Forward

A complex of flats comes into view. Structurally only just holding together from the mixture of out of date building materials with remnant scaffolding littering the overall frame of the apartments. Sticking out like a sore thumb in comparison to the immense sky high pristine white buildings littering the city gleaning with the essence of money.

One of the provided military flats pales in comparison to the others having more amenities and equipment but disparaged nonetheless. The door creaks open and a trail of thick smoke follows. A young man steps into the apartment and a cigarette adorned his lips. Exhaling as he looks back.

"Raven. I'm going now." His eyes cast a sincere and affirming gaze, the forming future bringing anxiety and chaos with it but even still he chooses to continue to face it.

"Wish me luck". A frail sprouting of optimism finds its way into a smile for him as he tries to pick up his gloomy expression. 

The young man looks to his sister now, fierce determination surging forward the support she's given him wont go in vain. His fingers instinctively start to curl into a fist a subconscious expression of resolve.

"Please be safe Blake, you know I worry, life has been hard on you. But you shouldn't run yourself into the ground trying to prove everyone wrong." Raven's melancholy becomes thicker as it leaks into her voice at the memories of the tortuous past they have had to go through.

"I have to give this my all sis, so afterward I can live without regret!" Blakes exclaims as his eyes look towards the horizon of his desired future encapsulated in his mind, while tightening the bandage where his left arm would be. A gnarled stump is seen instead, the severing clearly not being clean in the slightest.

"I won't push too hard". Blake gives her a comforting smile through his white lie, while pulling a cigarette from his dad's old cigarette holder, the familiar silver star in the middle meets his eye as his thumb brushes against it reminiscing.

"Fondness is the last thing I have for dads old smoking habit. Especially now you're picking it up". Raven's disappointment fills her expression as she lets out an irritated sigh.

"Raven I have told you before, i'm well aware it isn't healthy at all but it's what I have to get me through. It's no excuse but it's my way of handling." Blake says trying to explain his reasoning before his sister can chew him out further.

"When I smoke I can cope with this cruel world easier than without and it almost feels as though dad is with me sharing in my smoke, it's comforting". He says with a bitter melancholy.

"Fine I won't push this any further but please be safe". She says before becoming an unneeded thorn in his side before his big event.

Blake slings his messenger bag over his shoulder the galaxy design giving off an old sense of nostalgia stirring a longing for something so impossibly far away.

He hugs his sister warmly embracing her fully as he pats the back of head. A comforting smile forms on Blake, with that all Raven can do is send her brother off. 

"Please be safe Blake, please." Ravens thoughts scream out in worry and guilt.

Taking his leave, Blake puts on his old black boots clearly showing signs of wear and tear on the tread and the stitching. Looking back at his run down government given house and ironic display of luxury housing parallels it. The differences are night and day to those deemed useful, looking at the complete disparity his sombre green eyes continue to gaze at the inequality dragging his cigarette as his mind screams out that this will change.

Checking the time on the translucent screen of his phone, a slight projection is emitted into his view alerting him he's behind schedule to the finals, a desperate sprint enters his mind seeing the dwindling time.

Biting down on his cigarette not to lose it. He attaches some black metal glowing attachments as he fixes them onto his boots.

Having an interest in technology since his youth; this is one of his oldest creations. Having had multiple iterations in design before the incident. Within the year 2400 there's a vast amount of knowledge and technology available at people's fingertips.

His father being in a different position, allowed even more knowledge and information to be accessible to him then most. Allowing him to become renowned on the planet for his works that have managed to contribute to humanities overall knowledge. The Asteria name has since been rooted in a lot of the budding technology. However now though its barely known, slowly dying out in the field.

Blake's father would often spend time with his son showing him a vast array of knowledge that most would consider a blessing to experience at such a young age. After a while of this his father asked him.

"What item do you want to make, whatever you decide I'll help you make it, son"!? This was the gateway for Blake's love of technology. After much deliberation Blake finally came to a conclusion on what he wanted to make. Settling for an interesting form of transport.

Electromagnetic hover attachments that would attach to the soles of most shoes, his dad had helped to adapt his son's creation to work off solar energy and electricity for the safest and efficient form of energy on his feet.

His dad forked out a decent bit of credits for the materials of his son's first item. Giving him a massive battery at the time, though they only held a charge of up to 15 minutes on its lowest setting and 5 minutes at its maximum output.

The batteries had to be small as they wanted a compact form factor of the item. Throughout the years Blake would end up using his creation a lot going through many iterations. Becoming highly reinforced now to withstand the impact of Blakes landings atrocious landings.

The attachments cling on gripping to the soles of his shoes. With a kick of his heels he begins to hover a couple inches off the ground, giving off a silent humm in the air and a bright silver emanating from the bottom of his feet.

Exhaling smoke, he taps his toes on the ground beginning to hover with more precision and power then before A chime from his attachments alerts him of high power consumption finishing his drag, he skates forward gaining speed rapidly.

"Just like the good old days huh dad". Blake says to himself killing off the rest of his cigarette, memories of his dad teaching him how to use his creation flood through.

The memory still being cringworthy to him. Him and his dad naming his first invention saying the first thing that came to mind when the two were brainstorming, mainly inspired by their use.

"I've got it KeepUps"! Blake yells out.

"That's brilliant my son, straight to the point as it should be for any inventor." His Dad begins to laugh.

His father engraves the name into the attachments. Ever since his dads passing Blake has been straightforward in their name showing no embarrassment to honour his dad's memory and faith in his ability.

It's whilst reminiscing in this memory he nearly manages to merge his skull with a tall metal pole as usual his habit of daydreaming while surfing the roads acts up nearly taking him out of the picture.

Having been used to this old habit of his, Blake manages to sidestep the crippling pole pushing off the side of his right foot's arc. Thanking his dad again for making him practise with his inventions.

Starting to pick up the pace managing to go through sidesections and allies traversing the city with ease avoiding getting hit by hover cars and bikes in the process. A partial silver blur follows behind him, having nearly been hit multiple times at this point. The pristine picturesque skyscrapers dominate his view of the cloudy sky above him.

Arriving at one of his last vestiges of hope, the military school. The battery in his Keepups gives out an alert and sends him careening forward from the momentum crashing into the entrance of the military school.

"They really want to send their message, the whole parking lot using Regencrete. I don't even want to think of the bill". Blake says his eyes pulled to the dull grey and shining white.

The grandiose skyscraper, almost piercing the heavens fills his view now. Floor after floor of glass and titanium make up the building. Multiple exams running at a time on each floor. Not a dime spared on the materials to make this building immaculate. Regaining his balance. He looks up at it and his resolve is reaffirmed. 

"I will prove them wrong." Blake says through flashes of his highschool memories, the helplessness and vulnerability being a tormenting memory for him as he struggled to deal with the constant abuse with no power to retaliate.

Everyone would always tend to look down on him for his grim situation. Clearly showing the mindset. It's a dog eat dog world. However, today is the day he proves to himself that he is more than that more then a runt meant to lie over and die.

Ascending the worn down stairs showing clear signs of the traffic towards the entrance of the exam building its sheer size gives Blake vertigo viewing its entirety. As he ascends the steps immediately he's spun round in a circle by a flash of orange. 

"Oh sorry about that my name's Kiara I'm 18 and I'm mainly known for my iconic orange." Kiara says in an artillery of words. 

"I tend to move really fast. It's not entirely in my control so I go a million miles a minute normally." She exclaims before letting out a bit of an exaggerated breathe for air. Her bright hazel eyes meet his as she extends a hand to Blake now she pulls him up from the floor.

"It takes me a moment to slow down, especially when I'm nervous, especially with this exam." She says in a flurry of speech, shaking like a fizzing soda ready to burst.

"Noted", Blake begins detaching his KeepUps clearing showing his disinterest in this person clearly being apprehensive with new people worried if the pattern of abuse will continue, a shielding of sorts. Storing the Keepups in their respective pouch aptly sewn with a star on it.

"I'm guessing you're late as well by your excessive speed and overall nervousness?" Blake looks at the jittering mess or orange before him.

"Thankfully I've just completed mine, my parents made sure I passed swiftly". A nervous chuckle escapes her as thinking about the preparation she had to take for the exam.

"Lucky you". Envy fills his voice as jealousy starts to form the thought of anyone lending a helping hand to him would have been a godsend even now.

"Did you make those yourself, are you a legendary mechanic or something"? Kiara blurts out as she glances over at Blake, storing away his KeepUps. Her hazel eyes light up with curiosity. 

"Do you build everything by yourself? She says in awe as curiosity beams out of her eyes.

"If you do, I don't know how you do it with one arm". She giggles before realising her lack of filter regretting the comment.

"Sorry, sorry my bad i got carried away and forgot boundaries again.." Kiara explains with over exaggerated hand gestures as she blurs her sentences by how fast she's going. Blake pinches the bridge of his nose from the overload of information. 

"It's fine, yes I do make my own equipment and yes it is a wonder i can still do it with one arm. No I wouldn't say I'm a legendary mechanic more of my own thing which I'm still figuring out. Before you ask, yes this item helped me not be late today". Blake sighs as he explains every detail he can think of to slow Kiaras roll.

 "I've always had a fascination for inventors, they can design things to imitate what powers can do." Kiara says in awe as her eyes stare at Blake in pure wonder.

"There's not many that go into that profession anymore, everyone just focuses on their powers. I have not had much exposure to them at all. Wanna be friends?" Kiara asks matter of factly letting curiosity get the better of her. An innocent wonder pours out of her warm expression.

"Why would you want to hang out with someone like me with no power? He says as confusion surges throughout his mind, the irregularity of this makes no sense to him.

"Unlike you, I don't have any powers. My genes were already examined and I'm told that I have nothing to awaken. Just your average joe i guess." Blake says bitterly his grim reality makes itself ever present.

"Can you really be fine with a friend like that?" He asks, hesitating at the prospect of an actual friend. Worry and fear of another friendship going bad or fake protrude his mind.

"It's perfectly fine with me, you're the first person in a while to actually want to keep talking with me for more than five minutes without getting fed up with me". She says pressing her fingers together before rubbing the back of her head as another flurry of words escape her forming an explanation. Her speedy sense of humour makes it hard for Blake to keep up or react.

"You seem like a good person as well so I'm going to trust my gut and go with my own views on you, Okay?" Kiara smiles, the innocent naivety of the world is seen clearly on her as she extends a hand to Blake. Hearing no response from Blake she takes that as a yes, forcing a handshake of sorts a chime is heard as Kiara's watch shares the data across to Blakes devices.

"Alright then we'll hang out sometime soon. Here's my number to get a hold of me. I wish you luck in the upcoming exam!" She yells out before disappearing in an orange blur of speed. Blake, still confused over his new found friendship yells out to Kiara. 

"You too!"Blake roars out, the loneliness and solitude he's experienced for so long starts to melt away a little like sun hitting ice thanks to her.

*RING RING RING, THE FINALS SHALL BEGIN IN 5 MINUTES*. A loud robotic voice chimes out throughout the exam site letting its monotone voice be heard by everyone in the facility.

Still getting over the shock of this encounter he finally begins to ascend the stairs, preparing to move forward in his life even with all the cards that have been dealt to him and against him.