Minutes pass. Long, rain-filled minutes. I can feel the water on my skin, having pushed all the way in through my jacket. Luz has moved her cardigan over her head, a makeshift unsupported umbrella. She looks at me with wide eyes, the emotions in them have changed.

She's no longer curious. She's impatient.

"Can I go home now?" she asks as I stare at my watch. "I'm cold and wet."

"I understand." I give her a remorseful look. "But until they announce that all is clear, we can't move."

A quiet curse slips through her lips. She slumps back against the car, eyes forward. The rain refuses to stop and as I look up at the sky, at the clouds obscuring the sun, I realize I am wrong.

Rain can hurt.

Or maybe it isn't the rain.

"It shouldn't be long now," I try to reassure her. "They'll finish this sweep and call me. That's when I know the coast is clear."

"Call you?" She lifts her cardigan up just a bit to glance at me. "Why will they call you?"

I glance down at the watch on my wrist. The Hions had moved in circles for most of the time we had waited in the rain. I can only assume they passed around the clockwork machine, above it, inside it—the space wasn't wide enough for much else.

But for the last minute or so, they weren't moving. Each remains in its own spot, like a circle of ducks.

I clear my throat and look at Luz once more. "I'll be alerted if an all-clear signal because I need to go back inside and repair the clock."

Luz blinks at me, water dripping off her lashes. "And then I can go home?"

I nod, smiling, "Yes."

A sense of relief falls over her. I can see it on her face, in her body language. The way her shoulders relax, hands pulling her cardigan closer to her head, makes me smile more. Even like this... she's still the most beautiful creature I've ever seen.

"Galaxy Enforcement report," a voice sounds in my ear. My head snaps up and I look at the building hiding the clockwork system. I listen as the voice continues, "There is currently no presence detectable within the machine's chambers."

A small chuckle leaves me as I sigh in relief. Luz looks at me, and when we lock eyes, I wink at her. A silent, "We're going to be okay."

"While there is no physical presence," the voice speaks again and I hold my breath, "we do detect the particle remnants of a human. Female."

Every part of me feels cold.

"We're transmitting cosmic footage of her silhouette recorded by Earth's cells."

Frip! How could I forget the tiny stars and particles floating around the clockwork machine weren't just pretty specks of dirt and dust? Like fingerprints, they identify the layers of this ancient planet. And whatever they "touch" leaves imprints within the Earth's core. Memories.

If they play those imprints back, they will see me lollygagging for over a week. And me... bringing an unauthorized person within the machine... waiting for a kiss.

I hurry to a stand and grab Luz's hand, lifting her with me. "We need to go," I say.

"Go?" Luz struggles to hold her cardigan with her other hand as it almost slips from her fingers. The sleeves drag across the ground, dirty and stained. "Did they send you an all-clear?"

I shrug, eyeing the rain-filled street before us. My mind tries to remember the paths I've taken to get to this location, back and forth from the motel I stayed within at night. But none seem like safe escape routes. The overlords would have records of my every movement if they wished to retrieve it.

"It wasn't an all-clear, no," I say, sucking in a breath. "And we need to leave."

Luz slows her steps as we walk. Her hand doesn't leave mine. "Do they know I was in there?"

I stop and look at her, unsure of how to answer the question without alarming her.

"They know, don't they?"

I guess my silence answers her questions. Sighing, I nod and look back down the street, "We need to hide until I know they are off of this planet. Until then—"

Behind us, I can hear the clockwork's portal opening once again. The gears struggling to tell time let off a screech Earth's wind carries in my direction. Instinctively, as a Cog, I turn towards the sound. I listen for a moment.

And I watch the Hions exit the clockwork's chamber, red eyes scanning the street.

"Okay, we really need to go," I say, tugging at Luz's hand. She quickly follows me, but I can see her look back out of the corner of my eye. The gasp she lets out solidifies it.

I groan, squinting against the rain. "Don't look at them, Luz."

"Too late," she whimpers, feet shuffling closer.

We make it halfway down the street before I hear a yell. At first, I don't turn and hope it is one of the homeless people on the side of the road. But after I hear, "Franklin Cog!" I know it isn't them, and my quick steps turn into a run.

Luz keeps up, panting as we rush down the street. "Where are we going?" she calls out, half pant, half shout.

We skid to the sidewalk's corner, turning left at the next intersection. Cars, bumper to bumper in early afternoon traffic, honk their horns at each other for a pass that won't happen. The streetlight hangs in front of them, flashing red and yellow. It's broken, delaying what should be a normal commute.

But I can't stop, no matter how familiar it seems. There's more to this broken world than a malfunctioning traffic light.

I weave through traffic, pulling Luz with me. "We need to lose them," I pant, glancing back at her. "I just don't know, I mean, I—"

"I got it!" Luz says.

She takes initiative. As she moves ahead of me, she pulls me with her, through the cars and exhaust fumes. I have no choice but to follow as a Hion calls my name once more, "Franklin Cog! Stop!"

I can't stop. You'll kill us if I do.

"Here!" Luz leads me through a crowd of people waiting at a bus stop and down a flight of stairs, into a subway station. I scan the shadows as we descend, but see no escape. Trying to pull my hand out of hers, I tug back. But she doesn't let go. She looks at me, cardigan still on her head, "We need to go, right? Let's go!"

I can hear the Hions up above. They're closer.

But I look into her eyes as I think of where we are. "There's nowhere to go down here. We'll be stuck in moving train cars and I—"

"Boy!" Luz doesn't let me finish. She tugs me again, harder this time. My feet stumbled down the last remaining steps as she leads me onto the train platform. I can hear an incoming train, see its lights in the tunnel. People standing near the tracks step back for safety.

Luz does the opposite, moving us close to the edge.

"Luz! What are you doing? We need to—"

"Get away, right?" The train rushes past us, the motion moving her hair over her face as she looks at me. I can see the train's reflection in her eyes. "Just trust me."

Do I have a choice?

The train slowly comes to a stop. As the doors open, the crowds of people make their way inside the cars. Luz pulls me into the one at our right, through a group of women gossiping about their morning.

Even though their giggles are loud, I hear the Hions come down the stairs. "Franklin!" one shouts. "You're under arrest!"

I glance back as the train doors hadn't closed just yet. I can see the three large individuals approaching. The one on the left nudges a man who happened to be in his way. And the man pushes back, yelling, "The fuck is your problem, man!"

Oh, no, no. I struggle against Luz's grip as I watch the Hion grab the man by the collar of his shirt. Don't hurt the human!

"We need to go!" Luz tugs me again, deeper into the car. The doors shut and I can no longer see the platform outside.

"Go where?" This was my point—we're in a train car, where can we go?

There are too many people, so much conversation. The women at the door continued to talk, though their subject had changed. The smaller of the trio is looking out the door's window, eyeing the Hions outside. I can hear her confusion in her voice, "They said they arresting someone? But they don't look like cops."

"Maybe it's drugs?" The tallest in the group shrugs. "You know, every corner got a guy here."

"True, true," the small one agrees.

And I look back at Luz with wide eyes. She doesn't understand how dangerous the situation has become. Hions never reveal themselves to the public in this way. They are trained to never fight, never attack unless provoked.

But my crime of neglecting a planet is too high. And their priorities have probably shifted. Will they kill everything in sight?

"Turn around, please," Luz hisses as her cardigan finally falls off her head and shoulders, landing at her feet. "We need to switch cars and go."

I watch the material land before attempting to look into her eyes. As much as I want to focus on her, I can't. I see the other side of the car, the door at its end. It opens. And a Hion comes through it.

Again, Luz says, "Go!" as she pushes me.

I do as she says, turning on the ball of my feet. My shoulders bump into the women at the doors, resulting in dirty looks. But Luz doesn't let me stop to apologize. She pushes me again until I reach the other end of the train car.

"Franklin Cog!" the Hion yells behind us. "Galaxy Enforcement orders you to stop!"

My hand settles on the door, ready to slide it open to move onto the other car. I hear the women snort and laugh as the sound of the city fills the train. "Did he say galaxy enforcement? Oh, this drugs, for real."

We step into the next car and begin to push through the next crowd. How so many could press themselves within a train like sardines in a can confuses me, but in this instance, I am thankful. I use them as my shield.

"Franklin Cog!"

By the time the Hion has moved into the car we are in, we are at the end of it. Without looking back, we open the next door and repeat the process. Open doors, transfer cars. Run from the voice of the enforcement officer chasing us.

"Next stop, Division. The doors will open on your left," a voice sounds overhead. I look up at the car's ceiling as I listen to the chime.

"We're getting off here," Luz says, linking our hands together. The train moves out from the tunnel, letting the light struggling to seep through the storm clouds hit the windows. At the speed of it, I wobble and grab onto the pole beside the door. Luz falls into it, but doesn't look up at me. She's focused on the doors, at the platform approaching for our exit.

"And then what?" I ask as I eye the door the Hion hasn't come through yet.

"We hide." The train slowly comes to a stop. "And wait. That's what you want, right?"

"I—" The door opens and I see the blaring red eyes of the enforcement officer needing to take me back for booking. I gulp as his stare lands on me. My heart stops as he bares his teeth. If any aliens could be as grotesque as humans thought we could be, it would be him.

"Franklin." The Hion tries to step forward, but the sudden jerking of the train makes him fall back against the door. He struggles to grab onto a seat to keep steady. A human woman reaches down to help him, concerned.

Luz and I take the moment of distraction as a chance to escape. When the doors open, we rush out onto the platform and down the next set of stairs.

On my wrist, my watch chirps.

And Luz looks down at it with wide eyes. "Do they track you with that?" she asks halfway down the stairs. "Frank, you need to get rid of that. If they know where we're going, wearing that makes it pointless!"

I stop, my fingers gripping the railing. My watch has been with me, even before I was a Cog. I couldn't just let it go. "Luz, I can't." I press my hand to my chest. "This watch, this is—"

"Is going to kill us!" Luz grabs my hand, trying to get the watch off me.

But I pull my hand back, shaking my head. "No, Luz! I can't take it off!"

"Fine!" she accepts my no as an answer, but I didn't expect her to grab my hand again. I thought the motion would calm, nice, a different way to lead me down the stairs.

Instead, she grips my hand tight and forces my wrist down against the railing. I feel the impact rattle my arm, hear the watch's face shatter and break.

I suck in a deep breath to keep from shouting. Because how? Why?

You don't understand what you've done...

Not letting me answer, Luz yanks me down the stairs. "Let's go!"