Living in a Better World

Prologue

"It would be nice to feel that we are a better world, a world of more compassion and a world of more humanity, and to believe in the basic goodness of man."

-Barbara Walters

"Is this your better world?"

…

Galaxy was running for her life.

Of course, this was not exactly new. She'd been on the run constantly for the past year and a half. For the past year and a half, she'd been running and fighting day after day, hour after hour. The entire time, her pursuers were steadily gaining on her. And now they had just about caught up.

She pushed herself to go faster, but it was no use. So tired was she that even her power of flight had run out some time ago. Her legs and lungs felt as if they were on fire.

What does it matter anyway? I knew this was going to happen all along, she thought to herself. They were just too many, too powerful. She knew this was going to happen all along, but she had to get the message out. The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, after all. And now the running, the pain, the exhaustion, it was all catching up to her. It was time to make her final stand.

So she stopped.

She stopped, and turned on her heel, facing her pursuers determinedly. A few observers discretely took out cameras, taking in her haggard form. She was dirty, scratched up, covered in blood. Her blue eyes were shining with tears, her breathing ragged. A scar ran across her face, disappearing into her matted blonde curls. But the image flashed, shorted, and then before them stood an entirely different person – or so they thought.

It was still Galaxy, but this was her true form. Her entire being seemed to glow with an otherworldly light. Her skin was pale blue, her long, curly hair and wide, pupil-less eyes a pure, untouched white. Despite her newfound alien beauty, despite the fact that she stood tall even in her exhaustion, Galaxy still wore her tattered uniform, still had the dark scar across her face, still hurt from the inside out.

"Is this what you wanted?" she screamed hoarsely into the sky. Her words gained strength with her next cry. "Is this what you have to be proud of? This oppression, this dictatorship, this lie? Freedom is dead, and your freedom is a silent death. Is this your so-called justice? Is this your better world?"

Her tired mind barely registered the crowd all around her roaring with cheers. All she could see was the enemy landing in front of her, yet she continued to stand tall. White eyes stared proudly into the face of death.

Red eyes looked back, filled with rage and fiery contempt. A flash of scarlet shot out toward her, ripped into her skull as easily as tearing through paper. She fell. She fell. She hit the ground.

And all was black.

...

Hey guys! I've finally decided to upload the rewritten prologue. I'm currently working through chapter six, but since I like to always be a few chapters ahead, I wouldn't expect frequent updates. Chapters will probably continue to be 1000 words or less, but hopefully at least a little longer than they previously would have been. Hope you liked it!

Silver xx