Didn’t Fitzwell say…”

The general turned, and the boy was silenced.

            Back at Pioneer’s camp, his head lies on the soft sands of the desert ground. The sound of the sandstorms were fierce, still banging at the outside of his cube. This sound has been the background of Pioneer’s sleep. Then, the sounds begin to fade. There is silence outside, and the feeling is unsettling. Pioneer wakes up immediately, and sits up, trying to listen to the outside. The faint sound of fast pressing footsteps got closer. Multiple footsteps. And angry creatures. Pioneer pulled his gun out of his holster and jumped out of the cube, rolling towards the hypercycle. Beastly creatures that once were known as man’s best friend come furiously towards Pioneer. Their colors have been washed out with the mutations that have been forced upon them. They were five feet tall with giant fangs and a lust for blood. One would give any man a hard time. There were six coming Pioneers way.

            Pioneer analyzed the situation. It was difficult to make out how far the hounds were, but he assumed there was a distance between him and them of about 50 yards. He raised his pistol and shot three shots in their direction. Pioneer ran towards the hypercycle and leaped over it. The dogs were fast, likely fast enough to reach the cycle before it reached hyper-gear. If he only tried to drive off, he might as well sit and wait to die. Pioneer turned his cycle towards the dogs, only a few short feet away from him now. He shot blasts around the edge of his bike, trying to keep the dogs close and together, but away. A few shots manage to hit the hounds, but they only feel temporary pain. Once the dogs are close together and somewhat wounded, Pioneer turns the cycle quickly, shifts up the gear and blasts off, with the blast of the thruster burning the hounds, giving him some time to get away.

            The blast managed to hit most, but not all. As Pioneer tries to get away from the area as fast as possible, maintaining a determined analyzation of the area in front of him, one lone hound runs up to the side of the cycle. Pioneer turns his head, looking into the eyes of the dog. Pioneer used to have a dog once. His name was Trophy. He hated Trophy. Pioneer pointed his blaster at the console of the hypercycle, and shot. Pioneer jumped away, but everything was engulfed in flame, before an explosion went off, creating a blinding light in the sand.

Sifyn looked over the horizon, through the holographic wall that keeps them from the dangers of the outside worlds. Sifyn’s house was located at the very edge of the zone, where few people go so that he has space to farm and provide for the civilization. Sifyn walked over to the wall to put his hand up against it. Through the barrier shows an eternal sandstorm with severe winds that, for all that Sifyn knew, would likely annihilate the town of Uton if the walls were broken down. He also was told to believe that the winds have an unearthly side effect that if an organism is in contact with the winds for too long, they would undergo severe mutations. Every so often, one of the mutated creatures would roam up to the side of the wall where it would screech, spooking the farm animals.

Sifyn knew there was more to the storm than Fitzwell had released to the public. Lord Fitzwell easily controlled the people in the bubble, and Sifyn believed that it’s possible to expand outside of the civilized territories, but Fitzwell wanted people to be contained. He had lived next to the walls for all his life and had seen more than the average man. He didn’t really care much despite that. Sifyn threw the flex suit over his body, much bigger than any normal clothes would be. With the press of a button on the side of the sleeve, the suit flexed to the shape of Sifyn’s body. Void of color with only grey accents, this suit is only given to a select few so they can venture shortly into the outside. The farmers of the outskirts are required by law to do a routine check of the perimeter that their land is occupying. They aren’t told what they are looking for, or how to react to what they may find, only to report it to the local government.

Sifyn put a black circular helmet over the top of his head, that sunk into the neck of the suit. Then with his left hand he grabbed the end of his right sleeve, and pulled the fabric over his hand, forming a sealed glove. He did the same for the opposite hand. Sifyns gaze moved towards the thin line on the surface of the wall that formed the shape of a door. On the side of the door, there was a series of dials and levers. He punched in a 15 digit number and pulled the last two levers in the row down, opening the door leading to an isolation chamber that kept the sandstorms from the inside. Shutting the door behind him, Sifyn stepped forward, and grabbed the heavy wheel closing the door. The handle creeked as he turned with all of his force, and the winds started shooting into the chamber.

Sifyn stepped outside, pushing against the heavy force of the sand. The farmers were supposed to use destination markers and take notes for this sort of thing, but Sifyn felt it unnecessary for a simple parole that never differed from the last time. Sifyn held out his right hand as he walked alongside the wall. Out of the corner of his eyes, dark figures moved in the storm. Before he even had time to turn fully towards the figures, a blinding light consumed them. The noise of the explosion disoriented Sifyn and he was shocked. Sifyn grabbed the gun out of his holster and started  running towards the blast area. The farther he went, the more his path was lost. He was too far to go back, he had to see what happened. Just when he started to lose hope, he sees a man, Pioneer, unconscious on the ground. Sifyn grabbed his hands and started dragging him back to his home.

            The boy handed the general a handheld display. The general stared at the screen, not moving a muscle.

            “Inform Fitzwell of what has happened. Prep the base for his arrival. And find where that man went immediately.” The boy walked away, and a chill echoed through the General’s bones.

            “Shit,” he muttered under his breath.

            Pioneer found himself back in his childhood home. He was speaking to his mother, but he couldn’t quite hear anything, and the lights were blinding. Bodyguards stood around them in royal armor, watching diligently. He was playing a board game with his mother. That always was their favorite past time. Focused on his mother’s face, Pioneer saw a figure approach from behind. The blur became clear and it revealed his father. The father grabbed his mother up and slapped her across the face, yelling empty words at her. His father pointed towards Pioneer and the guards encroached on him.

            Pioneer began to gain consciousness. He found himself lying in a bed in a strange room. The door was slightly cracked open, and the sound of a sports game being broadcasted could be heard. Pioneer struggled up and walked out the door. Sifyn was sitting on the couch, watching the live game of Overdrive.

            “It’s fake, you know.” Pioneer told him.

Sifyn looked over his shoulder and stood up. “Oh my god, you’re awake. Thought you’d never move.”

            Pioneer walked forward, continuing to look at the holo display.

“The game is specifically rigged. All of those players are chosen by Fitzwell and the Union and are forced to lose or win depending on what they want. It’s meant to keep a friendly rivalry between the zones, but never too far to cause fighting. If any of the players talk, their families are dead and they ‘disappear’ while they’re at it.”

            Sifyn had a peculiar look, trying to analyze Pioneer and what he was saying.

“What’s your name, fella? What were you doing in the sands?”

            “Pioneer’s my designation. I’ve been traveling.”

“You do know there’s a road between zones for traveling, right?”

            “Not to where I’m going. Can’t be tracked anyway. You shouldn’t have picked me up.” Pioneer started to walk towards the door, but Sifyn stood in his way.

            “Why? What are you tryna do? I saved your butt out there and I don’t need a thank you but at least tell me what’s going on.” Pioneer got his face real close to Sifyn and started to get angry.

            “Fitzwell is my father. Nobody but me knows that he is behind the sandstorms and the monsters out there. It’s all a lie so he can control people enclosed in a bubble while they think he’s a hero for doing it. I’m trying to stop this. Happy now?”

All this information and Sifyn only heard one thing.

            “You’re the lost son of Lord Fitzwell? They said you died in some kinda accident!”

“Fitzwell wishes I had died. I escaped. Ever since then I’ve wanted to go my own way, become successful through my own hardwork. I’ve realized I can’t do that, not while he’s still in power. He’s destroyed what our civilization once was. I wasn’t alive in the old ages, but I know it was better than this false reality.”

            “How do you plan on taking Fitzwell down? The world has his back and he’s been ruling for over two hundred years.”

            “My mother still sits at Fitzwell Manor mourning the loss of her son and loathing her husband for what he’s become. I need… I need to get into contact with her so I have someone on the inside.” Suddenly, the sound from the display starts to attract Pioneer’s attention. It was a local sudden news forecast, with an energetic reporter.

“Here in the zone of Uton,” the reporter practically screamed over the sound of cheering behind him, “we’ve been graced with the Lord Fitzwell visiting our great town. There’s a huge turnout of people out here expecting to hear the word of our highness. Wait, I’m getting report now… Lord Fitzwell has arrived!”

            Pioneer struggled to watch the screen.

“He knows.” Pioneer said sternly. He turned from the screen and looked directly into Sifyn’s eyes. “How long was I out?”

            “Probably about three days. You were out pretty hard.” The two heard sounds of rustling coming from the perimeter of the house. They stood and listened while someone said they had scans of the two lifeforms in the building. The two quickly crouched down.

            “What’s your name, pal?” Pioneer whispered. “I want to be properly introduced before you die thanks to my stupidity.”

            “Sifyn’s the name. And we’ll get out of this. I’m going to help you take down Fitzwell. I’ve always wanted to just keep my head down and not ask questions, but Fitzwell had my father executed. Now’s my one chance to make it-“ The sound of glass breaking and a metal object bouncing into the house interrupted him. Gas pushed throughout the room, and footsteps clattered in from every entrance of the building. Sifyn signaled for Pioneer to follow him and the two silently walked by the armored guards that had broken into Sifyn’s home. Sifyn lifted up a hatch from the floor and sent Pioneer down. The two landed in a dark and muggy sewer system.

            “This should give us a minute, but they will probably find this eventually. My father built this entrance to the sewers as a backdoor in case something like this ever happened.” Sifyn took a breath. The two trudged through the waters.

            “I take it your dad and mine never were too well acquainted with one another.”

“Not always. They were once very good friends and worked together in the old days. I’m not sure what happened between them. I was never told why my father was killed and since then I’ve been forced to work on the farm.” Sifyn cautiously looked towards Pioneer with doubtful hope in his mind.

            “Before you ask, Fitzwell never spoke to me about his matters. He only commanded those under him, leaving my mother to the parenting.”

            Sifyn looked back down at the dirty waters reflecting a distorted image of himself. The water rippled and in the path behind them, they could hear the something moving.

            “They’re here, we’ve gotta go. Come on, the Uton exit should be just up ahead.” They started running, trying to move as quickly as possible without alerting the soldiers. They turned the corner and arrived at the ladder leading to civilization. Pioneer stepped onto it, and Sifyn grabbed his sleeve.

            “Before you go up there, just know we’re gonna be out in the open here. Everybody’s gonna see us crawl out of here, so we still have to move fast.” Pioneer continued up.

            “That’s exactly what we need.”

Pioneer pushed open the manhole cover and stepped onto the concrete of the sidewalk. Hypercycles swiftly passed by them as Sifyn pulled himself up. Tall buildings surrounded them with bright lights and lots of moving people. A couple looked at the two but did not stop to think what they were doing. They pushed the manhole cover back and started to blend in with the crowd, slightly splitting up but staying in the same vicinity. Sifyn raised up his right hand to signal Pioneer to follow him. They pushed through the hordes of people moving back and forth, through the advertisers blasting them with info and bright advertisements on the side of buildings screaming at them. Sifyn finally arrived at a set of doors in the long row of buildings and entered. Pioneer followed shortly after.

            Old memories flooded Pioneer’s mind when he entered the building. It was a saloon, with people playing games, drinking, conversing and enjoying themselves. It had been a long while since Pioneer had been to a place like that. The people were surrounding the TVs in the room, displaying the arrival of Lord Fitzwell in Uton for what he called a ‘personal matter’. It’s personal, alright, Pioneer thought to himself. He looked around and focused in on one of the round tables, where Sifyn was hugging what appeared to be an old friend. He made his way to the table.

            “Oh, Ulin!” Sifyn told his friend. “This is Pioneer. He’s… “ Sifyn struggled to find the right words.

            Pioneer took off his hat and held it close to his chest. “It aint no secret, I’m Lord Fitzwell’s son.”

            “Are ye kidding?” One of the other two men sitting at the table spoke up. “Who is this joke, Sifyn?”
            “He’s serious, Buya. He’s the real deal and Fitzwell’s men invaded my home looking for him. Guess what, fellas, Fitzwell is just a big ol’ joke. All of it is a ruse.”

            “I was right, wasn’t I? I’m not crazy?” The last man, Gifro, piped up in shock. “Fitzwell could stop these storms at any point. We’re just the sheep he’s herding.”

            Pioneer pulled Sifyn away.

“Look, I have a plan, but are these guys willing to help?

            “These guys are all about adventure and I would bet my life on any one of ‘em. Whats the plan?”

            Buya stepped out of the saloon and walked down the street, following the crowd towards city hall where Fitzwell was holding a press conference. Guards were surrounding the area, scanning everything around. Buya grabbed his phone out of his pocket and holds it up to start recording. In the sky, a piercing sound of a sniper shot sent everybody into a panic. People were screaming and started running frantically. Gifro and Ulin approached the news crews and threatened them for the cameras. Fitzwell’s men immediately tried to protect him and get him on the ground, but Fitzwell saw a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye. Pioneer walked slowly through the crowd towards the podium Fitzwell stood on, with his gun drawn to his side. Fitzwell pushed his men aside and stood up to face him.

            “Jin.” Fitzwell muttered.

“That’s not my name.”

            “Let it go. Let all of it go and come back home before you make a mess out of things.”

Gifro and Ulin focused in on the two of them, broadcasting their conversation to the entire world.

            “We both know that’s a damn lie. Just like every word since your takeover. Like the storms, the zones. You told the world I was killed in some kinda tragedy. Oh, Lord Fitzwell is such a genuine guy, I feel so bad for his loss.” Pioneer gripped his gun hard, and raised his left hand. Two sniper shots took out the guards next to Fitzwell, and only father and son remained. Fitzwell at a protective aura around him at all times that hid him from tracing technology such as the snipers, so it was all up to Pioneer.

            “Everything I’ve done has been for the betterment of mankind. People cannot restrain themselves! Without some kind of guiding hand we will eat ourselves alive!”

            “It ain’t right. Nothing you’ve done is right. It’s time to-“ Pioneer grabbed the gun out of his holster at lightning speeds, reaching for the trigger as it raised. These few seconds felt like an eternity when Pioneer saw Fitzwell already had his gun in the air. Fitzwell fired just a split second before Pioneer could grasp, and the bullet drilled into his chest. Pioneers body fell to the ground, lifeless and dead in an instant. Fitzwell feels a second of regret for the events leading up to this moment, but it left faster than it grew.

            “NOO!” A cry of despair shook Fitzwell and before he could turn around to see his wife bashing him in the head with a hammer. The cameras stood still on her face as the world watched what just went down. The events that took place here shook society and made everybody reevaluate where they would continue from there. As it all went down, Gifro was leaking information to the public, like how Fitzwell was the cause of the storms and controlled many of the ‘mutated’ creatures to his own will. The zones collapsed and people began spreading throughout the land. There was no central government with somewhat chaos as the Queen was made prisoner for the murder of the King, although no one quite knew if that was the right thing to do. From then on, the world had evolved into what Pioneer had always fantasized about, similar to the old ages where men took the law into their own hands and anybody could make a name for themselves. Pioneer never knew it, but he fulfilled his destiny.