The world 13 years later

March 30th, 2033

For 13 years, Earth has been enslaved by the alien race known as the Leeanna. All those that first put on LOCKOUTT's VR headset are dead, with their corpses being ground to food and either stored away or long since digested. Those that didn't put on the headset are either dead or residents of the colonies set up by Earth's new defacto ruler, Queen Kyutee Sexy-Ulalala-Banks.

Life in the colonies is harsh. Everyone, regardless of age, gender, or health status is forced to do grueling physical labor, with little tolerance being given for those that can't pull their weight. And the punishment for not pulling your weight? Public execution. It was all a sadistic entertainment show for Kyutee, one that also got good TV ratings on her home world of Leeannaland, which meant the poor enslaved humans were nothing more than death-row convicts in the sense, slowly forced to wait in agony for the day of their execution.

Yet those that sought death to escape this hell were only met with more hell. Kyutee personally approved of every execution in every single colony, micromanaging all for the sake of sadism, and her grander scheme. The scheme in question? About to unfold thanks to the actions of two teenage girls, both 18, about to experience the hells of adulthood firsthand.

...

In the dark of the night, a sole beam of light from a cheaply-constructed flashlight whizzed around, illuminating rocks, debris, and other things scattered about. It's wielder was a young girl who had just turned 18, by the name of Haylee Bourrée. With perfectly tanned skin and a slender form, many would dub her a model. They wouldn't be far from the truth as Haylee did in fact seek to become a model, but on her own terms. Dresses, heels, and long hair weren't her style, but that didn't mean she didn't like showing skin. A sports bra, short-shorts and sneakers were her go-to attire, which coupled with her short black pixie cut, truly amplified her tomboy look.

Her personality was also aloof and jockish, she even did swimming when the colony overlord allowed for free-time. What kept her from truly being dubbed a pure tomboy though was her goth makeup. The girl just couldn't resist that black lip gloss and eye-shadow, which she believed only upped her sexy.

"Who says girls can't be goth, tomboyish, and sporty? Not me, I'm living proof that's the recipe for sexy!" was her motto.

Tonight, she had decided to celebrate her 18th birthday by sneaking out of the colony. Accompanying her was a girl with long waist-length dark blue hair that almost covered her eyes named Nicki Ido. In contrast to the spunky and energetic Haylee, Nicki was far more morose, and often low on stamina. She had Haylee on the ropes in terms of drip though. A swagger leather jacket and mini-skirt coupled with a snazzy pair of white sneakers and a crop-top with the words "Bad Bitch" on it showed she care about looking hip and trendy. If she were to just tie her hair back, or part it ever so slightly more as to fully expose her eyes, she'd be a dynamite unstoppable beauty. But that was a non-negotiable term. Nicki's hair was her sanctuary, as she called it, her place to cower her eyes behind to shield them from the horrors of the world.

"Ahg! Ugh, Haylee, keep the light close to our feet," Nicki grimaced as she nearly tripped over a rock.

"Part your hair then. I heard ya can see in the dark if ya cover your eyes all day, and since ya do that-"

Nicki let out an audible sigh as she clutched her face. "It doesn't work like that. Both my eyes can see the light so if I parted my hair, it wouldn't work. In fact, it'd be a detriment as half my vision would be obscured and it would lead to cases of dizziness and imbalance."

"REALLY!? Shit, my bad girl."

In reality, Nicki just didn't want to emerge her face from it's veil a sanctuary. A petty reason given her hair truly was hindering her field of vision, but that's the way Nicki was. If Haylee was a tad sharper, she'd have picked up on the lie, and continued to press Nicki on the issue, but Nicki knew Haylee well enough to know she wouldn't catch it.

If science was the topic, Nicki was the go-to authority. Even though humans had been enslaved, the school system was still in place. Pro-Leeanna propaganda was naturally prevalent in all lectures, but students being pro-Leeanna was not a requirement. This frustrated some of the Leanna higher-ups on their home world, but it was Kyutee's decree, and much to their dismay, they couldn't fight it as Kyutee was now the sole authority on all matters regarding Earth.

As such, the children of those immediately effected by the soul-sucking VR tech had been given a propaganda-filled, but decent education as they aged. Some even became Leeanna loyalists, but most ended up resenting them and Kyutee, but succumbing to the reality that they were powerless.

However, there was small hope in the form of a local legend. If the archangel were to emerge, humanity would have a chance. A chance at turning things around. It was a fairly recent legend, popping up just a few days ago, leaving it's veracity in question, but it had inspired Haylee to venture forth, and Nicki to begrudgingly accompany her.

"They'll notice we're gone, and once they do, they'll come after us. We'll die once we're caught," Nicki trembled.

"No way, I'm the colony's top laborer. Even I'm smart enough to know ya don't kill off your top employee," Haylee smiled.

"Haylee, they don't care how well you perform. If the overlords feel like killing you for whatever whim, you'll die."

"Then maybe they'll have a whim an not kill us if we get caught."

"Ugh, you-"

"But we ain't gonna get caught, we're gonna find the archangel."

Nicki pinched her face in frustration, but huddled up close to Haylee. She was terrified, but time and time again, Haylee had been the one to come to her aid. Whether it be standing up to schoolyard bullies or heartless slave-drivers, Haylee was always there to stand before Nicki and protect her.

"Whims, was it whims that have kept me from being executed for failing to pull my weight? Perhaps, but we're taught that every single execution is approved and concocted by Kyutee herself. So does that mean she wants me to stay alive? I don't like this one bit. I hope that rumor is true in a good way, because I don't even want to fathom what might befall us if it isn't," Nicki nervously thought.