The Red Revolution: The Explorer Book 4: The Explorer, #4

By Kesten E. Harris

The fourth and Final Explorer book is finally here. Come find out how Wander Locke's journey ends. The Red Revolution is a Young Adult Sci-Fi novel that chronicles the final month of a 400-year-old galactic war.

Wander Locke doesn't care how the AI War ends, he just wants to wake up in a galaxy that isn't being torn apart. He's so desperate that he's even enlisted help from the aliens that he hates so much: the Aggressive Intellectuals (AI).

After an attack leaves Wander's army without a base, they're stuck onboard the ship that practically started the war in the first place: the Mainframe. That's where they receive news that could help them end the war in a single day. 

Wander and his friends speed toward their final battle but are they ready for everything that comes before? Especially if the final confrontation takes place in the single most controversial location in the First Division: Red City? 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kesten E. Harris
• Release date: Jun 20, 2019
• ISBN: 9781732409835

Book preview

1

Chore List

FOUR MONTHS. THAT’S how long I’d been involved in the war. It had all started when President Frost had sent me after her lost shield generator. Then I’d teamed up with the people who’d stolen it. Reality had pretty much imploded after that. Frost had turned out to be both evil and the murderer of my parents. Now I was allied with the Aggressive Intellectuals (AI), who had been at war with humans for centuries. It made me sound like a traitor, and maybe I was. But Frost needed to go down. I was Wander Locke, and I wasn’t about to let my involvement in the war stretch into five months.

How many times do I have to ask for that energy cartridge?

I blinked and looked down at my hand. I was still holding the glowing red container that I’d picked up before launching into my mental monologue. I did a lot of those nowadays. It was what happened when your mind was all over the place.

I handed the cartridge over to the silver-haired girl in the wheelchair: Nessa. She was my girlfriend, and I never got tired of announcing that. She took the container with her metal-coated arm, inspected it, and shoved it into a rifle.

We were in a room with light blue walls: one of the forge’s project rooms. All sorts of weird little models were floating around the virtuaboard in the back. Thanks to our new partners, the AI, we had a lot of new ideas we wanted to put into action.

I was just making sure you understood how dangerous that cartridge was, I said. It came straight from Epsilon. You can’t be too careful with it.

Nessa sighed as she set the rifle down on a suspension table. We’ve been messing with their tech for weeks. If I hadn’t been careful since the first week, I’d be dead by now. Anyway, don’t lie to me. What were you thinking about?

"What aren’t I thinking about? I’ve got so much on my plate that I won’t need seconds. I should just live in this room, where my responsibilities can’t reach me."

I was a mechanic, a teenager, the former Epsilon Explorer, and the current Alpha. In addition to all of that, I was now the unofficial ambassador for either humans, AI, or both. That allowed me to skip a few ranks to become one of the three alliance leaders. I was no stranger to leadership, but I’d never had this much pressure on me before.

You know I can help, right? Nessa asked. My legs are ready now. It’s about time I started using them.

Technically, her legs were ready, but I was still iffy about letting her use them. When we had fought her father, Alhabor, he’d beaten her by sucking the power out of her legs. From then on, I preferred keeping her in her wheelchair, where she was safe.

The only problem was that it made me feel like a hypocrite on account of my bionic blue-and-black right arm. I’d gotten it from Frost. But, after last month, Nessa, Opifex, and I had done some work that had turned it into something completely different. I didn’t need the cannon her engineers had given it, so, after we removed it, the limb became small enough to fit on my arm rather than my suit. I liked it better this way. It felt more like an actual arm and less like a replacement.

I shook my head. "Nope. I’m the Alpha, not you. No need to worry about my chore list."

She raised an eyebrow. Are you sure you don’t want an official title? Having all those duties just because you’re the ‘Alpha’ doesn’t sound right.

"My last official title was ‘Epsilon Explorer.’ After the woman who gave it to me turned psycho and stole my hometown’s population, I grew to hate it just a little. After that, I don’t mind just being called ‘Wander’ or ‘Alpha.’ Anyway, I’d better go check in on the sharpshooters. If I don’t leave now, I won’t have enough time to make sure everything’s going fine at the Punch Factory. And then—"

I get it already. Come here. Nessa tugged on my arm, signaling that I needed to crouch down. I did so, and smiled as she pecked my cheek. Her lip gloss stained it as usual, but I wasn’t about to complain. I’ll see you at dinner. Remember to tell Anderson that he’s a waste of space.

You’d think she would have realized that I wasn’t going to say that by now. I walked out of the project room and into the rest of the forge. Suspension tables, machinery, and weapon parts decorated the metal-scented room. The room was usually dark, but thanks to all the glowing ammo cartridges, it was bright enough. This had been the space where people had come to invent things for fun or for the good of the base. Now it was more of a weapons factory.

Standing in front of two teenagers was a tan man with a bushy beard. He was as big as both of them combined. That was Opifex, the guy who’d taught me everything I knew about technology. I’d greeted him when I’d come in earlier. I would have said bye, but he seemed busy explaining something to the kids. Thank goodness he was up and about. His life had changed for the worse when a man named Alhabor had killed his mom a month previously. He wasn’t too down about it...anymore. That was partly because of his new job in the forge.

Opifex’s life wasn’t the only one that had changed a month before. President Frost had changed the whole galaxy when she’d captured the innocent citizens of New Selene. After that, she had shoved them into robots she called the White Dwarfs. Those robots had brainwashed them and used them to control a subspecies of Dwarfs known as the Black Dwarfs. That was what we were up against: a woman we had trusted to run our division and her army of brainwashed citizens.

An army like that was too much for us, so we had to partner up with the most dangerous aliens in the galaxy: the Aggressive Intellectuals or AI. I hated admitting that we needed their help. Luckily, our alliance didn’t include friendship. I hadn’t seen the AI more than once or twice over the previous month. I’d been too busy with my new Oppressed duties. That was the excuse I’d given Beth when she’d asked (demanded) that I be more present.

The cool air of the dying day hit me when I stepped outside. Evening was quickly solidifying as my favorite time of day. It meant my duties were coming to an end and food would be coming to my stomach soon.

I approached the cruiser, which matched my new blue, black, and white space suit. I’d objected to getting a new cruiser due to how quickly I lost those things, but Nessa hadn’t taken no for an answer. I loved it, but I’d have to neglect it for a second to attend to my duties.

I willed my suit’s helmet to form. Metal parts shot out of my collar and fit together to form a helmet. Energy trickled from its corners, forming a visor.

It was my job to check on the facilities every morning, but I also had to do it a second time before dinner. Driving around the base twice a day was a great way to drain my cruiser’s energy, so I did something a little different for the second inspection. Thanks to the work the AI had done when they’d created our new suits, I had other means of seeing what my friends were up to.

I willed my suit to connect with that of my best friend, Laura Genki. She had to accept the connection before things went further. It was like I was calling her and waiting for her to pick up. She was pretty good at that.

A click filled my ears as she accepted the connection. My visor flickered.

Bursts of gunfire hummed in my ears as my surroundings shifted. I mentally lowered the volume and kicked myself for having forgotten to do so...again. My new surroundings consisted of teenagers all lined up and aiming at a wall. Hanging on that wall was a series of glowing targets. Those things were designed to tank plasma bullets and glow where they were shot. It was like throwing darts at a...dartboard. Most importantly, I hated those things because Nessa and I had to routinely send people to do maintenance on them.

All of the teenagers’ rifles were twice their size. Seeing kids with guns that we’d given them made me feel weird, so I decided not to focus on that. They fired their rifles, shooting beams of plasma into the targets. Each one dinged as the part that had been shot lit up.

How was I seeing any of this? Just a neat little feature that allowed me to see through the visor of someone whose suit had the same technology as mine. We referred to it as AR comms. I was seeing things from Laura’s perspective at that moment. Whenever I was on speaker, I could even talk to anyone else in the room.

The room in question was the ear-splitting Shooting Gallery. Laura had poor aim as a result of her nearsightedness, so she wasn’t here—or rather, there—out of passion. The only reason why she helped out was because of who ran the place.

Good job guys...actually, I’m lying, and that wasn’t much better than last time. Kaela Fire marched into the center of the room, drawing the attention of all her sharpshooter students. According to the computer, not a single one of you hit the center that time. Know what’s going to happen if you don’t hit the Dwarfs’ weak spots the first time? Either you’ll be kidnapped or you’ll be blown to bits, and the choice won’t be up to you. Laura, what’s up with your visor?

Laura groaned, and it sounded like she was inside my ears. "It’s just Wander checking in again. All the kids are still free of bullet holes, Mr. Alpha. Not much else to report."

All eyes fell on me. When I’d been the Epsilon Explorer, I’d hated attention. This was different because it felt more like respect. Everyone here knew who I was and what I’d done. It felt earned.

Kaela Fire smiled at me, or Laura; that one was hard to tell. Kaela was a girl with long black hair. A single blue streak ran through it. She had recently re-dyed it, so it was bluer than the ocean. Moreover, she was chubby from years of stuffing her face whenever she felt sad. It wasn’t a funny or interesting fact; rather, it was a bad habit that concerned me. I’d been there myself, so now I hoped more than ever that she’d stopped.

Sorry to say that the pressure’s on now, guys, Kaela announced to the room. You can’t embarrass me in front of my good buddy here. I guess he’s also my boss now, but I don’t dwell on that part.

One of the recruits groaned. "Then can I please use my shotgun? That’s the weapon I’ll actually be using against the Dwarfs. Not everyone needs eagle eyes to survive. All Wander has to do is make sure his lightning hits, and she—"

Pointing is rude, just like whatever you were about to say, Cory. Laura walked up to the recruit and stood in front of him. Now my view consisted of the wall and the glowing target. Reset the targets, Kaela. I need to remind these punks how it’s done.

Laura was my best friend in the galaxy. She was more of a sister to me than my own sister: the one back on Epsilon who visited us like once a week. Laura had fiery red hair that she’d recently re-dyed when Kaela had done hers. She was a Hybrid like me. Her power was...well, it seemed like she was about to show it off.

Kaela walked over to a monitor on the wall. This is the third time this week. I think they get it by now.

I’ll stop when they stop complaining. You all think complaining is gonna stop the Dwarfs? I’m nearsighted, but I still try to improve my aim. It’s just a little harder. Watch.

The glowing target reset, which made it look brand new. The red center was what all the recruits had been aiming for. If only any of them could hit it. Could Laura hit it? That would make her more accurate than people with actual guns. It didn’t seem likely, but it wouldn’t be the most unbelievable thing she’d done.

Laura raised a single finger. Fire burst into existence over her finger, forming a tiny ball of heat. She had pyrokinesis or the ability to control fire with her mind. It was a power that had seriously freaked me out the previous month, but then it had saved my life. She had that power because she was the Gamma Hybrid, but she didn’t like being called that. It gave her flashbacks to the time she’d spent with Beth.

Laura pointed her finger at the target and drew back her other hand. She looked like an archer preparing an invisible bow and arrow. I held my breath, and I’m sure everyone else did too. She released the arrow, sending the fire soaring toward the target. I would have called it a beam, but it was too unruly. Flames flew off the stream as it went by. Everyone ducked to avoid the excess jets.

The fire barreled into the target and dissipated against it. It was too bright to see where it had made contact. Kaela’s computer would tell us. Laura turned to her as text and pictures popped up on the monitor. Kaela’s eyes roamed the results.

"Ouch. You hit the ring that’s just before the center. You almost got it. Kaela frowned. A silver medal’s better than no medal. Want to try again? I could make the target bigger if you want."

It’s not that big of a deal, K. Laura patted Kaela’s shoulder, putting a smile on her face. Last week I barely hit the third ring. This is progress. Remember how pathetic you were when you’d just awakened your powers, Wander?

I scoffed. When you phrase it like that, I don’t even want to answer the question. So guns and targets are functioning properly? Let me know if I need to send any more maintenance guys before—

For the thousandth time, everything’s fine, Kaela said. You should take a break, Base Inspector. When was the last time you went on a mission? Dylan should be getting back from his soon.

I groaned. Right. Because I’m dying to see him again. Do you know how often he bombs my phone with Hybrid questions? I’m so tired of him complaining about the fatigue. I didn’t make the rules on this stuff.

Just give him a hot minute to get used to them. Laura made a tiny fireball and passed it between her hands. Was that meant to be a pun? When I first got my powers, I blew my suit up. Turned out space suits weren’t fireproof from the inside.

Then maybe there’s hope for him after all. As for missions, well they kind of depend on Surge. Thus ends my super official inspection. You all passed, and I must be on my way. See you at dinner.

A click filled my ears as the connection ended, and my true surroundings returned. My cruiser was begging me to hop inside and take off already. Too bad it’d have to wait just a little longer. I needed to check in on the Punch Factory first.

The Punch Factory was where everyone went to train and spar in close combat. Surge had established it back when his only recruits had been kids, hence the awful, simple name. What good would martial arts do against robots? Not much, but it was better than knowing nothing. Every little bit helped in war. Besides, Nessa and I had some upgrades in mind that would make punching a robot a more pleasant experience.

I willed my helmet to connect with Anderson Oak’s next. Like my history with Laura, mine with him went way back. We had gone from friends to enemies and were now back to friends. In fact, he was the closest guy friend I had who was actually of the same age as me. He had feathered black hair, a flat nose with a scar running over it, and a chipped tooth. His space suit was red and white. He’d had a space-themed suit he had gotten from the leader of the Constellations, but that guy had been an asshole. So Anderson had gotten rid of it.

The connection was established, and my surroundings transformed into...a tan ceiling? A groan burst into my ears, indicating that Anderson wasn’t lying on the floor for fun. I must have been witnessing the results of his latest sparring match.

Bad time? I asked him, barely concealing the smirk in my voice.

What the hell do you think, Locke? Anderson continued to groan as he pushed himself up. Get your inspection over with. It’s like I’m talking to myself during these calls. I don’t need to feel any dumber than I usually do.

The Punch Factory’s tan walls matched its ceiling. A red circle surrounded Anderson. Its role was to indicate that those within it were sparring. Numerous other occupied circles filled the room. Watching all the sweaty people spar reminded me why I preferred to make these calls: I didn’t have to smell the place.

Don’t call yourself dumb, little Oak. No need to give your enemies ammunition. A hot pink arm lowered itself into Anderson’s field of vision. He looked up at the scarred face of Rebecca Stein, the Rho Hybrid. That scar had taken her left eye, but I had never heard her complain about it. Her blonde hair was tied back into a ponytail. And her superhuman strength was obvious thanks to her bulging muscles. She could toss cruisers like bags of chips. Best two out of three?

Rebecca’s accent was harsh and quick. It came straight from the Sixteenth Division. Surge had told me that it had previously been called Germany? Weird name, but at least it had personality.

Anderson coughed as he grasped her hand and pulled himself up. Best three out of five, old lady. It’s not like the Dwarfs are going to go any easier on me.

Rebecca chuckled. There’s the attitude I was looking for. Hello, in there, Wander. Here to inspect us as usual?

He’s late, Anderson said. Made me think he wasn’t coming.

Someone’s got to keep an eye on you. I’m afraid you’ll go back to trying to kill me if I don’t. I was grinning to myself and assumed that he was doing the same. Rebecca, does he seem ready?

Rebecca crossed her arms. Not quite my place to say. His training is going well, but I’m not confident that he can last more than a minute against those monsters.

What? I’ve done it before! Anderson mimicked Rebecca’s crossed arms. I already told you about my fight with my bro’s White Dwarf.

Yes, and Wander told me that you only survived because your brother refused to hurt you. Impressive of him to resist Frost’s brainwashing, but not very impressive of you to win that fight.

Anderson’s face went red as he looked at the floor. Helping me defeat Ben’s White Dwarf had been Anderson’s shining moment. That was when I’d known that I’d made the right choice in recruiting him. He probably saw it as his only achievement, but I knew it was just the beginning. That was why Nessa and I had upgrades planned for his suit. It was also why I wanted him to spar with Rebecca, of all people.

I don’t know if what I did was impressive, but I appreciate the compliment, said a confident new voice from behind me.

Anderson’s head turned so quickly that it made me dizzy as he stared past me. My eyes widened as I watched Benjamin Oak stumble into the building. His chocolate-brown hair matched mine. His voice held ten times the confidence, though. He was clothed in a white hospital-style gown from head to toe. Ben was Anderson’s older brother and favorite person in the galaxy. He’d been recovering in the hospital ever since we’d rescued him from his White Dwarf prison. That’s why it was so shocking to see him there. I’d barely spoken to him since he’d woken up.

Bro, what the heck are you doing here? Anderson rushed over to Ben, but, instead of hugging him, he blocked his path. You’re supposed to be in bed. How did you even get over here?

I’ve been in bed for a month, Andy. As a trained soldier, I couldn’t stomach another minute of that lifestyle. Ben patted Anderson’s head. No doubt he would have ruffled Anderson’s hair if not for his helmet. Besides, I feel fine. I was just trapped in a robot for a while. It’s not like I was stabbed or blown up. I came here because you’re always talking about the incredible Rebecca Stein. I wanted to see her for myself.

Rebecca beamed at Anderson. Spreading tales of my glory? You’re hardly the first. The honor is all mine, elder Oak. It’s an honor to meet my...replacement.

She shook his pale hand. I’d never stopped wondering if the people in the Dwarfs were allowed to eat. I got my answer as I inspected Ben’s pale and scrawny arm.

Rebecca had made the replacement comment because she had once been part of my grandfather’s AI-killing team, Humanity’s Oath. When they’d disbanded, the Constellations had been established to take over their job. Ben was a member of the Constellations. Unfortunately, they had met a similar fate to Humanity’s Oath once Frost’s schemes had unfolded.

Ben chuckled as he looked away. I’m pretty sure I was replaced too. If Frost really wanted me around, she wouldn’t have...done what she did.

Dark bags surrounded Ben’s eyes. He was right: he had no injuries to heal from. No physical ones. However, injuries could be mental too. A few of my mental ones were still healing, for instance. Luckily, he had Anderson to help with that.

Frost did a lot of stuff no one expected, Ben, I said. Don’t beat yourself up over it. All we can do now is undo her actions. Leave that to us. I don’t feel comfortable letting you back on the battlefield.

Ben eyed Anderson strangely as if he were struggling to accept that I was there too. Heh. Always nice to ‘see’ you, Wander. Don’t worry about me; fighting is what I do best. I’ve come back from way worse than this.

Anderson snickered. I think what you do best is make soup, bro. When can I get more of the Benjamin Special?

That was just spicy noodles filled with hot sauce, you turd! It was the only way I could get you to eat back then.

Anderson laughed as Ben pulled him into a headlock. So that was what it looked like to have a big brother. All I had was Beth, and I’d never put her into a headlock. Nowadays, she was more likely to do that to me.

It was cool to see the brothers being so friendly toward each other after everything they’d been through. It almost seemed like they were ignoring all the horrible events that had taken place over the previous few months. Not a horrible idea at first, but every trauma had to be faced eventually. I disconnected to avoid ruining their nice moment. If my luck was any indication, it wouldn’t last.

2

Confrontations

SINCE I’D FINISHED my daily inspections, it was time to report my findings. I would use the AR comms for that, but my cruiser was sick of waiting for me. I whipped out my phone and scrolled through various icons until I found the one that accessed the cloud: not the official First Division cloud. Frost had turned off our phone data, so I had to rely on Surge’s version. Gray light burst out of my phone’s screen, and the outline of my keys formed inside it. I was used to blinding light, so I didn’t even blink at that. I snatched my keys as their physical form solidified. Then I held them up to my cruiser’s door, which beeped in response.

I pulled the door open and hopped into the ten-seater vehicle, which smelled just like the forge. Then I shoved the key into the ignition and turned it. The humming of the cruiser’s engine was the most pleasant sound on the whole base.

I pressed my foot against the cruiser’s pedal, propelling it onto the street. The vibrant sunset lit my way as I drove by small buildings and smiling faces. Thanks to the strong community that Surge had built, everyone in the Oppressed was friendly and nice to be around. It got weird when you realized that most of them had been raised to hate and oppose Frost since childhood, but that had ended up paying off. I would never replicate Surge’s actions, but they were the reason why a resistance existed in the first place.

I drove up to a seemingly small building with two huge windows. It actually sat above an underground lab. The whole base had been used for the Frontier Project, which was behind all the technology we used nowadays. It was also the birthplace of the AI. That was my least favorite fact about the place.

I parked the cruiser, stepped out, and walked up to the front door. Muffled voices were struggling to reach me from inside. It sounded like two people were having a conversation, and I recognized both voices. I gripped the doorknob and pulled it open.

As usual, the stench of smoke attacked my nose. I needed to get Surge an air freshener or something. Standing behind the desk was Surge N. Antant himself, the leader of the Oppressed. He was technically my boss and also technically my co-leader, not to mention that I kind of ranked above him because I was the ambassador of humans and the AI. My ranking didn’t make sense, but neither did the alliance.

Standing in front of Surge’s desk was my former instructor, Theodore Manning, a black man with smoky eyes that occasionally turned gold. He was the Theta Hybrid and the smartest man I’d ever known. He had also been in my grandpa’s team alongside Rebecca. He had risked his life time and time again in an attempt to defeat the AI and protect the First Division. In the process, he’d lost most of his friends, and, to make matters worse, he was now in an alliance with the aliens he had sworn he would destroy. All because of me.

Wander, Manning said with none of the pride he usually had when he spoke my name. It hurt a little every time he did that. Good evening. How did today’s base inspection go?

Fine. I refused to meet Manning’s gaze. The disappointment in those eyes was too much to handle. Everyone’s doing their job. Same as every other day. How many people are expected to return from their missions today?

All of them. Surge picked up a tablet and inspected it. It was one of his signature items on the desk, along with a stack of paper and pictures of all the Oppressed kids. Pictures adorned the walls too. So there were hundreds of faces smiling at me from every angle. Everyone’s on their way back. They should be touching down any second now. Everyone will be in the same place for the first time in a while. Perhaps it’s time to make our move.

Manning sighed. There will never be a right time to strike. President Frost will always hold the advantage over us. The First Ship is constantly surrounded by the Asteroid Belt Formation. Even if it wasn’t, that ship is far more advanced than any of ours. It’ll be like throwing rocks at a force field that’s protecting a nuclear missile.

"The Belt goes down for maintenance between three and four hundred hours every