Salvation

The year is 2732. Flying cars weave in and out of skyscrapers. Today is a special day. Today is Aron’s tenth birthday. His father owns a large company, but has never let Aron in to see. Except for today. Today, Aron’s father Jax is taking his son to see the company.

Sitting in the back of a flying limo, Aron eagerly looks out the window. A light rain falls over the blue city, not affecting Aron’s mood. Bouncing in his seat, he watches as they pass by the buildings. Being extremely high up, the clouds below them block the ground floor, and yet they still fly below the tops of the towers.

Aron’s bright blond hair lay completely flat, combed down by his fathers assistants. His bright green eyes shine like an emerald, as he eagerly awaits to see his fathers company. Sticking his nose to the glass of the window, he watches as several different types of cars fly by.

Next to him, his father, Jax, sits upright, smiling at his little boy. Everyone at his office always told him that they looked so alike. Same blond hair, and emerald green eyes. They also told him one day, little Aron would grow up to not only fill his father’s shoes

Putting his hand on Aron’s head, Jax leans in to look out the window with him. “Do you see something?” he asks, chuckling to himself. “It really is a wonderful sight. And we’re one of the few who get to see it.”

All the cars passing by shimmer, and shine. The sleek designs of each show just how expensive they are. Even a few other limos pass by, as the neon lights of the different buildings flickr, and shine. “It’s always so pretty!” Aron exclaims, swaying in his seat.

“Yes it is,” his father responds. “This aerospace isn’t cheap. You need a permit just to fly in the area. That being said, we obviously have one. You’ll need to know these things when you start. Don’t want the police on you just because you didn’t have the right key card.”

Nodding, Aron continues to look out the window. “Right, and that's one of the things you’re teaching me today, right?” pulling his head away from the window, he looks up at his father. “You’re going to teach me a few things about running the company, so that one day we can do it together right?”

Laughing, Jax nods. “Yes son, but don’t worry. I know you won’t remember everything after just one day. It’s just going to be the first step. But to every great success, there is always the first step. If you never take that first step, then nothing will ever get done.”

Taking in the knowledge, Aron looks into his fathers eyes. “If you don’t take the first step… nothing will ever get done.” he repeats, though his expression is blank, Aron’s mind was not. “I think I get it,” he mutters, thinking of all the business he’ll get to do with his father.

Making deals with other company’s for different products. Shipping out their product, and unloading other companies. Coming up with new ideas, and all the things that come from it. From ideas, to production, Aron can’t wait to be a part of every little detail.

Thinking of the future, Aron comes to a realization though. “Hey dad. I just realized, i don’t actually know much about the company. I keep hearing about products, but I don't actually know what we trade in, or ship out. Just from what I've heard, I know a little about the process, but I've never heard what we sell.”

With a smile, Jax laughs at his boy’s words. “That's one of the things we’re going to be looking at today. We’ll be going to oversee a deal.” leaning back in his seat, Jax looks towards the front of the vehicle. “The deal has already been made, and so we’re just overseeing the pickup of the product. One hundred units for a hundred thousand.”

Blinking as he looks at his father, Aron tilts his head. “That… isn’t a lot though is it?” Jax smirks as he shakes his head. “I thought so!” Aron excitedly exclaims. “See, I can pay attention!”

Turning his head to look back at his boy, Jax continues “you’re right. It’s some of our cheaper products. It’s not as useful, but to the right person it can be just as useful.” Looking back to the front of the car, Jax stares out the front window. “He’s just buying some to see if it’s worth it to get the better version. I don’t normally oversee the lesser product, but I always oversee the shipments of our best.”

With awe in his eyes, Aron looks up at his father. “Then, will I have to oversee them when I get older?” as he asks, his mind once again goes to the future. Getting to see the boxes of products going out, and dealing with other corporations leaders. His smile grows once more, as he sits back in his seat.

“Just be patient,” Jax mentions, keeping his head forwards. “And remember, when we deal with other people, we must keep a straight face. If we don’t act profesional it could cost us a deal.” clearing his throat, he corrects himself. “Don’t worry about today though. I’ve already told them you’ll be with me. And since the deal is already done, there shouldn’t be any problems. So you don’t have to worry.”

Nodding, Aron keeps his head forwards. As he begins to sway back and forth, his mind goes to the deal they’re about to go to. As his mind wonders, and wonders, the limo pulls close to one of the skyscrapers. As they get close, the limo comes to a stop next to a window. The window begins to open up, as an electric barrier forms around the limo. From below the window, a red walkway extends, connecting to the bottom of the limo.

“We’re here” Jax announces, as he pulls the handle of the door. As he does, the door swings upwards, as he stands up out of the vehicle. With awe in his eyes, Aron crawls across the seats to the open door.

Stepping out of the limo, he looks around the building. Peering over the edge, he looks down to see nothing but clouds way below them. “Wow. we’re so high up. And there’s no wind.” turning back to his father, he continues “and it’s so pretty!”

Chuckling, his father responds “there’s no wind because of the barrier around us.” with those words, he uses his arm to gesture into the air. With bright eyes, Aron looks around, as the electrical barrier arcs around them. Opening his mouth, Aron looks around with glee.

“Come.” his father calls, waving him in. “We don't want to be late. They’re going to be here in just a minute, so i don’t have much time to show you the place.'' With a heavy nod, Aron runs back up to his dad. Putting his hand on his son’s back, Jax walks him into the building. As they walk through the open window, it begins to shut behind them.

The new room they stand in looks like a standard receptionist room. The walls are painted a dark blue, and a few pictures of various people sit on them. A clerc stands behind a big dark oak desk, and bow’s to Jax as he walks up to her.

Her outfit consists of a standard dark blue button down uniform, while her dark blonde hair is put up in a bun. Raising her head, she looks him dead in the eyes. “Good morning mister Kinehart. Your appointment has not yet arrived.”

Turning her light blue eyes to Aron, she lightly bows to him as well. “And good morning to you young sir.” raising her head, she smiles. “And happy birthday to you as well. I hope you have a fantastic day.”

With glee in his eyes, he smiles, then quickly bows back to her. “Thank you!” with a big smile he turns to his dad. “Is she the one that invites people in? She’s very pretty, and I think she’s doing a good job.”

With a smile, Jax nods his head at him. “You can say that. And I do agree, she does a great job.” turning his head to her, he continues. “And I think she’s pretty too.” at the comment, the receptionist blushes, and turns her head.

Putting his hand on Aron’s back, Jax leads him towards a big dark oak double door. “Come, since our client isn’t here yet, I want to show you a couple of things.” using his free hand, he waves back at the receptionist. “Call me when he gets her please.”

With a light bow, she acknowledges his request. As the two walk off, Aron turns around and waves to the receptionist. “Bye pretty lady!” he giggles as he walks. Watching them with a smile, she stands in place, waiting.

Reaching the big doors, Jax pulls open the right one. Using his left hand, he guides Aron through the corridor. The walls of the new corridor are a standard white, with a few pictures lining the hallway. The first few pictures are of various older men, while the later pictures are of different buildings, farming fields, and even the inside of a warehouse.

Pointing to the picture of the first man, Jax mentions. “This is your great grandfather. He’s the one who first started up this company many years ago.” looking at the portrait, Aron mouths a ‘wow’ as he looks at it. “Since our client should be here soon, I don't want to spend much time talking about our history. We can talk about that after the deal.”

Turning away from the picture, Jax and Aron continue through the corridor. As they pass the different pictures, Jax starts talking about them. “The pictures shown are some of the projects our Product has helped create.”

Gesturing to the building, he continues “with our help, other companies have been able to make some of the skyscrapers you’ve seen on your way in. Thanks to our product, our clients have created more buildings for less cost.”

Tilting his head, Aaron continues to look at the pictures. The next one they look at is the picture of the fields. “This,” Jax continues, “well, simply put, our product has helped create food for people. Thanks to our help, farms are able to produce more food, and provide it to the public for less.”

As they continue walking, Aron begins to wonder what the product is. Pointing to the last picture, the one of the inside of a warehouse, Jax finishes with “Lastly, our product can help in any sort of environment. Thanks to us, there has been a reduction in workplace injuries. We help out other companies, so that those companies can provide cheaper products, without the cost of manual labor.”

Blinking a few times, Aron stares at the picture. The gears in his head turn, more and more, as he tries to figure out what kind of product his dad’s company sells. “Dad. Can I ask you something? What is it exactly that we sell? I’m confused on how one thing can do so much.”

Looking down at Aron, Jax responds “why don’t we go down and see. You’ll understa-” *ring* *ring* the cellphone in Jax’s coat pocket begins to ring out loud. Pulling it out, Jax quickly answers it. “Hello. Yes, I'm still in the hallway actually… Yes, go ahead and send them through. Thank you.”

Hanging up, and putting away the phone, Jax glances back down at Aron. “Well, it looks like our client is here. Since that’s the case, we can all go together.” Aron nods, but a hint of concern stretches across his face. Turning to the door at the beginning of the halway, they both watch as the double doors begin to open.

An older, heavier set man walks through the door. His short, combed back black hair shows signs of greying, while a few wrinkles have begun to show on his face. Walking through the hallway, he clearly walks like he owns the place, despite being a guest.

Walking right up to Jax, he extends his hand. “Pleasure to see you again mister Klinehart.” His voice is almost demeaning, as he doesn’t bother looking Jax in the eyes. Glancing down at Aron, he scoffs at his presence. “I see you brought your boy. You sure he’s up for the exchange?”

Extending his hand, Jax grabs the man's hand. Shaking it, he responds with a calm voice “of course, mister Milton. He needs to learn the business one way or another. I figured now would be as good a time as any.” finishing the shake, both parties bring their hands back.

Turning to the side, Jax gestures to the opposite end of the halway. “This way, I'll lead you straight to the product. I’m sure you’re eager to get your next project underway.” Turning his back Mr. Milton, Jax begins heading down the hall.

Looking up at his father, Aron begins to follow him. Following behind them, Mr. Milton walks a few paces behind, as he looks at the various pictures on the wall. While walking through the corridor, Aron notices the displeased look in his fathers eyes.

Talking just loud enough for Aron to hear, Jax keeps his voice quiet enough that Mr. Milton can’t hear, “sometimes son, you have to work with less than pleasant people. All you can do is bite your tongue, and keep everything profesional. Honestly, if I would have known they were sending him, I wouldn’t have brought you today. I’m sorry about that.”

Slowly nodding, Aron faces forwards, realizing they’re approaching an elevator. “It’s alright” Aron responds. “I’ve seen you when you come home after a bad day. I understand. You’ve told me before, that while you enjoy the benefits of the business, there are some things you wish you wouldn't have to deal with.”

Smiling, and holding back a laugh, Jax keeps his eyes forward as they stop at the elevator. Pressing the down button, he glances at his son. “That’s right. And he’s one of them.'' As Mr. Milton walks up, he turns his head back to the other two. Turning to him, Jax puts on a false smile, “after we take this elevator down, our people will load the product to your shipping container, and then you can be on your way.”

“Yes,” Mr. Milton responds, looking over at one more picture. This picture is of a mansion. “Depending on how well these work out, I might buy one of your upscale models. For, *ahem* personal use.”

Glaring at him, Jax’s tone becomes more serious, “sir, I'd appreciate it if you didn’t say more in front of my son. He is only ten years old.'' At this comment, Aron looks up with confusion. Turning to Mr. Milton, Aron raises an eyebrow.

Glaring down at Aron, Mr. Milton scoffs before rolling his eyes. “Fine, fine.” *ding* reaching their floor, the elevator doors begin opening. Walking into the empty elevator, Mr. Milton goes to the back right corner, while Aron and Jax take the front left. Pressing one of the buttons on the side, Jax keeps his eyes forward.

The elevator doors begin to close, then it begins to descend. As they stand in the elevator, everyone remains silent. The silence causes Aron to think. Think about how rude Mr. Milton was. At how his father was acting. What was he going to see? What’s down there? Will he get to see how everythings made, or just see it shipped out? What product could possibly be this good that Mr. Milton one one himself.

Aon’s mind continues to wonder as they ride the elevator down. After almost a full minute of riding, the elevator finally comes to a stop. With anticipation fully taking over Aron, he watches carefully as the doors slide open. As they do, he sees the entire shipping floor.

To his right showed various monitors, all showing vital signs. The only vital sign showed was heartbeat, but there were several, all numbered. Being split into five monitors, twenty different vitals display on each monitor. Staring at the monitors, Aron starts to become confused.

He blinks a few times in shock, as his father and Mr. Milton step out of the elevator. Slowly taking a step out, the elevator door closes behind him. “So,” his father starts, turning to Mr. Milton, “as we agreed upon, one hundred units, no refunds.”

Questioning everything, Aron turns to the left, seeing another set of monitors. Facing them, on the left side sits a computer and keyboard. On the monitor, different cells are displayed, changing occasionally. Within each cell is a creature, humanoid, but not obviously not human. Upon seeing the creatures, Aron’s heart begins to sink.

“Yes,” Mr. Milton responds, “one hundred units. It doesn’t matter to me about refunds, as long as the product is actually useful.'' Turning to the center, Mr. Milton begins walking down the halway. “I have to say, they're actually a little bigger than I had imagined.”

Cold sweat begins running down Aron’s whole body as he stares down the hallway. Placing his hand on his son’s shoulder, Jax keeps his eyes forward. “Wait here, i’ll finish up everything, then i’ll show you around the place.”

Staring coldly at his father, Aron can do nothing but tremble. Watching his father leave, Aron turns back to the left monitors. The monitors continue to cycle through different cells, more and more of the creatures huddle together in corners.

Some of their skin appears red, some darker, while some lighter. Looking closer, Aron see’s that instead of skin, the creatures have scales. Looking almost lizard-like, they lacked tails, but had hands that looked like they should have claws.

As Aron stares at the monitor, it suddenly jumps to a picture of a giant turret. A multi barreled gun points at some of the creatures, as they cower in the corner of their cell. Looking back down the halway, Aron see’s one of the guns attached to the ceiling.

Hesitant, Aron begins to walk down the halway. Stopping at the first cell on his right, he turns to look into it. Aron’s heart felt as if it was shattering as he saw what appeared to be a woman of the species. Holding onto a smaller creature, it was obvious even to him they were mother and child.

Looking up at him, her cold dead green eyes looked at him. Taking a step back, Aron continues to shake. Gripping his chest, he begins to breathe faster and faster. Shaking his head, he mutters out loud, “no… no. we’re supposed to produce items… not… slaves…”

Watching the woman, she chirps at her kid, trying to soothe him. As she does, Aron notices her teeth are missing. All of them, so he inspects her hands too. Where it looks like there should be claws, only stubs remain. The kid in her arms cries, as they hold onto their mother. Their hands bloody, with the blood coming from the tips of his fingers.

“Hey there.” a woman's voice comes from behind him. Nearly jumping, Aron turns to her. Leaning down, she looks him dead in the eyes. Her warm smile was very contrasting to the situation he was looking at. “You must be the president's son. Can i get you anything?”

Stuttering, Aron responds “wh...what's going on here? The kids' fingers… they’ve got blood on them. And the mother… her teeth are missing. What’s going on here.” Aron swallows hard, as he barely can get the words out.

Standing upright, the woman gestures back to the beginning area. “Here” she states calmly, as if nothing was wrong. “Allow me to show you.” escorting him back to the set of monitors on the right, she taps on one of the vitals.

Bringing up a display, it shows an outline of one of the creatures. Tapping on the outlined hands, it brings up a set of words. ‘talons: removed’ is what it reads. “When they reach a certain age, we remove their talons so they can’t hurt anybody.”

She taps again, bringing it back to the full outline. Tapping on the outline head, the outline zooms in, and shows another set of words. ‘teeth: removed’ reads the new set. “We also remove their fangs, again so they can’t hurt anybody.”

Tapping the screen in the top right corner, the display goes back to the list of twenty vitals. Folding her arms, she turns back to Aron. “Any questions?” slowly nodding, all he can do is point to the gun at the other end of the halway.

“Oh, that’s there for security. More of a precaution, but the controls are behind you. So don’t touch them, we don’t want you accidentally setting them off.” nodding, Aron swallows once again. *ding* the display behind her suddenly shows one of the vitals.

Turning around, she quickly reads it. “Oh,” she turns back around, and bows to Aron. “Sorry, I have to go. It’s nothing bad, but one of the product seems like it may be damaged.” As she walks off, Aron is left stunned, staring at the monitor.

Product? How could she talk about someone's life like that. Just because they aren’t human, doesn’t mean they don’t matter. Beginning to freak out, Aron stares down at the ground. Breathing heavier and heavier, his mind races in circles

Suddenly, his mind comes to a complete stop. Slowly raising his head, his brain stops processing all the sounds around him. Turning around, he walks over to the keyboard on the other wall. Looking at it, he slowly raises his hands.

Using the mouse beside the keyboard, he clicks. A map of the area shows all the cells, and the guns in the halway. Beside the map are two buttons, ‘select all cells’ and ‘select all turrets’. Without thinking, Aron hovers the mouse over the ‘elect all cells’ button. Clicking on it, a menu suddenly appears.

The only two options are ‘open all’ and ‘close all’. Moving the mouse, Aron clicks on the ‘open all’ button. The sound of electric powering down rings throughout the halway. “What the?!” he hears Mr. Milton nearly shout. “Whats going on?'' Suddenly the guns start moving, pointing down the halway.

From the halway, Aron’s father father shouts, “get this under control! If the product tries to get out, the turrets could destroy them. If that happens, this deal is dead.” though Aron does not hear it, as his mind has gone completely blank. Trembling, Aron clicks on the ‘select all turrets’ button.

A slightly more complex set of options shows up. ‘Turn off’ ‘change target’ and ‘turn on’ are listed. Hovering over the ‘turn off’ button, Aron freezes. “Hey!” Aron sddenly feels a tug on his arm. turning to see someone dressed like a security guard glaring at him. “What are you doing?!” he shouts, tuggin on Aron’s arm.

As Aron turns back to the monitor, the security guard tugs one more. Using his other hand, Aron grabs hold of the mouse once more. As the guard tugs on his arm again, Aron clicks twice quickly. The first tap hits the ‘change target’ button, and the second, hits a new button. ‘Swap priorities’ is the button Aron clicked on the second tap.

As soon as he clicks on it, the guns in the halway begin to whir. *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* the guns begin shooting. Staggering, the security guard lets go of Aron, and runs to the halway, he freezes. *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* several bullets fly out, hitting the security guard.

Falling to the ground, blood begins to spill out onto the floor. Like a zombie, Aron walks up to the security guard. The guns continue to shoot, as screams of various people ring out. As Aron walks, none of the sound reaches him. His mind remains completely blank.

Reaching the security guard, Aron turns to look down the halway. For a split second, all he sees is bodies laying in the halway. His dad, Mr. Milton, and the lady who just asked him if he needed anything. *BANG* a single shot rings out, hitting Aron dead in the head.

Falling to the ground, lands with a *thud*. As he lay there, blood began to spill out of him. He remains motions, as he died before he hit the ground. As he lay there, the sound of the creatures beginning to stir echoes through the hallway. Being the first to look out, the woman from before peeks her head out.

Looking to the left, then the right, nobody but her remains standing. Fully stepping out her cell, she looks at the gun. Realizing it’s not moving, she turns back to the beginning of the halway. Walking down it, she walks up to Aron’s corpe.

What Aron didn’t realize, as he did everything, was that she could see him. The cell was in the perfect position so she saw everything he had done. Bending down, she picks up his body. As all the others in the cells begin to exit, she turns to them, holding his body.

With a few quick chirps, in their language, she tells them exactly what had happened. As she finishes the story, everyone there closes their eyes. Lowering themselves to their knees, they all bow down to him. While holding him, she too bows her head, but remains on her feet.

That was almost one hundred years ago. The creatures, now known as the Lizons, have found a new home. A planet, far away from earth, and not in the solar system we know. Even though it is far from earth, some humans have accepted them as people.

Some humans even visit their planet as tourists. A lush green forest spreads across the whole planet, while the pink sky’s light the world. While the sun produces little heat, the planet orbits closer to it then earth does with it’s sun. The planet became a tourist hotspot since the planet orbits the sun in a perfect circle, causing the temperature to be like spring all year long.

One couple decides to visit this planet for their honeymoon. Even though they were enslaved, the locals still accept humans. They do so knowing that not all were bad, but they still remain lerious as some visitors still cause problems.

As this random couple walks through the town square, they stop upon a giant statue of a kid. The statue is of Aron. Underneath the statue is a much older Lizon. As he sits under the statue, he notices the couple. Using his right hand, he waves them over, welcomingly.

Curiously, the couple walk up to the old Lizon. As he talks, his English is broken, but understandable, “Time first?” they nod, then look up at the statue. As they look up in wonder, the Lizon continues. “Ah, statue. Saviour of ours. He reason we here. To us, he is God of Salvation.”