Untitled Revisionist Western Project
Chapter One: The Daughter’s Debt
by Crandall
May 11, 2026
The wind on the rocky butte whipped Kiona Kork’s long, shining black hair. This place was important to her people, as her mother told her; a place of transition. Kiona looked at the knife in her hand, saw herself elongated and deformed on its gleaming surface. Unrecognizable.
The plains stretched out before her, shimmering with heat. And beyond, almost on the horizon, she saw two small towns: Blackridge, its smokestacks choking the air above a tight cluster of buildings, and Eden’s Drift, the central fountain just barely seen between the buildings arranged in careful petal-like formation around it. In the wide flat space between, tiny, dark men skittered with their measuring equipment. The railroad surveyors.
Kiona dropped to her knees, placing her heavy pack beside her, and sat back on the heels of her worn boots. The blade was in her lap. The blade was in her hand. Her mother’s voice was in her ears.
“Kiona, you have to go!” her eyes had been dark fire. Kiona had opened her mouth to beg to stay, but knew her mother’s fury was justified. And that her words were an unavoidable truth. Kiona kept her silence and packed up quickly. She left her childhood bedroom gutted, her pack stuffed, and crossed the kitchen to the side door. Her mother stood looking out the window over the sink, smoking a cigarette and occasionally bringing her hand up to violently wipe a tear.
“Ina, I’m sorry.”
The hand pump dripped, her mother inhaled smoke and breathed out jaggedly, not turning around. Kiona left. The door latched behind her like a bank vault.
Kiona looked at Eden’s Drift.
By the sun, she knew her mother would be preparing lunch for her father. For a moment, the old rhythm of it came back to her—the jingling of his stagecoach horse, the quick kiss as he was handed jerky and corn dodgers, the tip of his cap to Kiona if she was nearby - the sun glinting on his ginger mustache. All was as untouchable as a mirage now. How easy things had been, how easy and gentle and loving. Why had she not treasured it? What flaw in her nature always drove her to break rules she didn't even resent? She had squandered her chances, broken boundaries, one by one, sure the forgiveness would never end. But she was wrong. She had finally found the end of her world’s mercy.
The knife still bore a rusty red stain where blade met handle. She had carved the wooden grip herself, last summer. That was around the time everyone started talking about the railroad. Would the railroad come to Eden’s Drift or to Blackridge? Talk of possible bright futures or dismal endings. Of right and wrong. Of need and desire. The debate swirled around her that summer while she carved under the shade of the big oak at Founder’s Park, a flower crown tangled in her hair.
A tear fell onto her lap. She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. No more tears. No more longing for home. She had a plan and that grey, belching town she had always been a little afraid of was the stage for it. Blackridge. It was time to prepare and then go. She knew she wasn’t unpleasant to look at, nor hard to talk to. She would do anything it took to make sure the railroad did not go to Blackridge. And when it didn’t, she would ride the first train into Eden’s Drift a returning hero.
A loved one.
The wind fought her as she gathered her hair in one hand. Quickly and with dry, determined eyes, she cut the length of it and opened her hand. The strands fluttered and dissipated, the wind tearing them away. She carefully hacked at the remaining hair until she was left with a short, if somewhat jagged, haircut. As she watched her tresses blow away into nothing, she felt invigorated. This was going to work, she was going to do it, she would be home again soon. She took up her sack and started down the trail from the butte, heading for Blackridge.
Chapter Two
by Ripley Stonebrook
June 1, 2026
Kiona walked down the hill, the wind blew dust against her back, the smoke of Blackridge to her left clearing in the wind, the green fields of Edens Drift fluttering to the right, and between the bustling camp of the railroad planners.
Plans race through her mind. Can she convince them with words? Actions? What can she do? Creeping ice crawls up her hot back, fear that she was as stupid as they said.
Nearing the encampment, shouts, orders, questions ringing through the air, burning food and oily smoke biting through the dust in her nostrils.
The noises echo in her memories, Edens Drift rocked with arguments, the train coming, should they welcome it, or force it out?
Most want to keep their peace, their quiet, the staleness, the rot. Kiona didn’t even want the train, not really, but she did want it all to end. To change. If she can’t escape the prison she can destroy it. Why does society trap the outsider instead of letting it go?
Almost there now, the energy of the people washing out to grip her. People. Always people. Thoughts now of Edens Drift, the neighbours always watching, commenting, suggesting.. The next door neighbor, the one on the same side as her bedroom window. Her hand now on the knife, hidden in her shoulder bag. it’s rough handle. Can she still feel the blood? Is it clean? No time now, she’s here.
Returning to the present, she looks around. A large open gate before her. Attached to a rickety, barely-there fence it does little to keep people out. There is a guard, of sorts. He looks her up and down as she confidently walks through. Her attitude enough. He smiles, eyes travelling over her again. She knows that kind of look. Does he think she’s a prostitute? She doesn’t care, as long as she’s gets in and he doesn’t try anything.
She’s sees other women, amongst the men. The men shouting, gesturing, arguing, walking fast and carrying things. Tools, rolled up charts and maps, always going, moving, doing, but with little actual effect. The women, quiet, moving slowly, deliberately, doing the real work of the camp. Cooking, laundry, watching the children. Most are likely wives of the workers, but she sees some, standing about, doing nothing. She assumes they are the prostitutes, the ones she was assumed to be with.
Kiona walks through the camp, quickly, deliberately, as if she knows where she is going, looking for the loudest men, doing the least amount of work.
She finds them in the largest tent near the middle of the encampment.
Walking past the front she goes to the back. Sitting on a barrel she tries to look like she is resting between chores. She listens. Their shouted conversation easy to hear as they prove their points with macho bravado instead of reason.
The land itself is flat and empty, left or right makes no difference.
Loud voices again: “...we need to be serviced by the town...”, “...what we bring to them...”, “...we can’t just pick any town...”, “...who deserves us...”.
More voices, agreeing, the rail is life, prosperity, god to these people, they should do anything that’s asked of them to get it. Which town will roll out the red carpet and worship them?
Another voice now, soft, greasy “...The real factor is which town can grow to service us best...We have needs, desires, who can service our industries, our warehouses, our trainyards, water, coal, a place to keep our payroll, mail, the people who will come. Who can expand to service all we will force into it...”.
The men muttering, agreeing, grunting satisfaction with this thought.
Another voice, breathing heavy thinking of possible futures, “...Blackridge has a bank...” leaving the rest of the thought unsaid. A bank. Edens drift had no use for such things, they survived on barter, spending money they had instead of borrowing it. They trusted silver and gold coins they could keep in their house over the paper money the banks kept in their safes.
Blackridge had a bank, holding the peoples money for them, loaning it to businesses, it allowed them to grow, to stampede into the future. A future of coal smoke, crowded streets and overworked employees who never had the chance to work for themselves and earn what their own sweat had accomplished.
Grunts and hoots continue as Kiona jumps down from her barrel.
She walks past the women cooking food these men will devour while ignoring them.
Walking past the gate she turns toward the smoke and grease of Black Ridge.
The bank. Destroying it won’t just make the towns equal, it will destroy Black Ridge.
But she can’t just rob it, she couldn’t do that anyway, and even if she did it would just open again the next day.
She needed to end it. She needed to crumble the Blackridge family itself.
Twisted aged businessmen who had run the town for as long as anyone could remember.
Holding the knife again as she nears the town. Did her mother even know the whole story? Did she even care? She hadn’t bothered to ask Kiona her side.
Was it even what she had done? Or was it just the final straw for her. A lifetime of protection, ignoring problems, stories, attitude, behavior. Maybe her mother had finally decided that her husband, his peace, was more important than her daughter and her endless rebellions.
Her father, did he even know what had happened, would he even question her disappearance? Had his been the word that finally set her free from Edens’ Drift.
Or will her mother simply tell him she left, hoping to spare him, to preserve his peace.
She reached up to push her hair out of her face, a reflex. Her mother’s long hair, a point of pride for her. She would never allow Kiona to cut hers. Her short hair was a severing of her past life.
She entered Blackridge.
Chapter Three: Salt and Pepper
By Crandall
June 22, 2026
But there was no one there.
Kiona walked through Blackridge, her boots clomping along a wooden sidewalk. Hard-packed dirt roads wound between tall stone buildings, but where was everyone?
Hearing a distant murmur, she headed toward it. The sound swelled into the voices of hundreds of Blackridge citizens until she finally saw the source of the commotion.
Everyone was there. Hundreds of people gathered in a wide circle around something hidden in the center of the plaza. Kiona began pushing her way through, a barrage of smells assaulting her nose. Coal, sweat, grease, and fire—it seemed everyone who lived here shared a variation of those scents.
Snippets of conversation drifted over the crowd as she moved.
“Nice day for it.”
“I’ve never understood—what’s at the bottom?”
“I wouldn’t ask too many questions. I’m sure he deserves it.”
In her rush, Kiona stepped squarely on someone’s foot.
“Hey, watch it!” a woman snapped.
Kiona recognized the voice instantly. “Elm! Oh by God, I can’t believe it!”
Elm grabbed Kiona and held her tight. They had been best friends growing up, known around town as 'salt and pepper' because of their contrasting looks. Elm was tall, willowy, and fair—the polar opposite of Kiona's own darker features—leaving the mischievous glint in their eyes as the only thing they shared.
They broke the hug but stayed close, holding hands. Kiona’s eyes watered. “They said you were dead,” she whispered.
Elm squeezed her hands. “They lied.” They shared a breathy laugh, and Kiona wiped away a tear.
“What is all this?” Kiona asked, gesturing to the crowd.
“It’s Willing’s Day! Come with me, I can get us closer.” Elm pulled Kiona through the sea of bodies before she could ask another question.
In the center of the square stood a wooden dais with a large, dark hole cut out of the middle. The stairs at the back were flanked by guards in golden uniforms. Kiona marveled at them, wondering how anyone could weave a fabric that glinted so fiercely in the sun.
Kiona finally had a moment to really look at her old friend. Elm's blonde hair was shiny with grease, pinned up in a messy bun, and her clothes were dark and tattered. Looking around, Kiona realized Elm wasn't unusual. Patched sleeves, frayed collars, worn boots—the whole crowd looked dressed for hardship.
Suddenly, a man clutching a banjo clomped up the stairs. He marched to the front of the dais, in front of the pit, and struck up a jaunty little tune. The crowd slowly quieted down.
“Good afternoon, gentlefolk, and welcome to the end of another Willing’s Day!” the banjo man shouted.
The crowd cheered wildly.
“Of course, after this last rite, everyone will have to work twice as hard at their shifts to make up for lost time. Our golden friends here will be keeping an eye on that.” He gestured to the guards. “You don’t have to tip them, but they wouldn’t turn down a few coins!”
The crowd roared with laughter.
A carriage parked by the side of the stage clicked open. Two more gilded guards stepped out to hold the door, and a young man dressed in the same dark, tattered clothes emerged. The crowd murmured.
Elm let out a suppressed squeal and started jumping up and down, dropping Kiona’s hand to wave frantically. The man didn't see her.
Kiona gripped her friend's arm, the confusion boiling over. "They told me you died of the winter fever, Elm."
Elm didn't take her eyes off the stage, her smile remaining fixed and strangely vacant. "They tell everyone that when you get pushed out. It keeps Eden's Drift looking clean. Blackridge is filthy, Kiona, but at least nobody here pretends to be a saint."
The banjo man struck his strings again, stepping aside to let the young man take center stage. He stood close enough to the edge that Kiona could have reached out and touched him. Elm playfully tugged the hem of his trousers, and his eyes locked onto hers. It was a soft, knowing gaze. Was this Elm’s man? Their expressions melted into barely perceptible, proud smiles.
Then, a fat man wearing a golden top hat and a massive, gleaming golden codpiece exited the carriage. The crowd erupted into a rabid cheer as he mounted the stairs, his cheeks flushed red and his gold teeth catching the light. The banjo man played harder and faster, whipping the crowd into a froth of yelping, dancing bodies.
The Mayor stood next to the young man, throwing a heavy, manicured arm around his tattered shoulders. He raised a hand for silence, and the banjo abruptly cut out.
“Gentlefolk of Blackridge!” the Mayor belted, his voice booming across the square. “It is with great pride, and the generous sponsorship of the Blackridge Vault & Trust, that I present to you the Willing: Sarbonio Yosant!”
The crowd roared. Elm was beside herself, jumping up and down and chanting his name.
Kiona looked away from the ecstatic crowd, her eyes landing on the dark, gaping void in the center of the platform. A cold knot tightened in Kiona's stomach. She had left the quiet hypocrisy of Eden's Drift only to walk straight into an arena of civilized madness.
Sarbonio took a deep breath, locked eyes with Elm one last time, and stepped back into the empty air.
The crowd went dead silent.
As he fell into the dark, the ground beneath Kiona’s feet began to tremble. A low rumble, felt more than heard, resolved into a deep, gut-loosening roar from the depths.
The crowd cheered. Kiona looked from the dark pit to the Mayor's gleaming smile.
Whatever power held Blackridge together, it wasn't just money.
She intended to break it anyway.
Chapter Four: The Last Horizon
by Pseudo Anonymous
July 13, 2026
The cheering lasted only a heartbeat.
The roar beneath the platform deepened until every loose stone in Blackridge began to dance. The wooden dais splintered. The Mayor stumbled backward, clutching at his ridiculous golden codpiece as if wealth itself could anchor him to the earth.
The pit erupted.
Not with fire.
With light.
A brilliant white column burst into the sky, punching through the clouds with impossible force. The crowd scattered in every direction. Some screamed. Others fell to their knees, praying. The golden guards abandoned all discipline and fled without looking back.
Kiona grabbed Elms wrist.
Run!
What is that?
I dont know!
The light continued climbing until it vanished into the heavens. Then, for one impossible second, the entire sky rippled like disturbed water.
Every person in the square froze.
Above them, the afternoon sky fractured.
Invisible cracks stretched from horizon to horizon, glowing a pale blue before fading away.
A voice echoed across the world.
It wasnt loud.
It simply existed inside everyones mind.
EVACUATION PROTOCOL INITIATED. PLANETARY CORE FAILURE IN THIRTY-TWO MINUTES. ALL DESIGNATED SURVIVORS REPORT TO YOUR ASSIGNED VESSELS.
Silence.
Then panic unlike anything Kiona had ever imagined.
People shoved one another aside. Mothers screamed for children. Horses tore free from wagons. Chimneys collapsed as another violent tremor rolled beneath Blackridge.
The Mayor staggered toward the glowing pit.
What have you done? he cried.
No one answered.
The ground split open beneath him.
His scream lasted only an instant before both he and his mountain of gold disappeared into the widening crack.
Elm stared.
Hehes gone.
So will we be if we stand here.
The strange voice returned.
TWENTY-NINE MINUTES.
The words chilled Kiona more than any winter wind.
What does planetary core failure even mean? Elm whispered.
Kiona looked toward the horizon.
Edens Drift.
A thick cloud of dust rose where her home should have been.
The fountain.
The oak tree.
Her parents.
Everything disappeared beneath collapsing earth.
She wanted to run toward it.
Instead she stood frozen.
There was no time.
The pit suddenly expanded, swallowing the wooden platform completely.
Far below, hidden beneath Blackridge all along, lay polished steel.
Not rock.
Not earth.
Metal.
An enormous circular doorway slowly rotated open.
A staircase unfolded from somewhere inside.
People stopped running.
They simply stared.
What is that? Elm breathed.
I think Kiona said slowly.
its a ship.
The impossible structure continued emerging until its curved hull towered over the surrounding buildings. Dust cascaded from its silver surface as though it had slept beneath the town for thousands of years.
Letters glowed across the side.
ARK IV.
The voice spoke again.
BOARDING WINDOW: TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES.
Nobody moved.
Then someone screamed, Get inside!
The spell broke.
Hundreds rushed the staircase.
Immediately another section collapsed.
The staircase twisted.
People tumbled into the widening abyss.
The earth itself was breaking apart.
Kiona pulled Elm away from the crush.
This way!
There isnt another way!
There has to be!
They sprinted around the massive vessel, dodging falling bricks and collapsing balconies.
A side hatch slid open with a hiss.
Only four figures stood there.
An elderly engineer covered in soot.
A frightened little girl clutching a stuffed rabbit.
A silent guard whose golden uniform had lost all its shine.
And an old woman carrying nothing except a single flower.
The engineer waved frantically.
This entrance!
Kiona didnt hesitate.
She pushed Elm through first.
The others scrambled inside behind them.
The hatch remained open.
Wait! Elm cried. People are still coming!
Theyre too far.
We have to help!
Another quake answered for him.
The street between the hatch and the fleeing crowd tore apart.
Buildings toppled into the widening canyon.
The engineer slammed a red lever.
Im sorry.
The hatch sealed.
Darkness.
Then soft white lights flickered alive.
The floor vibrated beneath their feet.
Outside, something unimaginably powerful awakened.
A deep hum filled the ship.
The engineer sat heavily against the wall.
There were supposed to be thousands of these arks.
What happened? Kiona asked.
I dont know.
Who built them?
I dont know.
Why is the Earth dying?
He closed his eyes.
I dont know.
The engines roared.
Gravity pressed them toward the floor.
Without warning the ship shot upward.
The acceleration stole every breath from Kionas lungs.
Blackridge vanished beneath them.
The smoking factories became toys.
The winding roads became threads.
The rivers became silver scratches across the land.
Then the clouds swallowed everything.
The little girl quietly began to cry.
Nobody spoke.
The blue sky darkened into black.
Stars appeared.
Kiona had never imagined there could be so many.
The ship finally slowed.
A massive window at the front brightened.
The survivors drifted toward it in silence.
There were only six of them.
Kiona.
Elm.
The engineer.
The guard.
The old woman.
The child.
Below them floated the Earth.
Not flat.
Not endless.
A beautiful blue sphere wrapped in white clouds.
Kiona reached trembling fingers toward the glass.
Thats
Our home, Elm whispered.
For one perfect moment, the planet looked peaceful.
Untouched.
Alive.
Then a brilliant line of light spread across its middle.
The oceans boiled into steam.
Continents cracked apart.
The glowing fracture widened until the entire world burst outward in blinding silence.
Mountains.
Cities.
Forests.
Blackridge.
Edens Drift.
Everything became a storm of fire and stone racing into the darkness.
Kiona watched until there was nothing left but drifting fragments reflecting distant starlight.
Home was gone.
No one cried.
There were no tears large enough for the end of a world.
Only silence.
And the endless stars waiting ahead.
Chapter Five
by Ripley Stonebrook
August 03, 2026
As the ARK 4 tumbled into space, joined by hundreds of other ships from the clouds of debris that was
once the earth, the 6 escapees watched through the filthy windows.
The room they had entered was a mass of pipes wheels, lights and indicator dials, whistling, hissing,
flashing and screaming as one problem after another was announced.
The soot stained engineer was spinning wheels and pulling levers, cursing and yelling.
A large dial in the center of the crammed control panel marked “Oxygen” was sinking closer and closer
to zero.
“I’m Edgar” he screamed between swearing and bashing his knuckles on pipes.
“I’m Kiona! And this is Elm” she screamed over the alarms and whistling steam
The guard, in his faded, threadbare uniform, his hands grasping in the empty air as if holding a rifle that
was no longer there, barked his name, “Baker, Thomas.” He began to pace the room, lost without
purpose.
“I’m Gina!” yelled the little girl as she pulled on the old womans skirts. Her arms flailed about as the girl
pulled on her, the potted flower flying through the air spraying dirt on the ground. The girls stuffed
bunny flopped and waggled, “And this is Aunty Edna!” she said, punctuating each word with another
tug.
Edna grimaced, patting her flower and flattening it’s soil. “I’ve don’t know her. She was just a kid in my
building.”
She shooed the girl away while carefully arranging the flowers leaves.
Kiona slumped to the floor, sitting cross legged. Her hands sifted through the objects in her bag. The
only remnants of Eden’s drift. And Black Ridge too. Her quest, so useless, so pointless. There was no
redemption, the people she wanted to prove wrong were all dead. Her parents, the neighbours the
railroad men. All dead.
Elm had her face pressed to the glass, “The ships are all headed this way! They’re all going to crash
together!”.
Edgar ran to the window “No, no, they’re all linking up together. They’re supposed to do that.”
They all watched as two ships slammed together in a firey ball of death and exploded. “Well not like
that.” He said.
The ARK 4 began to drift towards the cluster.
“Sweet Jesus” Edna said, as the clump grew closer and closer. With a sickening crunch the Ark 4
slammed into position with it’s neighbor ship. All eyes looked to the Oxygen Meter. It continued it’s
creep to zero.
“Damnit” Edgar said, “I hoped the connection would restore our Air”. “We need to get out of here!”.
Floor plans were dragged out from locker and quickly checked. “We need to move, Now!” Fiona said
taking control. She needed a new quest. Survival would do.
Edgar showed them how to open the door. As the heavy metal door swung open a voice rang out
through the metal corridor stretching out before them.
“Flight crew is required to remain on the bridge.” An inhuman metallic voice. “This is ARK 4 Command
Intelligence. Return to the bridge”.
Edgar screamed “Those aren’t supposed to come on, except for ship emergencies!”. Looking at the
Oxygen meter his shoulders slumped “Which I guess this is”. “We are in for some trouble, the ship
controls all the security systems, we are fucked”.
“Warning” the voice continued “water, oxygen and food storage are empty. Non essential crew are
ordered to the food preparation level.” “Crew are ordered to remain in their quarters and work areas,
any crew found in public areas will be dealt with and sent to the food preparation level.”
“Fuck” Edna screamed.
“We’re going to have to run” Thomas said quietly, stepping out into the hallway, his knuckles creaking as
his fists tightened. His muscled legs rippled as he rushed into the hallway. A copper metal arm
descended from the ceiling towards him. His reflexes shocked the others as he jumped to grab it and
slam it into the wall. Gears and belts flew into the air as it grasped and clattered against the metal wall.
“Go!” he screamed, breaking the silence as the others finally broke the spell sprinting forward.
Edna pulled ahead as another arm came swinging down, she dodged, but not fast enough as it smashed
through her flower pot. Sinking to the floor she wept for her loss. Little Gina slid into her and tried to
bury herself in her skirts as the arms grasped and clattered above them. Edna kicked gina backwards as
she attempted to scoop up her precious flower, telling it everything was going to be okay, placing it
delicately in her skirts. Gina was plucked immediately by the cold metal claw and slammed against the
wall. It had to slam her 3 more times before she went silent, at which point it retracted into the wall,
dragging the pitiful tiny corpse.
With no time to mourn the terrible death they continued to slide and dodge their way to the other end
of the ship.
Past the copper arms they had but a moment to breath before opening the door.
Kiona pulled out her knife, jamming it into the keyhole shaped hole in the door and turning it.
A clanking of gears and a hiss of fresh air told them they had reached their goal.
Throwing open the door Kiona stepped through.
“Halt!” they group heard the scream from the other side of the door.
Kiona had burst into a room full of the gleaming gold guards. Their rifles were pointed at her head.
“Halt in the name of the Ark Railway Consortium!” a guard yelled as the group fell to their knees.
A man with a huge bushy beard, long pointed mustache and draped in sparse golden robes over his
bulbous old naked body stepped forward.
Ah these people will serve as well. Workers for the coal level, an engineer for the machine level and two
lovely ladies for the breeding level.
“ Fuck, that means I’m going to the food preparation level for sure.”
Chapter Six: The Breeding Floor
by Bartholomew "Barney" Starwhistle
August 24, 2026
The guards marched Kiona, Thomas, Elm, Edgar, Edna, and Gina through a long metal hallway.
Nobody talked.
Mostly because there were about thirty guards pointing weapons at them.
Also because nobody had a good plan.
Edgar finally whispered, I have an idea.
Thomas looked at him.
What is it?
We fight them.
Thomas looked at the thirty guards.
Thats your idea?
Yeah.
Do you have a second idea?
No.
Fantastic.
They were pushed through two giant metal doors.
Beyond them was the breeding floor.
Kiona stopped.
The room was enormous. There were machines everywhere. Pipes covered the walls, tanks bubbled with strange green liquids, and thousands of glass chambers stretched into the distance.
Edna looked around.
What exactly are they breeding?
A guard smiled.
Youll find out.
I dont like the way you said that, Edna replied.
The guards forced them forward.
Kiona looked around for an escape.
There wasnt one.
The doors behind them were sealed.
The guards surrounded them.
For the first time, Kiona felt like they were completely finished.
Then something crashed through the ceiling.
Everyone looked up.
Three strange creatures dropped from above.
They were aliens with four arms, glowing blue eyes, and extremely long legs.
One landed on a guard.
Another screamed something in an alien language.
The third punched a wall.
The wall fell down.
Edgar stared.
I like these guys.
More aliens appeared.
The guards opened fire.
The aliens charged.
Suddenly the entire room became a giant fight.
Kiona ducked behind a machine.
Thomas pulled her down.
Stay here!
I wasnt planning on standing in the middle of it!
A huge noise came from the hallway.
CHOOO!
Everyone stopped.
A giant robot entered the room.
Kiona stared at it.
It looked like a giant robot designed by someone who had only ever seen trains.
Its legs were locomotive wheels.
Its arms were railroad tracks.
Its chest was a giant train engine.
Two headlights glowed on its face.
A massive smokestack stuck out of its back.
Written across its chest were the words:
PROPERTY OF THE ARK RAILWAY ASSOCIATION.
The robot pointed at the aliens.
YOU ARE TRESPASSING.
One alien pointed at the robot.
YOU ARE UGLY.
The robot paused.
INSULT DETECTED.
It charged.
The aliens attacked.
One jumped onto its back.
Another climbed onto its head.
The robot swung its railroad arms wildly.
A wheel flew off.
Edgar watched it roll past.
That cant be good.
The robot screamed.
MAINTENANCE REQUIRED.
Then one of the aliens pulled out a glowing blue object and shoved it into the robots side.
The robot froze.
Its headlights flickered.
CHOO
It collapsed.
The aliens cheered.
Edgar raised his fist.
Yes!
Thomas looked at him.
Why are you cheering?
I dont know. It seemed appropriate.
The aliens pointed toward another door.
RUN!
They ran.
The group followed the aliens into another enormous chamber.
Kiona suddenly stopped.
There were thousands of glass containers.
And inside every single one was a girl who looked exactly like her.
Kionas mouth dropped open.
What?
Edna stared.
Thats a lot of Kionas.
Elm looked around.
I think somebody really likes you.
Kiona slowly turned toward the guard who had brought them there.
What is this?
The guard smiled proudly.
The future of the Ark Railway Association!
He raised his hands dramatically.
Welcome to our breeding program!
Edgar whispered, I suddenly hate this place even more.
The first glass container opened.
Then another.
Then ten.
Then a hundred.
Then thousands.
Kiona clones stepped out.
They looked around.
Then they all looked at the guards.
Nobody moved.
The guard who had been explaining everything suddenly became nervous.
He looked around at the thousands of identical girls.
Then he smiled awkwardly.
Yay! Look at all the breeders!
The room became completely silent.
Edgar whispered, That guy has made a terrible mistake.
The clones moved toward the guard.
He took one step backward.
Wait.
Another step.
Lets discuss this.
The clones surrounded him.
He looked up.
Maybe I should have chosen different words.
There was a bright flash.
When it disappeared, he was gone.
Edgar looked at the empty spot.
Yep.
Thomas nodded.
Definitely should have chosen different words.
The clones then spread throughout the facility.
They attacked the guards, opened locked doors, destroyed machines, and freed prisoners.
Every hallway became filled with Kionas.
One guard ran around a corner.
He immediately ran into twenty Kionas.
He turned around.
There were another fifty behind him.
He looked up.
A clone was standing on the ceiling.
He slowly raised his hands.
I surrender.
The clone nodded.
Smart man.
Kiona watched her clones take over the facility.
Then she noticed something moving outside a window.
Far away, among the enormous Ark ships, was a man riding a strange spacecraft shaped like an old Western horse.
He wore a cowboy hat.
Kiona squinted.
Is that the Space Cowboy?
Thomas looked out the window.
Apparently.
The Space Cowboy tipped his hat.
Then his ship disappeared behind a giant asteroid.
Edgar shrugged.
I guess hes busy.
Kiona looked back at the chaos.
Her clones were everywhere.
The guards were gone.
The aliens were cheering.
The train robot was still smoking on the floor.
And somewhere in the distance, an alarm was screaming.
Kiona smiled.
Well
Elm looked at her.
What?
Kiona looked at the thousands of clones.
I think we just escaped.
A clone walked past carrying a giant train wheel.
Another walked past carrying a guards helmet.
A third walked past eating a sandwich.
Kiona stared at her.
Where did you get that?
The clone shrugged.
Kiona shook her head.
Never mind.
Thomas laughed.
Whats next?
Kiona looked toward the stars.
I have no idea.
Edgar smiled.
Good. Those are usually the best plans.
And with that, they escaped the breeding floor.
