Afloat in the Air (Closed)

[AlwaysKiaMia]

-We can post here later-

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

"Marcelline!" The Cheif's gruff shout echoed through the dim hangar, "What do you think you're doing?"


The girl in question pulled her head out of the side of her ship. Various engine parts, tools, and wires lay scattered at her feet and she took special caution not to step on any of it. Her hair was tied up out of the way, goggles firmly over her eyes so she could see into the pitch black depths of the engine, and a ring of grease around her upper arm from when she had to dig out a malfunctioning fuel distributor. She looked up at the aging man, pulling off her goggles and grinning brightly, despite the man's angry tone.


"Hiya Chief! I'm givin' Hermes a tune up, he was runnin' a little rough today." She replied, replacing one of the parts at her feet back into the ship. "Something wrong?"


"It's three in the morning." He ground out, crossing his arms in a way she only thought to describe as fatherly.


"It is? Oh, wow, I didn't notice. Give me a second to finish up, then we can go home." Marx smiled sheepishly, quickly gathering the parts to put the ship back together.AN uncomfortable silence fell over the two of them. Ever since Chief told her about the rebel army and the government conspiracy theory, they had gotten increasingly more distant. Marx didn't want to believe it. The thought itself was genuinely terrifying, but the idea that Chief was caught up in the middle of it was worse. As of now, he was the last person she had left in the world. Without him, she would surely go mad. She coughed awkwardly, and added, "How -um- how's everything going? With the whole, well, you know."


Chief looked down at her, his steely grey eyes going soft. He was just as scared as she was, if not more, and was getting increasingly worried that the next government strike would get one of them caught in the crossfire. He leaned against Hermes, looking down at the floor.


"We just got news that Rian fell." He said softly. "The rebel branch nearby managed to save twenty two people."


Marx paused, slowing her efforts to a near stop as she closed the panel to the engine. "What was Rian's population?"


Chief looked away, not wanting to see those big sad blue eyes, "Two hundred and forty three."


They both went silent. Whether or not the government was behind that or not, Marx was still distraught at the loss of life. Innocent people, that had done nothing wrong, committed no sin, had been sentenced to the fog. It had to be a coincidence, no one was evil enough to kill that many people, not even the dictator. She jolted back into work, gathering up her tools in her ruck sack and slinging them over her shoulder to head home.


"Marcelline." The Chief's voice stopped her, "Kartel is becoming a major hub for the rebellion, we're getting in a slew of new folks tomorrow. They're going to need to be shown the ropes, given places to stay, cover identities, told the rules." He paused briefly, turning Marx around to face him. " I want you to come with me to greet them. I want you to see it through they're eyes. See what they think. Please."


She looked up at the Chief and with a heavy sigh said, "Alright. , but I don't promise anything. Now, can we go eat? Apparently, I didn't have dinner."


The Chief smiled, leading her out the hangar door, "They show up at ten today, so I think we might be able fit in some food."

 

[Fallingfaster42]

Taylor leans against the cold and steel walls of the high speed train traveling from island to island. This specific train is crammed and full of stinky, unbathed refugees that have escaped the horror. Around are mothers without their newborns, fathers without their wives, children without parents. Taylor closes up as he examined the rag-tag group of survivors. The clothes of each person is torn and dirty, their faces inked with mud and dirt. The trials that brought them here have all but silenced the rambling thoughts in their heads and now they were herded into these cattle cars like, well, cattle.


Taylor took a deep and anxiety-filled breath. He watched as the anxious passengers grew more agitated as the time went on. They had just left Athenine, a small island that has collapsed leaving only eight of they ninety-four habitants, and the newly saved passengers were simply petrified. While Taylor knew exactly how they felt, leaving behind the population, the friends, the families, everything, he couldn't help but resent them. Maybe they all should have fallen into the fog, maybe the living are the unlucky. He frowned to himself as the screams of scared children filled the weary box.


An old man opened the car door. His scruffy face was illuminated by his small candle, and as he opened the door, you could see the distress on his face. He walked along each of passengers offering what little help he could. While Taylor thought the gesture was kind, he thought it was ridiculous as well. The only pleads he would be hearing would be pleads for the lost families. Taylor sighed again burying himself in his knees, trying to shut out the world. As the old man made his rounds, he found Taylor huddled into himself, alone. He crouched down on one knee and tapped taylor gently. "Can I get you anything, son? A glass of water maybe?"


Taylor didn't look up. No matter how curious he was, he was also too proud to accept help. He just didn't feel that he had to be treated like a victim. Even in the midst of disaster, he knew his place and didn't need guidance. He simply ignored the man and with haste, the man left, knowing that it would be impossible to talk to some of the broken people. He stepped out again leaving the cart back in a haunting darkness. Taylor looked up at some of the people again. He was appalled. These people don't deserve to live like cows. It was degrading. Taylor pulled his knees closer to him as people shifted unintentionally. Only a few moments later, a man walked through the same door as the elderly man. This man was important somehow, his clean and pressed clothing gave him a status above most. He frowned and cleared his through. "Attention! Attention everyone! We will be stopping in Rian in the next few hours. When we are there, you will be assigned a hut where you will be sleeping for the next few days as we refuel. We will assign huts to you when you are getting off the train. Thank you!" Taylor huddled closer to himself feeling lost. Taylor started breathing a little heavier as the anxiety of it all began to get to him. He began to count the passengers "one- two- three..." He sorted them and counted them in his head several times over again. He figured there were 48 people, including himself, on the train currently. He let out a soft sigh, and as he did, the train slowed. Some people were frightened, maybe in a state of infinite shock, but some yelled for help immediately. As the train could be felt stopping, the man that was dressed well stepped through the doors. "Alright," he announced "We have arrived at Rian. We will open the large doors in just a few moments, when we do, we ask you to remain calm and take a card from either doorman, this card will have your housing number. Follow the lines into your assigned cabin and everything should go squeaky clean! Thank you for your patience." He shut the door again and silence rolled over the cabin. This wasn't a peaceful silence either. Inside the car no one dared to make a sound, but Rian is a large industrial factory city and all that could be heard was the subtle clanging of random metals. It was Eerie to say the least.


As the large doors opened, pulled along by two burly men, the light flooded in the train car making the passengers cringe. Taylor stood slowly, his weak legs shaking from the sudden weight. He was exhausted and ready to fall to the ground and sleep but his body made him walk a little further. As some of the children and adults rushed out immediately taking their card and rushing out for water and food. The number slowly dwindled and taylor was the last to exit. He took his card and didn't bother to look at it, instead he stopped walking and looked around at the dusty and ash-filled air. Rian was nothing special to be honest. It was a rock with factories. The habitants were barely alive with the contaminated air. They were moping around with shovels and boxes. Taylor let out a soft sigh and watched as his breath faded from the chilled white cloud. He crossed his arms and walked quietly to his assigned hut. He was assigned to hut 2 and in angst, he noticed that hut 2 also happened to be farthest from the train. He turned around and walked in the muddy ground looking down as the wet dirt soaked against his shoes. He frowned lightly and walked into his hut taking a bed relatively close to an exit. The thought of collapse always lingered in his mind and he felt that he, now, was in survival mode. He took the provided sheets and laid his head against the uncomfortable cot. He tried to think as little as he could knowing that there wasn't much good to come from the days to come. He closed his eyes and slept silently. His days ahead consisted of the same disconnected thoughts. However on the tenth day, island was completely off. No machines, no clanging metal, no people roaming the city. It was very peculiar. Taylor awoke very early, barely any light even stroked the sky. Taylor sat up and looked at the sleeping people. They looked peaceful even though their minds were distraught. Taylor sighed softly and as he did, the ground shook gently. Taylor felt it but was too tired. He thought that it was just a simple shake nothing extreme, however it didn't stop. The rumble of the ground began to shake violently. Taylor barely got to his feet and struggled to stay upright. He shook violently and tried to grab the wall for support. Fear immediately took over as the ground cracked. He could already see disaster ahead. Everyone else in his hut was sleeping, and no matter how badly he wanted to leave he couldn't. He walked by yelling and shoving people upright. Some refused to awaken and he had no choice but to leave. He pushed the people he could towards the train hoping to save as many as he could. The insane speed of the collapse was terrifying. Before taylor could turn back for more people, the factories in the back had already began to collapse. The funnel that consistently spewed ash was collapsing, throwing a cloud of ash into the air. Taylor frowned and looked to the ground. He wanted to shut down, but the ground underneath his feet was cracking as he stood in it. He shifted backwards and sprinted to the train. The train sped off leaving Rian and the large population to fend for the last few seconds it had. Taylor pulled apart the large doors and stared at the land mass as it suddenly collapsed. The screams had suddenly disappeared as the piece of the land fell into the sky. Taylor crouched again towards the back of the train exhausted. He looked at the people and counted silently to himself. 22. A devastating number. He frowned to himself and as he curled up tightly into a ball, the conductor came to the back. In a very monotonous, sad tone he said "we will be in Kartel in a few hours." He disappeared into the back as the silence continued. No one would dare speak again. Not after another island has fallen.


5 hours of the silent car ride filled with ill-stricken passengers they finally arrived at the larger city of Kartel. Taylor has never heard much of Kartel, except that it was a large city. Taylor felt the train stop quickly and with a sudden burst, the doors burst open filling the passengers faded eyes with light. The shining city reflected the sunlight with a joyous rage that threatened to burn it down. Taylor put his hand in front of his eyes as he was herded out into the public. He could feel the stray glances as people stared at the dirty survivors. He frowned and held his head low.

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

Kartel truly was a city that followed the beauty is in the eye of the beholder rule. As far as Marx was concerned it was far too bright and therefore, far too hot. She'd gotten used to the cool dimly lit hangar that held Hermes, and preferred that to the bright sun glinting off the buildings. She walked slightly behind the Chief, hiding in his shadow to escape the light as they walked up the ramp to one of the quieter train stations in the city, though it was still extremely crowded.


At the platform stood a small crowd of six or seven people, though none looked like civilians. Each held that somber air that seemed to follow rebels everywhere. They were there to greet, herd, and take care of the incoming group of survivors. Marx slid a bit further behind the Chief, as if to escape the gloom. Two men turned around as they walked up.


"Chief! You're just in time, they should be here in about ten minutes." One saluted to the Chief. He was round, well-fed, obviously from a more well-to-do area of Kartel. While he wasn't quite as old as the Chief, but he was no where near Marx's age either, if his greying comb over was any indication. He straightened his tie, obviously a bit put off by the Chief's presence. Marx could understand why. Even after living with him for nearly seventeen years, she was still aware of his intimidating figure. He was easily a foot taller than Marx, with a solid jaw and defining wrinkles that showed more wisdom than it did age. His hair, a cropped light grey however, did show his age.


The other man, short, stalky, with a minor limp in his left leg waved them over to stand near the front of the crowd. "The conductor said they just got in a little over a week ago. Then this morning the city fully collapsed."


"And 22 is the confirmed survivor count?" Chief asked, linking his hands behind his back.


The round one spoke up again, "23 including the conductor!" Trying to lighten the mood. It didn't do much.


No one replied and a tense silence fell over the crowd briefly. Until the round man decided to speak up.


"Uh, Chief? Who's the girl?" He pointed at Marx awkwardly, like she was about to bite his finger off.


Chief stepped to the side, putting a hand on Marx's shoulder. "This is my granddaughter, Marcelline. Marcy, this is Jarid," He gestured to the round man, "and Ron," He gestured to the man with a limp, "colleagues of mine. You'll meet more of them as the day progresses. And if you lose me, find Ron, he's like the information hub around here."


Ron pleasantly shook her hand, nodding politely which she returned. Jarid didn't seem to want to touch her, which she was fine with, she didn't want to touch him either. He gave off a very, 'rich-boy' vibe that made her extremely uncomfortable. The rest of the crowd went back to mumbling to themselves, some occasionally asking the Chief a question or talking to Ron, others gave Marx sideways glances that told her they knew how unnerved she really was. For the most part she stayed tucked just behind the Chief, while she was doing this for him, she was not about to try to be social. These people were dark, somber people, well aware that a large number of people had just died. They weren't a group to try to be social with. And while the talking continued, no one dared try to crack a joke. It simply wasn't the time for it. Instead Marx tugged fitfully at her coveralls, trying to smooth the worn fabric, fiddling with the sleeves tied around her waist, adjusting the tank top, tugging at the goggles around her neck that she had forgotten to leave at home, and fiddling with a stray blonde lock of hair.


When the train finally arrived everything grew silent, except for the grind of gears as it slowed to a stop. Marx resisted the urge to step further behind the Chief, wanting to see these poor people. Ron stepped up beside her, as if offering silent support, or more likely acting as a warning for what she was about to see. There was a brief screech as the train came to a full stop, the doors of a cargo car right in front of them.


Cargo? Marx thought Why on earth were they in the cargo car?...there probably wasn't enough time to find a passenger car.


Two people stepped forward and opened the sliding doors to the car. Marx almost cried. Everyone inside looked half dead. Their faces sunken in, dark, like they were looking upon the face of death itself. They varied in age, gender, race, but they all had a broken look about them, like nothing in this world was worth living for. Some turned their heads as the doors to the car opened, others buried further into the dark, and one or two looked as if they hadn't noticed the change. Civilians looked over the group's shoulders, stopping and pointing at the survivors. Marx wanted to be sick. Was this just a show to them?


The small group quickly got to work, herding the passengers and carrying the injured, out of public eye as quickly as possible. Marx stepped back, careful to stay out of the way. Once in the light a few of them began reacting. One woman started screaming, crying for her lost husband. Ron gently guided her after the others. One man broke down, falling to the floor in a crying heap. Chief helped get him to his feet so they could continue. Another man simply ducked, keeping away from the onlookers. Marx counted as they went by. 21. She frowned. That wasn't right.


She muscled through the crowd a bit, getting back to the cargo car. She poked her head inside the dark car, the corners of it pitch black, but she could hear a faint sniffle. Marx quickly put on her goggles so she could see. In the far corner was a small boy, no older than six, cowering like she were a monster from below the fog. Tears streaked his face.


"Hello." She said softly, but the boy whimpered and cowered further in response. Her heart broke, "Hey, it's okay. I'm here to help. I'm with the people that came for you."


The boy sniffed, peaking up at her with a scared green eye. She pulled the goggles off, not wanting to startle him, and reached out like she was approaching a scared animal.


"Everything's okay now, you're safe. I promise." She beckoned gently. "Are you hungry?"


The boy nodded slowly. Marx smiled and eased closer, "Lets go get you something to eat. Okay?"


She carefully pulled him into her arms, carrying him out of the car. He hid from the bright light outside, burying his face in her shoulder. Marx quickly made her way to the exit, hoping to not lose the rest of the group. Luckily for her, Ron was waiting. He looked up as she approached, looking briefly at the boy before leading her to the group that was piling into two transport vehicles.


"We're going to an abandoned army bunker outside of the main city. It's supposed to be able to house 40 people. Chief will explain everything from there." Ron said, climbing into one of the packed vehicles. Marx followed him in. She wanted to shout for joy when she saw the Chief, sitting next to the driver. She quickly tucked into the seat behind him, thankful for the stability. Most of the survivors had quieted down for the most part.


"It's going to be a while before we get where we're going, I suggest you all catch up on some sleep while you can." Chief called back to the others in the car.


The boy in Marx's arms whimpered again at Chief's voice. She rocked him gently, setting him in her lap and petting his head, "It's okay. You're safe." She said quietly, watching him calm down.


"Nothing's going to hurt you now, everything is going to be alright." She cooed gently, though deep down she worried that she was inadvertently lying.

 

[Fallingfaster42]

As the bright sun squeezed through Taylor's poor attempt at a visor, he was guided out into the sunlight. Taylor stayed towards the back as the group. As the 22 walked patiently and silently towards who knows where, Taylor slowed his strut. He stopped in the middle of walking and looked at all the people. They seem amused, while of course saddened by the horrific news, he felt like they were watching him to see if he acted differently. To see if it would be a show for them. He scowled at each one of them with hate. He didn't want to be here, he didn't want to be anywhere. He looked at each one of them wondering why this city hasn't fallen, because really, it's all fun and games until it hits you in the face. As he spun around slowly at the silent people staring at him, he caught a glimpse of a girl in looking back through the cargo car. He watched her slow movements and was rather confused. He thought that someone had left something behind and she was there to examine it, but it was strange that she would go into the crate-like car. He wanted to shout out that it was his but that would be completely stupid considering he didn't want anything to do with it. He frowned and watched the girl as she crept into the darkness and a few moments later, returned with a boy in her arms. He felt oddly about it. He felt that she shouldn't be getting involved with this and that she should know her limits, but the boy looked comforted and Taylor certainly didn't want to make any sort of commotion. He turned on his heels, again taking a glimpse of the people around him, and began walking away with an attitude of ungratefulness.


As they reached the vehicles, Taylor stood in a sort of astonishment, like he hadn't seen a car before. Which is mostly true, considering Erest was basically a forest with homes. It was hard for anyone to get around that way. Even the city guards just had tiny bikes that they would ride on. While the fear of something bad happening taunted Taylor he thought about which of the cars to step into, but he really wanted to keep an eye out for that boy. He hadn't seen him before the counting, but the young child reminded him of Taylor's sister, who unfortunately couldn't escape the collapse at Athenine.


Taylor watched as the girl carrying the young boy stepped into the vehicle without hesitation. He watched with an almost jealous aura about him. Fear was so irrelevant for her, for everyone here. It just wasn't a factor. Taylor sighed lightly and stepped into the same crowded car taking a seat on the opposite side and back one row. This would suffice, but he really wanted to see how these people interacted.


He watched silently as they sat. He could feel their sadness and careful attitudes. It was like they were in a cage of tripwires that would be set off at any one word. It was tense, physically. As they started driving. Taylor watched as many people dozed off, exhausted from their incomplete sleep. The poor people had been island hopping for too much time. Taylor sighed as the lot tired themselves out and slept, and as they did he was eager to know where they were going. Billions of worries raced through his mind, but all he really wanted was a little confirmation, a little certainty that they wouldn't have to run away from this island. They wouldn't have to try so hard for their sake of living. He stared at the man in front of the girl. He watched him like a hawk as he seemed to be the one most people moved out of the way for. Taylor figured he would be the one to ask. In a solid and unbroken voice, using all he could muster, Taylor spoke loudly. "Where are we going?" He stared for a response, eyeing the three people who hadn't had their lives threatened. He waited desperately for a sure answer, one that he could hold onto. He looked out the window for only a moment before staring back at the man in command.

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

As the cars moved, the survivors began to quiet down, some even falling asleep. The little boy in Marx's lap shuffled a bit to get comfortable before falling asleep himself. Marx however stayed as alert as she could. This was unfamiliar territory as far as she was concerned. She had gotten used to the worry-less lifestyle she had led up until now, and these poor people seemed so fragile. She didn't want to put them off, scare them, or anger them. What they deserved was safety and respite. So Marx remained silent, letting them do as they wished.


The man's voice honestly made her jump when he spoke up. Chief didn't so much as budge, though Ron turned to look at the man out of the corner of his eye.


"We're taking you all to an abandoned army bunker just outside of the main town." The Chief answered simply, like that explained everything.


Ron raised his head, fully looking at the younger man that spoke, "For now we're taking you all somewhere safe to get a good nights rest and a decent meal. We'll talk about what happens next after everyone has had a while to calm down."


Marx kept her head down, it wasn't her place to speak. Chief and Ron knew what they were doing, she assumed that if everything about the conspiracy theory was true, this isn't the first time they'd done something like this. And then she wondered if they really had done this before. How many times? When Chief left for weeks at a time, was this why? Marx looked down at the boy in her arms and her heart cracked a bit. What if there were others like these people, everywhere, suffering like this. She pulled the child a bit closer to her. It couldn't be true, it simply couldn't. The government couldn't be behind something like that. It had to be coincidence. She rubbed the sleeping boy's head. How could anyone knowingly sentence these people to death?


The car slowly rumbled to a stop and both the driver and the Chief got out to open the doors for the other passengers. Marx gently shook the boy to wake him up, following after the others as they were herded out. She cast a passing glance at the man that had spoken up during the trip. He seemed just a little more put off than anyone else. She thought briefly about saying something to him, try and ease whatever worries he had, but thought it was better to keep her mouth shut.


Chief helped her out and she looked around in almost disappointment. The whole group had just parked in a big empty hangar, not unlike the one that held Hermes. She looked around, expecting something to be right behind her, but instead all she saw was more hangar. Near by was an elevator, tucked into the wall that looked like it hadn't been touched in over a decade.


"Because there are one or two higher ranking officials in Kartel, this bunker was built just encase something went horribly wrong. However, they later had a newer one built on the opposite end of town, like this one wasn't good enough." Jarid stepped out of the other car, explaining like he knew everything. "It should be able to hold thirty-ish people, without a problem."


Marx eased away from him, tucking in beside the Chief as he led the group to the elevator. He turned back to the rest of the group. "From here on, you are welcome to do as you like. This elevator leads down into the bunker itself. Housing is on the 4th level, kitchen on the 6th, and there's an entertainment center on the 7th. If you have any questions, look of Ron, Jarid, or myself. While we advise against it for now, you are allowed in the town, but not without an escort of some sort. I suggest that you all catch up on sleep and food for the time being."

 

[Fallingfaster42]

Taylor leaned back sighing. He felt like the answer was incomplete and useless information. He frowned at he frowned lightly to himself and looked out the window. As he saw them getting further and further away from civilization, he couldn't help but feel like a misfit, which wasn't exactly wrong, but he felt like he was being completely disconnected and he hated it. He wanted to feel normal for maybe a few hours. He leaned his head against the window looking towards the man who seemed to be without emotion.


Taylor slowly closed his eyes, though he was quite scared that something would happen. He was very nervous about both the new people around him and the state of worry that he had been in for a long while. He began to get extremely drowsy, but when the vehicles slowly applied the brake, Taylor felt the rumble of the brakes and immediately shot straight up. He stared around wide-eyed and a little scared as his heart raced in a small panic. He looked around and realizing the everything was fine. As he did, he took a deep breath, slightly embarrassed at his excessive reaction. He looked toward the girl holding the young boy. He watched her open the door and exit. He turned his head to his door and fumbled with the hand before opening the door and letting himself out first. He stood hesitantly at the sight of the hangar.


Taylor looked back as a rather annoying voiced man got out of the second vehicle. He stared at him like a hawk watching as his attitude brought a nasty presence. Taylor rolled his eyes as the annoying one spoke, he gazed more toward the massive size of the hangar.


As the small and tired group followed the strong, robotic one, taylor glanced around completely ignoring what anyone was saying, he was in his own dreams now and was completely uninterested in what they had to say. He only tuned in when the leader said something about going into the city. His interest had peaked as he waited patiently as he was given advice that he clearly didn't want.


Taylor looked at each of the newer people who looked eager to get away from the group of survivors, and while he couldn't blame them, he was also a little offended at his assumptions. He looked at the leader once again and as they opened they silenced the group to go down into the bunker, taylor spoke again in his solid and sure voice. "I'd rather go into town...please." He looked at them with a confident stance as he stood sure of himself. Maybe it wasn't the best idea, but he didn't feel safe. He didn't want to be confined for any longer, after all, they had just traveled in a car for cattle. He looked at each of them with an eager look, however the eagerness was subtle and it came off as annoyed, which wasn't necessarily false.

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

The rebels paused when he spoke, even Marx turned to blink at him. To be honest, she was a bit frightened by this man. He carried an air of confidence that she was only used to seeing in the Chief. Some of the others seemed a bit startled by it too.


Chief gave the man a once over look. He looked ragged, tired, and run-down, but he was fit and seemed to be mentally stable despite the circumstances. Marx was sure the Chief was seeing a lot more than she was, as he was giving the younger man a very calculating look. Chief and Ron shared a quick glance at one another, a quick unspoken conversation taking place.


"No! Absolutely no way, it's not sa-" Jarid began.


"Alright." The Chief cut in.


"What!?" Jarid shouted back. "How-why-but it's not safe! What if people start asking questions? What if he gets lost? What if-"


Again Jarid stopped short as he caught the look the Chief was giving him. "I have no problems with him going into town." The Chief continued. "If that's what he wants that's fine. Nothing bad will happen to him, because Marcelline will be joining him."


No one dared speak. Ron quickly scooped up the sleeping boy in Marx's arms and headed to the elevator before she could protest loud enough to wake him. For the first time since they met Jarid and Marx seemed to be on the same level. Marx was a vaguely social creature, she didn't mind speaking to others, as long as they weren't in her age group. Something about being of a similar age made her extremely uncomfortable and awkward. She always figured it was something psychological about being raised by her grandfather and being constantly engrossed in building and diagramming for gadgets and other assorted things.


"Wait, what?! Me?!" Marx spoke up indignantly, quickly turning to look at the Chief head on. "Chief! You can't be serious!"


"I am." Chief smirked, "You know the town as well as any of us. Not to mention with all the -uh- dohickies you're always making, people have learned not to ask to many questions when your involved. And you just happen to look the same age. You will turn less heads than anyone else here, besides we have some other things to deal with."


With that, Chief and the others headed to the elevator. Marx quickly grabbed his sleeve.


"We both agreed I was here observationally." Marx hissed at him.


"You are, now go observe him in town." Chief grinned at her, waving as the elevator doors slid shut in her face. Marx stared at the door for a minute, trying to figure out if that had really happened. Really it wasn't that bad, she knew that. The man she was supposed to be escorting seemed like a nice enough guy, but what the heck was she supposed to do with him? She had half a mind to take him to Hermes' hangar and lock him in a supply closet so she could work on her ship and not have to worry. She wouldn't, but she thought about it. Maybe some time in town would be good. A little sun never hurt anyone, not including sunburns. Marx took a deep breath, trying to calm down a bit. She could do this. It would be easy. All she had to do was be social and nice and keep a level head.


She turned around and blanched a bit. Looking at the man made it worse. "S-so. Um. A-anywhere in town y-you were thinking of?" She stuttered. Good, great, fantastic. Marx thought to herself, stuttering will definitely win him over.

 

[Fallingfaster42]

As Chief looked over Taylor judging his character, Taylor glanced over him and Ron as well as Jarid. He looked at each of them with the same hollow stare. His eyes trailed off onto the Chief again. His form was strong and straight and the confidence looked over him even with the, what seemed, unsettling question. Taylor was a little surprised by his resilience, it was like the Chief was expecting that question, and it made Taylor question his authority more. As Chief spoke up, allowing him to go, Taylor couldn't help but grin a little. At the same time the Chief relieved Taylor, he heard the annoying one's voice again. As Jarid protested something he had no right doing so on, Taylor felt more defiant and proud, it made him feel normal again. He was allowed to go do what he wanted, he was allowed to be free and alone and... Chief spoke again putting his contingency on the deal. "Oh, n-no th-" Chief continued and Taylor's smile quickly faded into the pit of his stomach. He just wanted to be alone, but of course, it would be better to have someone who knew the city.


Taylor let out a soft sigh and looked away. However, as Marx spoke up, Taylor caught her with his stare. She was making a big fuss over being with him. Was it really that big of a deal? Was he really that repulsing? He frowned lightly and as she spoke quietly with the Chief, Taylor felt a wave of sadness come over him. It was like this whole island, all of Kartel believed the survivors to be nothing but bad luck, as if they had brought the collapse, everyone wanted to gawk and coo, but when it came to their turn to connect, they shut down immediately. Taylor looked away now, clenching his jaw as the girl protested.


Marx continued to protest to the very last possible point. Taylor refused to watch someone plead not to spend a little time with him. He turned and looked back towards the hangar admiring it's massive size again. He put on a stone face and looked at Marx as she spoke up. He looked at her with his emotionless face, but was a little confused. Anywhere in town? However, he couldn't help but notice that stutter. She could clearly speak fine as she protested crystal clear, so maybe this wasn't as easy for her as it was for him."I- what's around? I don't really know anything about this place." He spoke in his monotonous, yet gentle tone. His voice softer than when chief was around. He didn't feel he needed to hold himself up to any standard, as she was, or seemed, sheepish.

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

Marx paused for a moment. Of course he didn't know anything about this place, for all she knew he'd never even been in a larger city, he'd just gotten here. While Kartel was nowhere near as large as some of the more upper-crust cities, it wasn't small either. Perfectly easy to get lost in. Not to mention that the south end of the city stopped abruptly as the island dropped sharply there. It used to be a docking station for transport ships until the building there collapsed to the fog in the dead of night. Marx remembered that well, her prototype Hermes was hidden away in the dock when it collapsed, she cried for days. No, wait, back on topic, talking to a person now.


Marx was extremely grateful that he softened his tone. However, his dark emotionless face did unnerve her a bit. It was justified, entirely, she knew that but that didn't make her comfortable with it. She fiddled with the strap of her goggles around her neck a bit, trying to casually avoid eye contact.


"W-Well, Kartel is a minor trade center, so there are a lot of little shops around the area. There's a bunch of restaurants on the north side. Some corporate -um- things, are in the larger buildings, but you can't get in without a key card. There's a museum." She trailed off a bit, not quite knowing what to say. Kartel was originally built to house three government controlled corporations, and the city sprouted up around them. Over time the corporations had left, only one remains, and there was talk that they were going bankrupt anyway.


Marx breathed, she could do this. Just be friendly and hospitable and don't stutter, "To be honest, though Kartel isn't a big tourist place, it has just about anything you need. If you want we can go get you some real food, I'm pretty sure the stuff in the kitchen downstairs is older than I am. Or if you want I could take you into the city. It gets pretty busy, but there are some fantastic shops around there. Or if you want some peace and quiet, we could go to the east field. Its really serine, the only thing around there are some old cargo hangars. Or maybe the doc-" She stopped short. Maybe offering to show him the docks was a bad idea. For all she knew he was just looking for a way off the island, and if he knew how to, there was no way she could stop him, short of damaging what ever transport he tried to take. She really didn't want to have to deal with the Chief if that happened. So she quickly tried to amend the statement, "Ducks! U-Um, there's a park in town w-with ducks. If you like ducks." Her voice trailed off. Nice cover-up She thought sarcastically, wanting to slap herself in the face.

 

[Fallingfaster42]

Taylor continued watching Marx with an eagle eye. He watched as she fiddled with her goggles and how she refused to look at him. It was almost like a game, watching he try so hard to get through this. He was very shocked that she was so unable to have a conversation with him, it seemed fluent with Chief, but so broken with him. Maybe she was still trying to be careful and step around anything that might hurt him. As she started talking about all the shops and restaurants, he couldn't help but think of a little store he had back home. He didn't have any sad memories in the place it made him think of the whole city. This saddened him of course, but it wasn't extremely sad, it was more like a morose beauty. He smiled to himself as she continued speaking. Then she hit some sort of curveball.


Ducks. Ducks? Why the hell would she show me ducks? That's like asking if he wanted to see what a shirt was. It was so peculiarly obvious that is made him eager to know what she was hiding. "Ducks? Why ducks? We had them back home, they aren't cool?" He gave her a confused look trying to see how she would react. What would she hide from him? This is what bothered him. People treated him like he was some abused orphan boy that you need to protect with everything, but he's just a human being and wants to be treated like that. It's like he was psychotic anyway. He frowned to himself and furrowed his brow trying to think of what ducks could mean. "Ducks." He murmured to himself. He looked up at her again.


He racked his brain hard trying figure out the secret of the ducks, but he just couldn't. He looked up and with exaggerated sigh he said "What won't you show me? Are you hiding something from me?" He sighed again. Taylor spoke in his soft tone trying to hold back a yell that he so eagerly wanted to release. He didn't understand why things had to be different. It was, honestly, better at home and that's really what he wanted right now, just to be home. It was dinner time there. Most people would cook inside and bring out tables setting them in a large circle. They'd put their food on the table and then began a sequence. In a few minutes, you would take the food you wanted from the dish, and then pass it on accepting a different families food to try. It was a great way to taste a variety of foods and everyone in the community got along very well. Then, after dinner, there would be a large fire in the center of the tables where everyone would dance and sing and have a grand time. It truly was magnificent. And now....... Now taylor was here, in a city where people didn't seem to be the friendliest or the most social, and the way they treated outsiders... It was strange. Taylor lost the fight in him. He didn't care where he went now and he began to shift demeanor slightly. He stared at the girl now and shrugged his shoulders. "We can go wherever, but can we go now..."

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

Marx watched him for a minute. The way he reacted to her horrid cover up wasn't nearly what she expected. He did see right through it, but the look on his face afterwords and the way he asked if she was hiding something, it broke her heart a bit. There was more there than she was seeing and it confused her. With machinery when something went wrong that she couldn't see, she'd run a diagnostic, and the answer would just appear. With the Chief she usually just had to ask and give him the accursed worried-puppy dog eyes and he'd spill. Her confusion was slowly turning into guilt. He looked so lonely.


And then she had her idea. It was perfect. She wanted to show him the bright side, she wanted to cheer him up. More than anything, she wanted him to stop looking so horribly sad. There was only one place on the island she could think of that would do that. Unintentionally her face lit up at the idea, a wide grin broke the surface that she didn't even try to hold down, and for the first time she looked him straight in the eye.


"I know just where to take you!" She said, rushing to the front door of the hangar, pushing the old thing open so she could figure out where exactly they were. From what she could see they were just outside the main city. A little less than a mile off. Marx found the dirt tracks the cars had left when they came in, deciding to follow those into the city.


"Come on! From here it should only be about a ten or twenty minute walk. Once we get into town stay close, it's lunch hour so a lot of people will be moving about." Marx said, checking over her shoulder quickly to make sure the man was still with her, "I'm going to show you the best thing Kartel has to offer."


And she was telling the truth. If she ever left Kartel, this would be the only reason she would have to come back. But as much as she didn't want to scare the man, she really wanted to give him a pleasant surprise. She wanted him to know that for at least a little while, he could enjoy himself. He didn't need to worry about anything. However she was a bit apprehensive about bringing him into town. Marx was vaguely worried that the large condensed number of people might frighten him after everything he'd been through. But she remembered seeing him react at the train station and in the car. She figured he would be fine, so long as she kept track of where he was.

 

[Fallingfaster42]

Taylor looks at Marx as she immediately spurted joy. He couldn't help but take on a small smile. As she did spew joy, she made eye contact with him, and Taylor stared at her blue eyes. He smiled again lightly and as she brushed past him in an excited rush, he followed quickly behind. He stayed behind enough, but as she opened the hangar and rushed out looking around. In a matter of seconds she told him how long it would take and he was kind of surprised that she could do that with the scenery. It didn't look like there was much to go off of. Maybe a few glints of the city, but that was it. Taylor's eyes shifted from the city, to Marx, to the tracks left by the cars. He followed them with his eyes out and then he took an intimidated step backwards. Taylor didn't really think think it through and he looked back into the closed off hangar and stared at it a little. It was overwhelming, the thought of going into the city, the crowded, and overpopulated city. He took a deep breath and looked at Marx putting his emotions behind him.


Taylor's heart skipped a little as she mentioned the lunch rush. As calm as he acted the when they first arrived, Taylor wasn't fond of very populated areas. He liked Erest because it was small and everyone knew everyone. It was family oriented, but here....... It was just so much bigger. He nodded and swallowed the nerves he had. "Oh, okay." He followed closely behind Marx and listened. "And if I do happen to get lost? What should I do?" He looked at her. His nerves were beginning to influence him and it annoyed him a little. But, he never really had to face any of these questions before. He did once get lost in the forest, but he knew what to do in that situation. "Where exactly are we going anyway?"

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

"That, my good sir, is a surprise!" Marx smiled at him again, looking over her shoulder. She was actually happy, despite his worrisome questions, he was talking more than he had while the others were around. From what she'd seen he didn't seem to like big groups of people at all. Maybe taking him into town was a bad idea. No, it would be worth it, she decided. However, the lost question did bring up a good point.


Marx stopped walking for a second to tug her goggles over her head. She stepped toward him gently set them down on his head, trying not to startle him, but being to giddy to think of a better place for them.


"There you go." She peeped, as she adjusted them a bit."Those are custom made, just for me. If you get lost go to the nearest mechanic shop and show them to the owner. Nine times out of ten they'll point you to my apartment. If that does happen you can just go in, the front door is never locked. Chief may look all stoic and smart but I swear to god, he can not lock a door to save his life, or mine for that matter."


She paused for a second. Again having second thoughts as she looked him over.


"We don't have to do this if you don't want to. I-I promise, I'm only taking you about two blocks into the city, but if y-you want we can go back to the bunker." Her stutter returned as she remembered the situation she was in. This wasn't the Chief, this wasn't really a friend, this was a man that less then a day ago went through something seriously traumatic. She didn't want to make the trauma worse, but she wasn't sure what would help. She'd never gone through anything like that before. And the more she thought about it, the more she admired him. She wouldn't be nearly this calm if that had happened to her. In fact, she's almost certain she'd be huddled into a dark corner awaiting death, probably mumbling the words Chief and Hermes over and over. That was probably a bad train of thought.

 

[Fallingfaster42]

Taylor picked lightly at his fingers as he stood in front of her. He had noticed he was speaking up more than he probably should. He didn't want to be the trouble-maker, but he didn't want to sit idly by either, taylor wanted, more than anything, to matter. He wanted people to respect him, like people do with Chief. Maybe he should have gone with the rest of the group to the bunker, but it just didn't seem the way to go. After all, what if the island were to start collapsing? They'd be so far under that they wouldn't make it to the surface. It's something that hasn't left his mind and he still worries about every second.


As Marx walked over, tearing the goggles from her neck, taylor couldn't help but resist. "Oh n-no it's okay." He took a step back, but before he could deny any more, he had the goggles around his head. He fixed them a little as well and looked at her. As she explained the reasoning, he couldn't deny, it was a good idea. He took a deep breath and smiled a little. He suppressed a small laugh when she criticized the Chief for overlooking locking the door. It did seem like a simple task, but Taylor certainly wouldn't be better. He once forgot to lock the gate to the cities barn and the animals were roaming the cities streets for weeks afterwards. It was a hilarious, and simple, mistake.


He smiled at the memory and as she tried to dissuade him. He shook his head. "No, you don't have to treat me specially. I can manage busy streets. I really don't want to be in that bunker though! I've been with the same people for way too long! I need to be around a bit of normality." He chuckled a little, rolling his eyes. He couldn't say that her fears were unnecessary, because they were completely logical! Big groups weren't really his thing, but he was interested to see how the way of life was different from the much smaller cities than he had been in. He felt that he was ready and eager, but more importantly, he felt comfort, and safety surrounding him. It was nice to know that he occupied one person's worries. He smiled again to himself.

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

He smiled! He actually smiled! Marx's own face split into a massive grin when she saw that, turning back around the continue walking into town.


"Well, I wouldn't call where I'm taking you normal exactly, but I promise you'll like it. As far as I've seen it's the best place to cheer up." Marx smiled at him over her shoulder as they stepped onto the paved road of the city. She silently thanked her sense of direction. It came in handy whether she was flying or not.


By lunch hour standards it was extremely quiet, but it was still very packed. People rushed down the sidewalks paying little attention to anything beside their phones or their watches. Marx slowed up a bit, not wanting to lose her companion in the rush. She looked around, smiling again when she spotted the older looking building down the street, nestled between two larger buildings. That was her target. A sign hung off the side of it that simply said Leslie's.


Technically it was a bar, but it wasn't a bar that welcomed thug types. Leslie's was a little known, hole in the wall establishment, run by the woman it was named after. Business folk avoided it because of it's slightly run down appearance, and that's how the patrons liked it. Among the laboring community it was a safe haven. Because it was so small it was friendly and had an almost familial atmosphere about it. Long-time customers new each other and Leslie on a first name basis. New customers were usually sucked in and quickly became a part of the group. Some of the older folks would joke that once you walked in, you were stuck for life.


Marx thought it was the perfect place to bring him. Show him the lighter side to the city. Leslie's was the best place in the city for it. However, Marx paused briefly to make sure that he was still okay, Leslie's was only a block or so away, but with the crowd that was growing she didn't want to lose him in the masses.

 

[Fallingfaster42]

Taylor didn't mind that she didn't think it was normal, it was probably the most normal thing he has seen in quite a while. As the muddy road turned into a paved pathway, Taylor could already begin to hear the small talk of people. He could hear the clatter of all their shoes against the road. It wasn't excessively loud, but Taylor certainly noticed it.


As they stepped into the entrance of the city, Taylor watched as the giant crowds practically collided with each other. As the people paid no attention to the things in front of them, it was a very... Odd sight. It was as if they didn't care what happened to them, like their lives only consisted of the things in front of the their faces at that moment. Taylor hesitantly followed Marx as she went forward. She quickly got mixed into the sea of people but taylor never lost sight. He kept up well, but he couldn't handle the bumps and shoves that people dealt out freely. It was annoying to him and he wanted to shove each person back. He noticed that they were walking towards the older looking building. It was cute and oddly homey. The look was warm and comfortable, but as they got closer, someone blatantly shoved Taylor. He was so frustrated and as he regained his stance, he lost sight of Marx. He looked around in a calm way. He twirled in circles looking for her. He thought about going to Leslie's, but he had no clue if that's where they were going. He let out a soft sigh and as the people continued to walk by, he tried to focus on finding Marx. He glanced around. Once more before waiting where he stood. He felt that if he just stayed still, he wouldn't really be lost just....... Stuck? Plus, he had no clue where the mechanics were. He grunted to himself and rolled his eyes in annoyance. If it wasn't for such disconnected people, this wouldn't have happened. If someone was bright enough to look up every once in a while, it would make for a much steady process and no one would be hitting or running into people. the brokenness and inflexible system confused Taylor.


After standing for a moment, Taylor caught sight of a blonde haired girl that he presumed to be Marx, he called out after he but the woman was in too much of a rush. Surely it wouldn't have been Marx. He frowned turned in a circle again. Of course this would happen to him. At this point, he located the entrance that they came into, this was important to him in case, something bad had happened....... Like a collapse. Now he was just overthinking things. As he got lost in his worrisome thoughts, Taylor's arm was firmly grabbed and the nails of the hand dug into skin. He yelped a little and jumped back looking back at the sudden abuser. An elderly woman grabbed his shoulders holding him still. "Y-you're a s-surivor, yes? I- I saw you get out of the car. C-can you tell me w-what happened? Did you m-meet my d-daughter in Rian?" The woman's voice was shaky and broken. He voice reeked of sadness and her teeth rotted with worry. She grabbed Taylor's shirt pleading for some sort of understanding of the outcome. Taylor, however, stood emotionless. While his brain was running the terror over and over and over again, his brain also shut him down. He wasn't going to speak to this woman. All he could do was simply shake his head, however, the inconclusiveness angered the woman and she slapped him "Liar! Liar! She was there with you!" The woman screamed in sorrow as Taylor put a hand over his cheek trying to push away. The woman now sobbed uncontrollably and Taylor still struggled to break free of the woman's gasp. When he did though, Taylor's first thoughts as to get as far away from her as possible. Taylor raced past buildings as his heart pumped. His brain made it feel like this island was collapsing as well and Taylor couldn't breath as the terror overwhelmed him. He sat against a corner, further away from the entrance of the city, taking deep breaths and calming himself.

 

[AlwaysKiaMia]

Marx couldn't stop smiling. Something about getting along as well as she and the man were, made her exceptionally happy. She turned to make sure he was still alright, only to find he was nowhere to be seen. A shot of panic ran through her, her smile falling off her face in an instant. She spun around, looking for the familiar torn black jacket in the crowd. Her small stature made looking for him even harder, though she did spot someone else.


There was an older woman a few feet off, sobbing and yelling into the distance. Marx couldn't make out anything she was saying, but figured that the direction she was yelling was good place to start. However, the direction she was yelling was even further into the city than she thought the man was willing to go. Never the less she ran, hoping to catch up to her new friend. The city wasn't a safe place for him to be alone, especially if the authorities saw the way he was dressed. If they assumed he was homeless he would be sent to a different island. Kartel didn't take well to the unemployed.


Marx was panicking just a bit more as she had run two blocks in and hadn't seen him. She opened her mouth, ready to call for him when something stuck her. She didn't know his name. Of all the things for her not to know. She wanted to smack herself for being so stupid. It hadn't even occurred to her to ask his name. She ran just a bit faster, coming to a stop to catch her breath, looking everywhere. Just how far had he run? Did he take a turn? Had she over-reacted and accidentally left him on his own? Marx tried to calm down, panicking wouldn't do anything. She couldn't ask anyone around her, the passerby would either ignore her or think she was a hooligan and call the authorities. She couldn't go get Hermes, that would take too long. She couldn't go get Chief, he'd throttle both of them and lock them in the darkest most secluded corners of the bunker.


This had been a bad idea. It was a bad idea that Marx handled poorly. She should have known something would have happened. But she wasn't about to give up. Not going back at all was better than going back alone. She wasn't about to leave him in a new environment without support.


So her feet got moving again, running another block and continually cursing her short stature as she tried to see around the thickening mass of people around her.