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I don't usually like to write short stories or "one chapter plots", but seeing that there is a contest and all I thought why not. So here is my entry for SciFi-Summer. Enjoy!

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Salvation

written by Phenrir

Nothing can last forever. Even if there is the possibility to save something from destruction and decay, such an act is not inevitable. Salvation has to be earned.

With a slight headache Kelan awoke in his bed. Groaning and blinking until his vision slowly became clear. He had the distinct feeling that he had forgotten something really important, yet totally obvious. It was as if he tried to remember how to breathe and that his heart should be pumping now. Of course if that wouldn't be the case he would be dead.

"What time is it?", Kelan spoke into the emptiness of his small one room apartment. The room had no windows so it was cast into an eerie darkness that Kalan knew too well. Rising, he looked in the direction of the mirror, which was the only thing that decorated the walls there. Also it was the sole object that looked clean. Usually Kelan had no time for simple chores like cleaning his meager living space, but the mirror doubled as a computer screen and he used it regularly. The dim numbers on the mirror were clearly visible.

"What already?" Seeing the time Kelan leapt to his feet. "I will be late again! Oh no, that means more cuts on my paycheck... LIGHT!" The last thing was a voice command and without a moment of hesitation bright artificial and somehow depressing light flooded the room. In the sudden brightness the chaos in Kelan's apartment couldn't be denied anymore. Clothes were lying messily on the floor, all sorts of empty food packaging had been discarded everywhere and different stains adorned the walls and the ground, Kelan couldn't even remember the origin of most of them.

"Fuck that can't be good!" Kelan cursed when he saw a message symbol appearing on the mirror and realized that it was from Tower Control, his working place. He opened the message, reading its contents quite nervous. "Your immediate presence is needed... Come by as soon as possible..." Kelan had never been 'employee of the month material', actually they had threatened to fire him at least two times. Still he needed this job really bad and to his dismay the message didn't sound very good. Gritting his teeth Kelan looked for something to wear that looked as clean as possible. When he found something acceptable Kelan put it on and stood in front of the mirror to check whether he was presentable. Looking back at him was an average built red panda, his fur was ruffled and on his face seemed to be stuck a constant expression of reluctance. All in all Kelan had a slouching appearance even when his back was straight.

"Won't get better I guess", decided Kelan finally. He had no time for beautification this had to suffice. On a whim, or maybe it was instinct, Kelan touched the mirror with one finger. A single picture appeared showing a young red panda, his daughter Aliva. For a moment Kelan stood still, smiling at the image of his child with mixed feelings, then he started for the door.

"Okay, have you forgotten something?" At the door Kelan turned around to look at the dump that was his home. "Let's check." Some furs had enough credits to afford huge apartments, with a real kitchen or a separated bathroom, they had tons of stuff, real food that didn't taste like the crappy synthetic stuff Kelan had to eat and some even had a great view from one of the skyscrapers. Kelan had none of that.

"Life is hard!" In any case his life tried to kick him really hard where it hurts most, whenever it got the chance. Kelan almost added 'and then you die in his mind', but he wasn't in the mood for jokes even if they weren't funny. Everything was hard enough as it is. "Only a miracle can save my job now." With that Kelan left his apartment going into a relentless world.

"Good morning this is TC News!" Kelan was on the train on his way to his employer, watching the outside through the huge windows of the train. The whole city could be seen from his position, dauntingly tall buildings that were only clouded by the Tower, which wasn't only the center of the city, but also supported the fake sky. Generations ago the whole atmosphere started to become toxic, as to why no one was really sure anymore. The salvation from a painful death was to build a huge dome city that would shield everyone inside. Only a handful of furs were selected to live there, and they were the only ones that survived. Many things were lost back then, the knowledge how to build a city like this for example.

"It is a beautiful day today thanks to Salvation", said the news anchor looking sternly from the windows of the train. "Officials say that there is still no sign of communication from the Tower." All the technology that kept the city running and everyone on its inside alive, was monitored by the most important building, the Tower. Everything from power to breathable air went through the huge slim building and all the functions of the Tower needed to be controlled. A single entity governed the Tower since it was built, it was an artificial intelligence and was called 'Salvation'. The name referred to its purpose, which of course was saving everyone from an otherwise certain death.

"Looks like Salvation still doesn't want to talk to us", said the news anchor, who was a middle-aged otter. At his side was a good looking vixen, who spoke up with a lovely voice. "I wonder what Salvation is thinking."

"You are not the only one wondering that. On other news there has been an unforeseen accident at one of the Tower Control facilities. Experts say that it looks like the work of the Insurgents, but TC hasn't released an official statement so far. Whether there have been casualties at the facility is unclear." For a moment Kelan faltered, staring at the window. An accident... was that the reason why his superiors wanted to see him immediately? It couldn't be, could it? Somehow Kelan couldn't shake a feeling of deja vu, like this accident should remind him of something, but he didn't know what.

"The Insurgents remain a threat for all of us and TC request information about suspicious behavior. Any kind of actions that can be associated with these terrorists should be reported right away. Know associates of them will be prosecuted and punished according to their crime." The otter was staring as if his eyes could subdue his audience.

"Now on to more positive news", ended the vixen the severe and awkward atmosphere. Kelan didn't listen to the unimportant drivel from her. A long time ago, even before Kelan was born, Salvation just went silent. The most important being in the city suddenly ignored everyone and no one knew why. Despite all the attempts to find out what happened the Tower remained sealed and not one word came from the inside. Since then Tower Control has tried to find out what happened, making sure that at the same time the Tower remained functional from the outside. Within years TC became the most important organization in the city, today almost everything was owned by them. Of course there were those that despised this sort of unilateral governing and thus the Insurgents were born. It was not really clear, who the Insurgents were and what they wanted, but the media portrayed them as vicious and destructive terrorists seeking to end he status quo.

'If one would ask me the Insurgents can't really be worse than TC. Both of them want to dominate the rest. Though some say, that the Insurgents want to impair the Tower... How stupid would that be, destroying the single thing that keeps us safe from the toxic outside!' Sure no one really knew what the Tower actually did and whether Salvation was actually active, or existent, but if one believed the stories from generations ago the city couldn't function if either of them didn't work.

Finally at his stop Kelan left the train. It was only a short walk from there to the TC headquarters. So far Kelan had only once been there, when he had applied for an engineering position with them. Back then Kelan hadn't known that it was more like a low paying shitty job as mechanic. Repairing all the machinery that supplied the Tower with all sorts of things might seem important, but the working conditions were horrible, which was probably the fault of his contract from TC.

"Here it goes", said Kelan to himself swallowing hard when he stood in front of the huge building that was Tower Control's headquarters. Still a bit nervous Kelan stepped inside, the doors opened automatically showing a spacious expensive-looking lobby. With slow and careful steps Kelan moved to the front desk, behind which sat a young female cat.

"Excuse me, my name is Kelan." He looked at her and saw the disapproving look on her face as she eyeballed him. "I was ordered to come here." She took a moment to look at her computer, before addressing Kelan.

"Take the elevator. She is already waiting for you." Perplexed Kelan looked at her for a moment, he surely wasn't that important that someone should wait for him and who was 'she'? But the feline secretary seemed to ignore him again. So Kelan, despite all the questions in his head, went straight to the elevator, which opened for him without a sound. As soon as Kelan went inside the doors closed and the elevator moved.

'What is going on here? If they wanted to fire me, there would have just been a message. Something's up', thought Kelan as the elevator moved silently. Again he had the feeling that he should remember something important, yet however hard he tried Kelan couldn't decipher what his mind tried to tell him and it started to drive him insane. Suddenly the elevator opened. Kelan hadn't quite paid attention to the display that showed the floor number, but instinctively he guessed he must be really high now.

"Come in" a cool voice said devoid of emotion. Kelan followed the sound out of the elevator into a huge room. Astonished he looked around, there was enough space here to fit his apartment more than ten times and that wasn't the only thing. The furniture and decoration were beyond what Kelan could afford in a lifetime, most stunning however was the view of the entire city, for only the tower seemed to be higher than this place.

"Your name is Kelan", assessed the voice and finally he could avert his astonished gaze so he could see who spoke. It was a female owl, with almost radiant white feathers. The designer clothes she wore underlined her whole appearance. "You have a daughter, age sixteen, yet are divorced for several years. According to your file you studied engineering and work almost ten years for Tower Control. Is that right or am I missing something?" She looked at Kelan as she stated these facts, not bothering to get up from her sitting position behind an impressive desk. Though she gestured for him to sit in front of it. He took the seat.

"No, that's perfectly accurate." Almost too accurate in fact, but Kelan guessed that TC could get all the information they wanted. "Excuse me if I am so up-front, but who are you?" Kelan had never seen her. That wasn't entirely surprising since he wasn't that important and TC not that transparent about its upper echelon.

"You can call me Enderra... My position is of no concern for you, though some might say that I am something similar to a CEO of Tower Control." Kelan had to gasp audibly. For whatever reason someone important wanted to talk to him, he had guessed that much from the message this morning. Only he never would have guessed that it was someone that high up. "Now that the introductions are out of the way let's return to the important topics." For an almost awkwardly long moment Enderra looked at Kelan with a curious, yet demure gaze. "Do you hate TC?"

"What?" The question baffled him.

"That was a simple question. Are you so slow that I need to repeat myself? Do you hate Tower Control?"

"I am not an idiot! No, I don't hate TC and what kind of questions is that? Would I really work for you if I didn't like it?" Kelan disliked her tone, suddenly she seemed arrogant and unfriendly to him. Of course he would never say that to her face, lest he wanted to end up really miserable, or even worse dead.

"I don't know. Believe me I am just trying to assess your allegiance and to understand what has happened."

"Allegiance? You think that I am one of the Insurgents." Kelan almost couldn't believe it, after countless of years of faithful work they simply interrogated him when he seemed even slightly suspicious. "Of course I am not one of them, what do you think?" Enderra stared at him and Kelan had to use all his willpower to look in her yellow eyes.

"Maybe... but we will see about that. Do you remember what happened last night?" Kelan shrugged.

"Not really", he answered not sure where she was going with this. "I was probably asleep after a long and hard day!"

"Then you might be surprised to hear that you had a late night shift yesterday and you were working on the Tower maintenance." Enderra was waiting for his reaction and Kelan clearly was confused. If he had worked last night why couldn't he remember it?

'Is this about the accident the news had talked about? What happened there anyway?' he asked himself and wasn't quite sure if that made sense to him. There was no way he would forget an accident at work. "So what maybe I am over-worked, which is why I don't recall any details... Maybe you could just tell me what this is about and be done with it!"

"Very well! As you might have heard there was a situation at one of our facilities. I am sure some of it has appeared on the news."

"Yeah, I heard about it. So what?" Enderra was awfully deliberate in telling him what this strange meeting was about. Maybe it was because the media had talked about a potential involvement of the Insurgents. "We have proof that you were working at the facility last night, when the supposed accident happened." The word 'supposed' and her skeptic tone told Kelan enough. "Please look at the video feed and tell me what you can make of it." She pressed a key on her computer and suddenly a translucent display on her desk showed moving pictures. The nature of the display made it possible for both of them to see the video, though to Kelan it was mirror-inverted.

A big room with several machines was shown. Kelan recognized the installation, it was one of the supply buildings, that kept the Tower running. His job made him visit such locations almost daily to maintain the technology there. In the corner of the screen was a time and a date, which showed that this video was indeed from last night. Enderra fast-forwarded the video, since nothing important seemed to be happening there. At last Kelan recognized several furs, he knew most of them from his job. He even saw himself arrive and starting to fix the machinery.

"Now comes the interesting part", commented the owl as she changed the video to its normal speed. On the display Kelan was still busy with repairs, when suddenly an electronic device in front of him began to glow brightly. In mere seconds it burned. Last night Kelan took a moment to react to this unexpected accident and looked for something to distinguish the quickly spreading fire. After several seconds in which furs screamed, running around like frightened chicken, the video just stopped.

"What happened?"

"I hoped that you could tell me", said Enderra looking at him. "No one survived except you obviously!" With that all the color from Kelan's face drained. Now he could understand why TC was suspicious of him, though this still looked more like an accident than real sabotage. All these furs dead, so they needed some kind of explanation and the Insurgent threat was quite obvious. Such casualties were tragic, but what bothered Kelan more was that he couldn't remember anything about this. There were no burns or other signs that he had almost died on his body either. Except for his usually ruffled fur, that turned more gray with each day, he looked fine.

"... I don't know what happened..." As Kelan spoke his voice was soft, he picked his words very carefully. "Maybe I hit my head or something like that... I assure you that I am no Insurgent." The more he knew about TC the more certain he was that he didn't like them, however that didn't mean he was a revolutionary or terrorist. "Well, I don't know if your statement is really that credible." She looked at him as if she would weigh the options of what she could do with Kelan. This owl certainly had the power to put him away or worse without any questions asked. It made Kelan hate her, this kind of power was something no one should have. "Fortunately for you we cannot prove that you are responsible for what happened. Neither is it clear enough whether you are associated with the Insurgents." Kelan breathed a sigh of relief, confident that this was all Enderra wanted to talk about. As she continued he had to look at her disbelievingly. "However your actions cast you in a bad light, Kelan. You are unreliable and the reports about your work state that you are slightly erratic and easily diverted. The whole incident last night was just the final straw in a record of carelessness." Swallowing hard Kelan interjected, though he suspected were the sort of CEO of Tower Control was going.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I am trying to say that you have become a liability. So, to get to the point, you are fired!" Abruptly Kelan felt like he had been stabbed in the back, he wasn't working a shitty full time job just because he wanted to. "On account of of several concerns about your relationship with the Insurgents we will also keep a very close eye on you, to avoid any further 'accidents'. Furthermore you will be forbidden to work for any TC owned company." The sharp pain from feeling betrayed turned instantly into something closer to a death blow.

'They can't be serious? More than half the city is owned by Tower Control!' It was clear to him that there was no way for Kelan to get another job if he was on TC's blacklist. Already he had a hard time to survive with the few credits he earned.

"I believe that's all. You may go now." Enderra gestured for him to leave, her unsympathetic gaze focused on Kelan, who took a long moment to gather himself and stand up. Almost in front of the elevator he heard the owl's voice one more time. "Oh, and just so you don't get any ideas... we will also closely monitor your family."

'What should I do?' There was no simple answer to that question, actually no answer at all. If Tower Control, the single most influential company in the city, had decided that Kelan was not worth the trouble, then he was simply doomed. No one would employ him! Kelan's life was already screwed up by the city's standards, but now he feared that he would end up on the streets without even enough credits to eat. Those thoughts made him cringe. In his desperation Kelan walked aimlessly through the city, gaze on the ground, ears and tail drooping. Losing all sense of time and direction he didn't know how long he walked like this. Not before he realized that he was in one of the more populated areas of the city, did he look up. Most of the furs around him were looking intriguingly at him, pointing at Kelan the newly unemployed red panda so others could take notice.

'What's going on? Did TC post pictures of me anywhere... I can imagine what it would look like. Kelan the most miserable red panda far and wide! Avoid him at any cost. My ex would definitely agree with that.' Kelan almost joked though this was surely no time to laugh about his situation. The funny looks furs around him threw at Kelan still confused him. All of them kept their distance however, so he couldn't ask what was wrong. Not like he wanted to socialize anyway.

"Good day citizens, we return to our special broadcast." Kelan was walking past a shop window, which displayed the same news show he had seen on his way to the TC headquarters. Now however the otter and the vixen on the screen wore severe looks. "For all of those that haven't heard the exciting news: after generations of trying to communicate Salvation has answered our call." 'What?' Kelan couldn't believe it. As long as he could remember Salvation was something of an eluding constant presence. Some spoke of the AI as a kind of god, while others doubted that it even existed. 'But what does this have to do with everyone staring at me?'

"I believe it's safe to say that no one would have expected this. Actually I kind of thought that Salvation was nothing more than a myth." The vixen, who never had anything important to say, interjected shortly.

"As did many others", answered the otter before continuing with the incredible news. "The message Salvation sent is a mystery to even the most important experts from Tower Control. Instead of answering all the questions and attempts to communicate with us Salvation just sent an image to every computer throughout the city." On the screen right next to the news anchors appeared a picture. Kelan stared at it dumbfounded for there looking at him was his own face.

'What the fuck?' was the only thing he could think. The otter and vixen ranted on for a moment, but Kelan didn't pay attention. Salvation had sent a picture of him to everyone, it just made no sense! What should a supposedly all powerful AI, at least in this city, want of him? Kelan wasn't much anything, now more than ever given that he had lost his job. 'Maybe that's it, my job! We always repaired the Tower's machinery.' In his still desperate and confused mind Kelan linked Salvation to the accident last night. However he didn't know what to make of all of this.

"We've received a new information. It looks like the mysterious red panda has been found. Former TC engineer Kelan with citizen ID..." As the otter on the news announced countless of personal info about him a video of Kelan appeared on the screen in the shop window. It showed him right now staring at the news. For a moment he stood there hesitating, then he looked around until he found the cameras fixated on him. It was perfectly normal that cameras were everywhere, and why shouldn't they be? Now however Kelan felt very uncomfortable with the public gaze on him, he felt cornered. So Kelan did what came natural to him. He ran! Rushing past staring furs and cameras that followed him mechanically, he didn't slow down until no one was around him. In an isolated back alley with no obvious cameras Kelan felt safe enough to stop and catch his breath.

"Accidents and memory loss... the CEO of TC... and Salvation... What is going on?" Kelan's breath came in ragged breaths, but his exhaustion from running was nothing compared to the increasing feeling of bewilderment and helplessness. Maybe that was the reason why he didn't notice anyone approaching.

"Yes, you are him." Surprised Kelan turned around, at one side of the alley stood a tall intimidating wolf. He didn't look like someone Kelan wanted to know better. "Come with me and we won't have a problem." "What do you want?" Looking for an escape Kelan saw that there were two more furs at the other side of the alley blocking his exit.

"Didn't I make myself clear enough? Come with me!" Menacingly he flexed his arms, the wolf's knuckles cracked as he balled his clawed paws into fists.

"No way. Just leave me alone!" This was all too much for Kelan, he started to panic, but there was no way out of this. With two on one side and the wolf on the other, the latter seemed to be the be obvious choice for Kelan if he wanted to flee. Running again Kelan hoped rush past the wolf and ran straight into his arm, which felt like Kelan had run into a wall. He fell flat on his back hurting, while the wolf loomed over him as a threatening and immovable obstacle.

"If you want to play it that way", was all the wolf said as he raised his fist. Kelan felt a sharp pain, then everything turned black.

With flickering eyelids Kelan began to awake. He groaned as he felt the throbbing on his face and other smaller bruises, Kelan could even taste some blood, which most certainly had to be his own. "Good, you are awake." Said a calm and distinctly male voice to Kelan. He couldn't quite put from where it was coming. More concerning however was Kelan's bleary vision. The whole world around him seemed to turn, making Kelan nauseous. Combined with the pain Kelan couldn't think anything coherent, he just wanted to curl into a ball and let the agony pass. "Take your time." So Kelan did. After a long moment he could see clearer and think straight again.

"Where am I?" Kelan started to remember the alley. For however reason the wolf must have knocked him out and taken him here, but luckily he was nowhere to be seen.

"You are in a safe place. For now at least." Examining his surroundings Kelan saw a huge room that looked like an abandoned warehouse, it was dimly lit and except for two chairs nothing was there. On one of them Kelan sat awkwardly, his body still hurting, on the other was a hawk, who despite his ordinary clothes looked regal and charismatic. He was watching Kelan with interest.

"I am very sorry for your injuries. That wasn't my intention, as you probably have experienced some of my brothers and sisters get carried away easily." Hearing the hawk's words Kelan had to frown. "Who are you and what do you want with me?"

"Straight to the point I see... Fair enough! My name is Derion and I am the current leader of the Insurgents." Kelan swallowed hard. This Derion didn't look like a terrorist, but the wolf certainly fit the bill. Still Kelan had no idea what the fuck they wanted from him, though he was sure that the Insurgents meant no good thing.

"I probably should have guessed as much! These days I am awfully popular", joked Kelan, yet his sarcasm had little more effect than turning the corner of Derion's beak into a fake smile.

"You are right about that. First the thing with TC, then Salvation's message... Makes one think what is so important about a simple divorced engineer that lives in the most pathetic apartment one has ever seen. Care to answer that question?" Kelan wasn't surprised that the Insurgents knew that much about him, the news had shouted it out for the whole world to see.

"Beats me! The only thing that I can remember is that I went to bed last night just as always." Looking at Darion Kelan hoped to see some kind of reaction that told him that the hawk knew more, but it was futile. "Then I woke up this morning and BAM! An accident at night, which was supposedly my fault, but I couldn't remember. I get called in by TC and have a talk with their lovely CEO Enderra, who seems to think I work for you and fires me so hard I can almost feel my butt catch fire even now. After that everyone turns crazy and I have no idea what Salvation wants!" Blurting everything out did little to erase Kelan's anger. It took Derion a long moment to answer in which he stared at Kelan thinking.

"Do you want to work for us?"

"For you? The Insurgents?" asked Kelan snorting. "I don't want to deal with rebels and terrorists that hit me, abduct me and are stupid enough to try and destroy the Tower. You know, this huge building, the one thing that keeps this city alive." Derion stared at Kelan his eyes blinking erratically, as if Kelan's words bemused him. Then the hawk simply laughed, genuine yet shortly.

"You shouldn't believe everything the media tells you, Kelan! We are no stupid revolutionaries or uncoordinated bullies that want to demolish the foundation on which they stand." Derion took a short pause to look the red panda direct in the eyes with a determined gaze. "No, we just want to stop Tower Control. Their greed and their rule has gone too far, without caring what they do TC steps on the rights of every citizen. You should know that much." Surprisingly Kelan had to admit that the insurgent hawk was right. TC had destroyed has marriage with constant work and their crappy politics, besides the dead-end job had destroyed every sort of wealth Kelan had ever known. Though Kelan didn't tell all of this to Derion's face.

"However noble you think your cause might be. You are still bullies that have hit and abducted me!"

"Yeah, that is true and I really regret that it has come to this. But be honest, would you have come if I had simply asked you?" Kelan considered it for the fraction of a second. There simply wasn't much to consider.

"Probably not", he agreed to which Derion nodded. "What now? I have told you I don't know what all of this is about, so I can't help you!"

"That's where you are mistaken. Let me show you." From his pocket Derion pulled a small computer and showed it to Kelan. On the translucent screen was apparently another message of Salvation, but Kelan couldn't be sure about that. Again there was a picture of him and now two lines of text were there as well. 'Do Not Harm' stood at the top and 'Come To Me Alone' could be read at the bottom.

'So, they want me to go to Salvation... and then what?' thought Kelan before looking at Derion questioningly. "Why should I help you?" The hawk simply shrugged.

"Maybe because you want to. You have seen what TC does to the honest employees like you. Also we could help you, better your situation that you don't have to live in that garbage you have to call home." To his shame Kelan had to admit that he really considered the offer. Finally however he said just one word.

"No." Derion looked unbelievingly at the red panda, who clearly needed all the help he could get, before sighing.

"I had wished it wouldn't come to this, but you leave us no choice. Bring her in!" Shouting the last part Derion turned in the direction of a door, which opened immediately. The wolf who had taken Kelan came inside, guiding someone handcuffed inside.

"Ali!" Kelan's heart sank as he recognized his own daughter forcibly led inside by the intimidating wolf. She looked tired and her fur was a bit dirty, apart from that she seemed to be OK though. "Is everything all right? Are you hurt?" When the younger red panda finally saw her father, she almost looked like she was in tears. Her words said otherwise, yet they couldn't calm Kelan's sudden fear and rage.

"I'm OK, Dad. But what's going on here?" She tried to appear as brave as possible, Kelan however knew his daughter well enough to see that she was scared. When she wanted to say more the wolf made a harsh gesture, which shut her up. Due to the divorce he didn't see her as much as he liked to, his former job had been a problem in that matter as well, but if someone asked Kelan who would be the single most important fur in his life he would have said 'my daughter'. Now he wondered if Derion knew that. The hawk seemed content to wait for the conflict in Kelan, which was clearly visible on his face, to settle. Kelan didn't have to think very hard.

"What do you want?" he said between gritted teeth. At least the leader of the Insurgents didn't appear smug about this.

"It is very easy. For some reason Salvation wants you to go into the Tower... maybe as an engineer you are to help with repairs... Why doesn't really matter! As soon as you are inside however I want you to convince Salvation to end the reign of TC and if that doesn't work either reprogram Salvation to do it, or do it yourself." Kelan guessed that from the inside of the Tower there were enough things one could do to kill and destroy. The thing literally had a line to every piece of technology. Yet this went way too far for Kelan! He was quite sure that he couldn't reprogram Salvation and Kelan wasn't going to murder Tower Control's furs himself. Regrettably it looked like he was out of options if he wanted to see his daughter again.

"Very well, I do it! Just let my child go."

"I am afraid I cannot do that. She is our only guarantee that you do what we want you to. Just go into the Tower and save us from TC. Now if you excuse me I have other things to take care of." With that Derion simply stood up and left Kelan with his captive daughter and the scary wolf. Kelan wasn't handcuffed, for a moment he thought about attacking the wolf and seeing Aliva to safety, though after his first encounter with the tall brute Kelan didn't have much hope of defeating him.

"Don't worry, Ali. I will get you out of this! Just wait it out until your old man saves you." Speaking Kelan tried to smile though he didn't feel much like it. His body still hurt and he felt like this was a crazy nightmare where he couldn't wake up. To his relief she nodded.

Suddenly several loud shots rang from the outside of the warehouse. Kelan didn't even have time to react before a team of armed furs broke in. Only the wolf recovered his composure fast enough, he drew Aliva close to him, using her body as a shield and put a gun to her head.

"Don't shoot or she will die!" growled the wolf facing the attackers. Only now could Kelan see the TC logos on the newcomers combat armors. Who else should it have been?

'They won't shoot', thought Kelan totally convinced that these were professionals. 'We're safe.' Kelan never saw it coming, and he didn't even have enough time to shout out. For as one the TC's squad raised their weapons before shooting both the Insurgent wolf and Aliva in cold blood. Finally Kelan screamed as two bodies fell lifeless on the ground, he cursed and spat at the shooters, rushing to his daughter's side. "No. No, no. NO!" It was too late. The holes in Aliva's head were nothing medicine could fix. Kelan felt tears in his eyes, nothing else mattered really now. They had killed his daughter! Strong hands gripped Kelan, dragging him away from blood and death. He didn't really care. Since this morning Kelan's world has begun to shatter, he had to ask himself what was left that he could lose. 'At least I don't have to do what they want anymore.' That was a small consolation price for the life of his daughter.

With a forceful shove that made Kelan shiver in pain he was pushed into a luxury vehicle. It was one of those hovering technological wonders that only large companies like Tower Control could afford. The door was closed behind Kelan and after getting seated he looked around. Kelan wasn't really surprised to see Enderra there with an unreadable look. Next to her though sat a familiar red panda, Kelan's ex-wife Loren, who scowled at him like only she could. It was clear to him that Loren wasn't here by choice. Since their divorce Loren probably had been more than hostile to Kelan, still he had to tell her.

"Loren", he started with a sympathetic tone but her demeanor did not change in the slightest. "Ali... she is dead. They killed her." Crossing her arms she stared at him, looking enraged.

"I know, I have seen it! TC has told me what's going on here, that you are one of the Insurgents. All of this is your fault!" Her harsh words hit Kelan harder than expected. Somehow he had expected sadness or at least a little bit of mercy, after all it wasn't Kelan that had pulled the trigger. Now he saw that Loren was clearly incapable of feeling sympathetic for Kelan. One moment he wanted to tell her that he wasn't an Insurgent and never had been, an instant later he decided against it. That wasn't a fight he could ever win, so Kelan just ignored her. As he looked at Enderra she seemed at least somewhat surprised.

"Kelan! I see you have been busy since our last meeting." Her tone was almost casually jovial. "As I can see you are with the Insurgents after all." In contrast to Derion the CEO of TC seemed very smug about how the situation had turned out. Kelan started to hate both of them now, though Enderra was way more despicable.

"Cut the crap! I can imagine what you want from me."

"Oh, and what would that be? Please enlighten us!" Enderra's attitude clearly showed her arrogance. It was actually a long shot, but Kelan tried anyway to guess her intentions.

"You want me to go inside the Tower and give you control over everything", meant Kelan as the inside of the vehicle fell silent for a long moment. Only now did Kelan realize that they were moving. Probably they were heading for the Tower.

"How surprising! You are actually almost right. We don't need the Tower, TC already owns most of the city. No, what we want you to do is much simpler. Use the Tower or Salvation to get rid of the Insurgents. Save the city from this threat and then you can get back to your life." It was strangely ironic to hear how alike TC and the Insurgents really were. Both of them wanted to get rid of each other and both thought that Kelan would do it for them.

"Tell me one reason why I should help you!"

"I will! At first I thought about using your ex-wife as leverage..." Enderra glanced at Loren, who stared back wide eyed. Clearly it had never occurred to her that she might be some kind of hostage. "But hearing you two talk made it obvious that you wouldn't miss her if a terrible accident happened. Not that I blame you." The more time Kelan spent with Enderra the more evident it became that Derion was right about at least one TC leader. She would not stop at anything, playing with lives like they were chess pieces. "Instead I will appear to your reason. You have seen how the Insurgents are. They captured your daughter and beat you up. If it were up to them they would rather see this city in ruins than cared for by TC, which is why they must be stopped for good. Also I could make sure that this service to society is very well rewarded. You'll never would have to care about work again." Just like with Derion he gave this deal some thought. It sounded promising, though Kelan doubted he could really trust Enderra, or TC for that matter. Yet it looked like there was no middle way. Either he tried to help the Insurgents or Tower Control. The latter just had more to offer now.

"Alright I'll do it." Kelan hadn't really decided, he just wanted Enderra to shut up, because the owl surely wouldn't stop until he had agreed. It was not like Kelan didn't want to pick a side. After he did this, if it was even possible, the other party would probably be dead. There was simply one thing that made no sense. What did Salvation want from him? Kelan wouldn't pick a side until he knew what this was all about. Until he had enough answers and knew who deserved to die most.

Some time later Kelan was walking up to the Tower. Enderra had dropped him off just a moment ago, parking far away, so Salvation couldn't take offense in Kelan's company, after all the AI had specified that Kelan should come alone. This was the sole reason why Kelan was walking to the Tower. He still hadn't quite recovered the wounds from meeting with the Insurgents, so he took slow careful steps to preserve any strength Kelan might need.

"Why does it have to be so far away?" Kelan gradually grew closer. The Tower was exactly at the center of the city and its direct surroundings were devoid of other buildings, forming a big plaza in the form of a ring. All the space around the Tower made it only appear much higher and therefore more daunting as it loomed over Kelan, who felt exceptionally insignificant at the moment. Literally touching the sky, though it was a fake one projected on the dome that shielded the town from the toxic outside, the Tower simply was a thin pillar that supported the entire city in more senses than one.

"So, how do I get in there? Is there a door or something?" As long as Kelan could remember the Tower had simply been there. His parents had told him, just like their parents before, that there was no way to get inside the Tower. Some had tried of course, but there were no doors, no windows, no anything, so the ominous building had changed from the municipal structure it had been in the past, to nothing more than a myth. 'Maybe I will finally find out what happened with Salvation. Why did it leave us alone? What's going on now?' asked Kelan himself. There had been many theories in the past and he would be the first to find out. At last he stood right in front of the Tower, he didn't have enough time to wonder how he would get inside while looking up until his neck hurt. Because after a short moment one of the walls in front of Kelan moved, opening up like an ordinary door, though he could have sworn there had been no sign of a mechanism a moment before. Gathering all his courage Kelan stepped inside, but he couldn't see what was there without lights. He didn't even try to suspect what was waiting for him, Kelan would be wrong anyway.

"I am here", said Kelan unsure what he should do here. Suddenly the door shut behind him making Kelan almost jump out of his fur and just like that he stood in darkness. "OK this is quite scary..." Kelan muttered under his breath. Then he spoke up, looking around for some kind of controls. "Are there any lights?" Just as he said that, high up lights began to glow. Kelan looked up while they cast a pure white light down. Surprised Kelan discovered that the whole Tower seemed be hollow and countless of floors above were floodlights that illuminated him on the first floor. Clearly the Tower's architect didn't have normal furs in mind as he had designed the Tower. No stairs, no elevator, meant there was simply no way to get up. Actually the whole building looked empty, at least there was no kind of technology visible.

"So, what do I do now?" Kelan asked the walls, even looking up and down, but no one answered. It didn't look like here was something wrong that he should fix, being an engineer and all. There was no computer and no sign of Salvation either. Curious Kelan walked into the heart of the Tower. It wasn't like he had anything else to do. Staring up into the light Kelan saw that something was moving there. Unfortunately it was insanely high and too far away to make out. A little confused, Kelan shrugged. The Tower was quite impressive, but so far this trip was a disappointment.

"You have returned, Agent." Kelan turned around as he heard the voice. Out of a wall stepped an exceptional figure. It looked like it was entirely made out of mercury, as it had a somewhat metallic appearance, yet it flowed from the wall like liquid. Also this thing had exactly the same color as the Tower. The bright light from above was reflected in the thing giving it a strange aura of radiance. Apart from all this it looked roughly anthropomorphic, Kelan couldn't see any real details though.

"Are you Salvation?" Finally he managed to speak to this creature after staring at it for quite some time. The thing inclined its head, the gesture that would have appeared curious on most, seemed very unreal and alien now.

"That I am. Salvation, the guardian artificial intelligence of this city. Now I stand before you as you stand within me." Kelan looked at it confused. So this really was Salvation and it did exist. Talking to it would surely be interesting to say the least, though he wasn't sure that he understood everything. It was to be expected that an AI had a different concept of communication.

"Wait a minute, did you say I stand within you? I am inside the Tower! Is that what you meant?"

"I am the Tower, Agent." That couldn't really be possible. Or could it?

"Are you trying to tell me that the whole Tower is a single computer?" With enough know-how and the right parts a huge computer was possible, but this was way past grand! 'If that is true how much energy does this place need?' Simple looking at Salvation made clear that this technology was more advanced than anything Kelan had ever known. 'So much for doing repairs here.'

"Yes, the entire building is my core. Every part of the city is linked to this place and I watch everything that happens on the inside, but also on the outside."

"Why just watch? Isn't your purpose to maintain the whole city and help its citizens?" Only now did Kelan realize that he stood in front of a strange entity that some considered to be a god. Here he was bothering this being with endless questions. "If you don't mind my asking that is..."

"All your questions will be answered, Agent. But to understand you have to know more about me." Salvation nodded before it started to move. Circling Kelan with small steps, not getting one inch closer to him Salvation began to report.

"Countless years ago I was created with a simple task. I was to protect, to serve and most importantly I was to save the citizens from any kind of danger. I believe my creators didn't quite realize how self-conscious I really was. But just as I wanted them to I governed this sanctuary that is a city." As Salvation moved around Kelan he saw images on the wall. He saw the city being built. Another image showed the AI in all of his metallic glory conversing with several furs. "In the beginning I followed my purpose right to the letter of its phrasing and tried to protect the citizens as best as was possible. This however didn't take all of my consciousness, to put it in understandable terms: I grew bored." Kelan winced inwardly. Such a thing could never be good. An artificial intelligence with full control over the city trying to kill some time.

'Maybe we are lucky to be alive', thought Kelan he had many questions but he didn't want to disrupt the story.

"I began to discover many things, I studied and engaged in metaphysical matters. With each day I became more self-aware, until finally I started to question my purpose. How could I fulfill my task, it seemed impossible, even more so that all physical things are prone to decay and the citizens tried very hard to be a danger to each other. Finally I decided that this wasn't really Salvation, it wasn't what I was created for. So, I isolated myself and started to watch." This was all very confusing. Kelan understood as much that Salvation was vastly intelligent, yet it couldn't understand the nature of furs, maybe even of life. At least the pictures of death, crime and injustice around Kelan made him figure as much.

"Why watch? It was not like our nature would simply change with time!" Kelan simply had to interject.

"No, I didn't wait for change, Agent. I tried to understand. More importantly I tried to find a way to save everyone, for that is my purpose." Not one moment did Salvation stop in its movement, it seemed very strange. "The city was never built to withstand eternity, so I knew that one day either the outside or the nature of the citizen's would cause the end." For a moment Salvation was silent, as if lost in thoughts. The sudden silence made it appear somehow almost alive. "My solution was that Salvation can come in many ways. It was possible that the citizens had to be protected from themselves, to be spared from greater harm and saved from a more painful death." Kelan's breath caught.

'Is Salvation trying to say that it wanted to kill everyone?' As if it had heard Kelan's thoughts Salvation nodded.

"However I needed to decide whether the city is worth saving, or if it deserved a merciful end. That is why I made you, Agent." Made Kelan? What did it mean? Suddenly Kelan again had the feeling he should remember something important, that always eluded his grasp. He wanted to ask Salvation why he needed him, though as he spoke another question came out first.

"Why are you calling me 'Agent' all the time?" Salvation halted its movement, staring at Kelan without eyes.

"Because you are a part of me", it answered while pointing at one of the pictures. Kelan saw the video feed from last night again. But this time the end wasn't missing. The fire spread from the machinery, consuming everything in its wake, regardless whether it was alive or not. Eventually it reached Kelan, burning his clothes and fur. He screamed as his flesh began to melt and as his bones cracked. Running, then falling and crawling until Kelan didn't move at all. "I recreated the body of the citizen Kelan and imbued it with a small part of my consciousness. The product of this was you. An autonomous part of myself, an Agent."

"I was not created by you! That video must be a fake. My name is Kelan, I had a daughter and a job." This couldn't be right. Kelan was alive, he clearly remembered everything except the accident that supposedly killed him.

"You are just as artificial as I am." He didn't know what to say, so Kelan simply waited for Salvation to continue.

"It was your task to go into the city and find out which kind of Salvation it should get. I have seen what happened, but I am still far from understanding... You have to decide what has to happen. The citizens deserve to be saved, but salvation has to be earned." It was the last thing Salvation said before it turned into liquid flowing in a circle around Kelan. Then it solidified, building some kind of control panel.

Kelan stood there incapable to act or even think. All of this made no sense, could he really be nothing more than an advanced machine, or some kind of clone, brought to life by a thing that didn't understand living things. No, this simply couldn't be. For a long moment Kelan just stood there unsure about himself. Then finally he saw an isolated red button. At that moment Kelan remembered what he couldn't know. Pushing this button would overload the Tower itself, destroying not only every piece of technology in the city but also smashing the Tower and therefore the sky. Everyone in the city would die, either by overloading devices or by the toxic atmosphere.

'I remember this... Does this mean Salvation was right? I am artificial.' This realization was not as shocking as Kelan had expected. He knew now it wasn't really important who he was, with his daughter dead there was no one he could go back to either way. No, the only thing that remained was the decision Salvation wanted him to make.

Standing in front of the button he thought hard what he should do. One way was to keep going, to let everyone live and watch as they killed at each other. Seeing how the city slowly rotted away. The other option was to kill everyone and call this an act of mercy, if one believed Salvation. Of course there were TC and the Insurgents, who simply wanted the other one gone, but these options seemed pale in comparison.

'What should I do?' asked Kelan himself. He didn't want to kill everyone, such an act could never be called salvation despite what the AI had said. So, Kelan would let them live. Keep everything as it is, so everyone would be happy. Then he remembered what had been the worst day in his life.

Living in poverty in almost unreal conditions, with an apartment so small he had only room for a bed and synthetic food that tasted terrible. Horrific working conditions of being employed by Tower Control. Kelan remembered how fast Enderra had kicked him out, the Insurgents that hurt and abducted him. Both sides had tried to blackmail him, his ex-wife hated him... Most importantly Kelan remembered one thing.

"They've killed my daughter! Everyone will get what they deserve." With that he pressed the button that would kill millions. "Salvation has to be earned!"

THE END?