Futuristic Dormant Hearts

[simj26]

Cain
She caught the glass of water, and, in her current state of bemusement, drank wordlessly. It certainly helped, but honestly not that much. Jeremy’s worried face, however, was all she needed to try and regain her composure. “Hah.” She smirked at her friend, catching her breath. “Look at you. Acting the gentleman, huh, Jerry?” She gave a low, weak laugh, then offered him a smile. “Thanks, Jeremy. I’m really glad we’re…” she paused, a curious expression coming over her face, then continued, “together on this. Thanks...for...” Her gratitude trailed off as she returned her attention to the bottom of the glass of water, as if it was going to give her some answers, then proceeded to down the rest of it, before placing it back on the table, finally turning her attention to the mayor.

He was old. Older than she expected. Every movement he made, it seemed to reflect his age. Pain seemed to assault him as he tried to recline, and she was uncharacteristically worried that he wouldn't be able to straighten himself out of his chair if he went too far. His eyes seemed to search for their faces, even though they were barely even a few arms’ length away from him. She wondered if he knew…

“I’m…I’m fine.” She hoped he didn't expect her to answer him truthfully about how she was feeling, which was, honestly, pretty terrible. She was still confused, her head was still a muddle of her own memories, and the ‘memories’ of another’s. If it was indeed just one other person’s she was sharing. She supposed it was memories. The more she tried to grasp at the fleeting pieces, the more they drifted out of her reach, but she could always just see them, out of the corner of her mind’s eye, and the emotions that lingered on these pieces were always something…realistic. But she didn't need to tell him that. She didn't even tell Jeremy.

Her ears perked up when he mentioned ‘the machines’. It was time she pounced. She had been waiting for just this moment. “So you know what they are?” She straightened up in her seat. Now that she had a place to rest her sluggish body, she could somewhat muster up the energy to regain her usual confident posture. “No more secrets, mayor. I’m not like some genius like some weed I can name, but I don't think I have to corner you on the facts.” She pushed the glass, now emptied of its contents, to one side with one finger, then leaned forwards, resting her elbows on her thighs. Her voice was quiet, but now, it was no longer because she was too weak- it was because she was being deliberately calm and assertive. She had to be. Loud shouting didn't work on old people like these. Show them you are calm, show them you are able to stand toe-to-toe with them on a mental level. “Tell us. What are the machines? What are these monsters? The one that we boarded, it had...someone’s belongings in it- someone from long ago, but I don’t recognise the name or the family.” Cain locked her eyes with the old man’s own, hers, clear ones of the fire of youth, against his, clouded with age. He should know. He was old. People like him tended to remember things from long ago. “The name was Claire Mallory. Who was she? Did this happen before?” It was time to push the envelope a little bit more, she figured, and inched forwards on her seat. “Tell us, mayor. You couldn't have just brought us down here just to have a little chat with us and tell us we were good kids and we didn't do anything wrong.”

_Line 213 The One Eyed Bandit

 

[CerpinTaxt]

Luka stared down at his book for a few moments, a feeling of comfort filling him as his gentle hand slowly ran along the cover. No matter all the weird and horrible things that happened, he could rely on books to make him feel better. He could even put aside the fact he was back inside a machine that wasn't even supposed to turn on. A soft smile came to his face, knowing full well that no matter what happened that he could at least have some moments of solace.

He set the book down on the control panel, reaching into his shirt pocket to retrieve his glasses; thankfully kept save during the chaos. He only needed them when it came to his books, the large circular-framed glasses fitting perfectly on his face as he slowly slid them on. He was unaware of the colony's efforts to find him a new partner for now. Perhaps he could have even said he didn't really..care? Maybe that sounded mean, of course he cared! Column was relying on them! But he could put all that stress and worry aside now. He could ignore the troubled world outside and the weight on his shoulders.

He could go off into his own little world for a while and not deal with the sudden events of yesterday. He picked the book back up, slowly opening it back to where he'd been to last. Almost instantly, his worries just washed away and his imagination took over. Those few minutes that his new partner had spent climbing the mech to the top were nothing but peace to the unaware Luka. No more robots. No more colony. No more monsters, or scary people with guns.

Just him in his own little world.

Luka was unaware of Martin's presence as he entered. The freakishly tall boy, huddle in his seat with a book in his hands; completely closed off from the world. Until Martin spoke that was, catching Luka's attention. Someone was in here with him, and though he didn't quite catch what exactly the other boy had said it'd been pretty clear what was going on. Martin was his new partner, and he need to be shown how to activate the Husk.

He'd have to talk to someone and he really didn't want to.

Luka sat there for a few moments, expressionless on the outside though he was all over the place on the inside. He didn't want to do this anymore. How was he supposed to explain how this thing worked when he didn't even know how he started it in the first place. Maybe he was just seeing and hearing things! He could just go back to reading..but it was too late. His focus was lost, and he was going to have to talk.

Luka took a slow breath, slowly closing his book and gently setting it down beside him before looking over to Martin as he reached to remove his glasses. "Operational?" His voice was neutral, much like his facial expression. "I.." He started though came to a stop, trying to collect his thoughts. "So..there's two seats.." He gestured towards the one nearby Martin, a control panel and various mechanisms infront of it. "I..think that controls the legs and..maybe other stuff. I don't know." He was doing it! "This one I'm in controls the weapons..but.."

With all the stuff he'd explained, he had yet to explain the big topic.

"I..don't know how we turned it on. I just sort of..touched the control panel at my section. I think if you touch yours it might turn on."

He really didn't want to get another bad headache.

clarinetti _Line 213

 

[Soviet Panda]

Mitfuhlen slammed into the side of the lizard-like creature that had entered Column. They had no time to reach for their weapon and no time to properly formulate a plan. They needed to stop that thing now. Getting it away from the library, however, did not have to be said or planned out. So, digging it's feet in and grabbing low on the monstrosity it had collided with, Mitfuhlen lifted up and began to push the creature back along the path it had come.

Inside the cockpit, Connor could feel Mitfuhlen lurking just outside. The rage from yesterday was still there, but it was more of a cold and calculating hatred. It was not in control, but perhaps it could guide it's fledgling pilots. It gave a nudge here, a suggestion there, it even told them how to access the axe hidden away in a compartment. That knowledge would certainly be useful. Once they got it out and away from Column.

 

[GasMaskie]

Grabbing hold of the controls, Morgan found himself in the familiar three-way connection between himself, the girl, and the Husk. Licking his lips, his mind raced at the possibilities that awaited him on this small battlefield where he towered over all. The objective was clear enough - put down the Entity before it reached Column. Through the connection, he already had a brief idea that his partner had a good idea of what he was already planning.

"...Obviously, we'll be providing long-distance support. Utsāha was designed for that after all. We can fall back on the blades for now, but Mitfuhlen seems to have our close-combat situation under control." The green Husk raised both arms up as Morgan's mind began to race. With a smirk, he arranged the numbers and data in his mind. A grand symphony of equations and trajectories lined up within that devious mind of his and supplemented the relative sloweness of the Husk's onboard targetting system.

"Precise like clockwork - some of these shots will require you to ricochet bullets off each other to avoid hitting our axe-swinging comrade. I'm sure you can handle it, Ida Sommers."

Coin _Line 213

 

[_Line 213]

The mayor's tented fingers, despite his age, did not waver. It was strange how still they were, contrasted with a body which seemed like it threatened to give out at the end of each breath. He let the absolute silence maintain itself for a time, his eyes momentarily drifting to the now-empty glass. The edges of his eyes relaxed slightly, pupils defocusing as he turned his thoughts inward.

"It's important that you remain calm, Victoire," he said, his eyes coming back to her quietly. Slowly, his eyes shifted to Jeremy, offering the boy a slight smile, as if thanking him for some unseen service. "I suppose it is only fair that I do what you ask of me before I ask something of you," he said, returning his attention to Cain in particular. His hands separated, one trailing to the screen below him, resting lightly upon it in preparation. "The humanity of ages past would have thought of them as machines. They are described as such, and they were manufactured accordingly. The information I have myself is limited." His eyes turned down to the screen, his hands now bringing the object to life. "Much like the Entities, they were created to be self-evolving, in the hopes that with the help of human pilots, they would be able to out-engineer themselves in the face of new threats. Their dependence on pilots was ensured so that, unlike the Entities, they do not take more...uncontrollable paths."

He slid the tablet toward the two, offering a gallery of images. They were glimpses into another age, bearing all the markings of what one would see in a history textbook. Groups of workers in large, pristine, hangar-like spaces, dressed from head-to-toe in body-covering, bulky suits, their faces obscured by breathing masks and large visors. Hundreds of anonymous figures in white and yellow applying malleable, uncertain material to large mechanical frames. And yet, their creations seemed just as identical as they; nonexistent were the varied appearances, the differing colors, that dotted the machines seen throughout their forested home. "From what is understood today, their definition of machines was different from our own. We might think of machines as metallic, or plastic. Things that are unchanging, and respond to specific commands. To our forebears, what we might think of as living things could be considered machines as well."

---​

The great blue machine crashed into the solid side of the approaching Entity with a thundering crash, the shockwave of the two colliding bodies toppling what few prefabricated structures still stood underfoot. Step by step, the giant began pushing its enemy back, feet digging squarely into the ground, buckling blocks and streets with each forced stride, and digging meters-deep ruts into the ground whenever pushed back. The machine roared of its own volition, its sound not too unlike the responding call of the creature itself, the two locking each other in a dead heat as Mitfühlen's limbs began to struggle. Those of the Entity began to reinforce itself, bulk shifting from its upper portion to reinforce the replicated sinews of its legs, bulking and bulging with newfound ferocity. The blue machine gave another cry, one that signaled something unmistakable as its signals shot backward into the minds of its pilots.

Pain.

---​

The Mayor wove his fingers together, hands interlocking and falling still as he watched the two peruse the pictures. Images of the construction of individual machines gave way to images of large, crystalline lattices, housed within enclosed spaces. The edges of the spindly, interwoven networks melded into the edges of their containers, soft glows emanating from each. With each progressive picture, they grew more complex, more interwoven, with more strands and networks forming between each, clustering more and more tightly together, each increasingly complicated specimen ranked by little more than "days bonded."

"There were complications when it came to piloting these machines. It was a great source of stress on normal people, so those willing were edited, genetically, to compensate. Regular testing continues to this day to keep tabs on potential carriers of this genetic edit."

Another moment of silence followed. "Though pains have been taken to ensure the minimization of traits related to the edit in modern society, resurgences are still possible in select individuals. We have been particularly worried in this regard when it comes to yourself and several of your classmates, Miss Cainewright."

 

[simj26]

CainThe transformation in her features was slow, morphing from puzzlement, as she scrutinised the pictures that the mayor had offered both of them, to surprise, as she processed just what was laid in front of her, then back to bewilderment. “What do you mean-- I mean, what-- where do I even start?” She flicked through the gallery, glancing through the photographs once more, as if they would offer her an answer to her question. “S-so what you’re saying,” she started, her voice wavering once more, this time out of the uncertainty as to the Pandora’s box she was about to open, “you wanted to control Entities. And that’s why these...things, exist.” She felt a twinge of pain as she called the machine a ‘thing’. Why? It was just that, a ‘machine’ as the mayor called it, so why did she feel...bad, about calling it that?

“A-and what you’re also saying...is that Jerry, I, and my classmates are the only people able to pilot these,” she paused, effort visible in her expression before she continued, “Husks?”

What did this mean? Were they the only hope to go against the Entities, or whatever they were called? Was this some kind of silly story about how they were the chosen kids to go up against unspeakable odds and were expected to come out on top? She blinked, trying to refocus her sight on the pictures. “I...what about the pilots before us? What happened to them? Those Husks didn’t collapse out there in the valleys without a reason. Where are the other pilots?”

 

[_Line 213]

"The Entities were a creation of old humanity. They were always intended to be under control. It would seem that our forebears, however, did not know enough about what they had created to ensure that it would remain as they had made it. If there is any additional information, I do not have it. The leaders of the colonies are only told so much. If you will accept it, I apologize for my ignorance; if only I had more to give."

The man laid his palms flat upon the table, as if signaling that particular portion of the conversation were out of his hands, then. It was perhaps a strange notion, the man seen as the overseer of them all only knowing a mere fragment of what there was to know about the old world. Perhaps it was stranger still that there were those unseen, somewhere far beyond the mayor's reach, handing forth only what they wished the world to know. Yet, the girl had posited other questions, and the mayor had more to say. "The other pilots have long been lost to history. Some, primarily toward the end of the war, went on to start families--a decision which resulted in these current-era genetic abnormalities. Many others, according to record, were killed in conflict. As for those alive today, there are in truth many different members of the colony who are theoretically capable of awakening the Husks. I cannot say why you and your classmates were the ones who did so in particular--though I have a theory." The man relaxed his hands, palms arching inward as his white brow furrowed. "The path towards that particular truth would go against that of many powerful people, Miss Cainewright. I am unsure if it would be wise for you to embark upon it, even with Mister Kerr at your side."

His eyes slowly shifted to the silent boy at that, the old man studying his features to the best of his fading ability. "Jeremy is one of our more stable children. The normality of offspring like him and Miss Sommers are an invaluable counterpoint to the more genetically risk-prone members of our society, both statistically and socially. It would be unwise to risk him as well, though I doubt you would be able to last long alone." At that, the man sighed, cupping his hands together on the desk. "Perhaps this is the downside of bonding encouragement."

 

[simj26]

Cain"I…" Cain stared down at her palms, searching the lines upon their surfaces like they would give her the answers that she desperately wanted. Speechless, dumbfounded, and completely out of her element, she was, for once in her life, dumbfounded. What could she say? In the face of such exposition that turned her entire life on its head, she was beyond words. He said that Jeremy was 'normal'- that would imply that she wasn't. An 'abnormality', as the man said.

She had to go. "I have to go."

She had to learn the truth. "I have to learn the truth."

No matter what it took. "No matter what it takes."

"But…" she paused, searching for the words to say, "I want Jeremy to be safe." She finally looked up from her hands, having come to her own conclusion. "Genetically risk-prone or not, I'm not having him come with me." Her lips were dry, chapped, and she could feel sand in her parched throat. She didn't want to put him in danger. Yet, at the same time, she wanted to find out more. She couldn't let this trail go cold here. She didn't know exactly what it was that drove her to seek out the truth behind the matter. It was as if something was whispering to her from the back of her mind, urging her to unearth the secrets of the Entities, and the Husks. And surprisingly, she agreed with it. She couldn't shake the feeling of something else behind the scenes. Her thoughts flickered towards the other children, who were no doubt still clashing their Husks against some unearthly creature. She made up her mind. "I can't let Jeremy come with me. I'll be fine alone. If there's anything you can do, please just bring him back to his parents." Her hands clenched into fists, her nails biting into her palm, deep enough to draw minute amounts of blood, her knuckles white. This was the last selfish wish of Victoire Cainewright. She didn't need Jeremy to understand. She just wanted him home, and safe. Nothing else need be done.

She glared straight at the old man. "Last, but not least, tell me how to find these people."


_Line 213 The One Eyed Bandit

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

While Cain and the Mayor went back and forth, Jeremy bit down on his lip with an increasing hardness. There she was, going off on her own again. Making all of the decisions, being sure that she knew better than anybody. Even through her pain, he could tell there was a silent determination burning within Vic's chest.

But there was one in his, too.

It was true than he'd been scared. Scared of dying, of never seeing his family again, of Vic meeting the same fate, of being responsible for the rest of the town's lives. That didn't mean he wanted to run away, though. The way he'd seen things, he and Vic and only made the sane choice. All the town needed to do was find someone else to stick in those things, and they'd be able to live out the rest of their lives. He could tell just from the skirmish with the first monster; he wasn't ready to be a hero, and nobody else was either. Regardless of the jokerish facade they wanted to put on, or the fiery determination that they kept burning in their chests. That, however, did not mean that he wanted to just give up and go home. At least, not if he'd be going home alone.

"Wait." After having stayed silent for the whole conversation, Jeremy stood in his seat and leveled a determined gaze at Vic and the Mayor. "I won't let you go off on your own like this. You aren't a cop. Or a detective. Or some sort of private investigator hero! You're just..." He swallowed hard. There were at lot of things that were coming to his mind at the moment, but one word rung true and clear. "...Stupid. An idiot. A moron!"

He'd been feeling this building up for a long time. It was just like he'd felt back in that thing. Angry. Furious. Downright pissed off. The feeling was more than foreign to him. It was alien. Anger, let alone fury like this wasn't something that he felt often in his life. Even the few occasions when he did expereince it, the cause was usually something stupid and trivial. Something that he'd laugh off the next day, but this time was different.

"..." Jeremy breathed in deeply. He wasn't used to yelling like this, not even in jest. "If you... If you wander off and play detective on your own, I'll... I'll go back to that machine on my own. I'll fight those monsters without you, and I won't let you even try to help. Do you understand?" Locking eyes with her, Jeremy approached Vic.

"If you're going to throw your life away, so will I."

simj26 _Line 213

 

[_Line 213]

The Mayor clasped his hands in front of his chin, his hair and hands hiding the hint of a smile upon his lips. It was, in that moment, more knowing than reassuring, and born entirely from Jeremy's reaction to Cain's declaration. Yet, when he moved to speak, the same careful, pensive voice that categorized the entirety of their meeting resurged.

"There is one thing I would like you to know, Miss Cainewright," he said, lowering his hands and leveling his gaze, "everything that I have told you, and everything that I have done thus far and will aid you in doing going forward is done solely out of my desire to see this Colony thrive. For better or worse, putting my trust in your hands is what I believe to be the best action for this Colony as a whole. I ask that you do not misplace this trust; what I speak of cannot be told to anyone, not right now. Not even your fellow classmates."

His eyes briefly wandered away from Cain and Jeremy, looking toward the far door through which they had entered instead. "...If I give you any further information here, there are certain prying eyes that will be able to tell what I have and have not accessed. I have...taken the liberty of collecting some of this information in a more archaic form, in my office. There are no eyes watching Column's streets, and the Colony's power systems have been rerouted to service the library. The only active cameras are those tracking the conflict. This bunker possesses an emergency exit, it is the first door on your right when you leave, but I am...too old to make the journey."

The man slowly moved a hand under his desk, producing two small keys seconds later. They sparkled in the low light, not a scratch on its surface; an entirely-unused, perhaps even secret pair of spares.

"The first will open the back door. Not the front--the back. The second will open a drawer in my closet." He withdrew his hand slowly, his eyes still locked on the pair opposite him. "Take what you find inside. Go somewhere safe. And when you can, meet up with your classmates again; you will be safest with them than you will anywhere else."

The Mayor fell silent, his expression equal parts grave and serious. "...I know what I am asking of the two of you, and I know the time I am asking. Victoire Cainewright...Jeremy Kerr...should your conviction hold strong..."

---​

The light of the forest finally erupted into the eyes of the small party of three as they emerged from the facility, the long, snaking underground pathways ending up somewhere in the valley's mottled greens. The disfigured scientist reached out his human hand, pressing it against a panel on the hidden, overgrown exterior and sealing the door shut. He could barely manage a few more steps before falling over, dragging a winded Modestine down with him as he breathed heavily from within the suit he still wore.

"...We have to keep moving," the man forced out, unable to bring himself to look at his son, nor the woman who had been supporting him for most of their sprint. "We have to get as far away from here as possible; Civil Protection is going to be searching this valley up and down in no more than a few hours, if they aren't already." Several more deep breaths, and already, the man was attempting to force himself to stand, even before his helper herself was seemingly ready.

"...Alex. You've run around these places with your friends, haven't you? Where should we go? We...we need to get someplace safe. Then, I promise, we can figure this all out."

 

[simj26]

CainBlood seeped out of her lip, and she gasped at the sudden pain. She didn’t realise she had been biting down on her lip so hard. Jeremy’s outburst had not just surprised her, it had completely shaken her out of her reverie. “I…” she started, but immediately fell silent. Memories of her and Jeremy seemed to flow into her mind at will- all those times they had spent together, all the things they had been through over these days, that felt almost like months, she was only starting to see how foolish her ideas were. It was always them, together, not just him and her alone. They had a bond, this much was sure. A peculiar emotion welled up within her. It was bittersweet, a beautiful pain that blossomed from her heart and her spirit. She wasn’t unfamiliar with it. She had felt it so many times before, but only as a slight twinge. Now, she felt it reverberate through her entire body, down to her fingertips. She turned away from Jeremy, as if to hide her expression. She never blushed, but the strange feeling that rushed to her cheeks seemed to indicate that she was having some sort of reaction.

“Using yourself as a bargaining chip, Jerry?” she raised her hands in mock surrender and shrugged, her mouth curled into a wan smile. That was as far as her smile went. The corner of her eyes brimmed over with tears, and, as she blinked, the droplets rolled down her cheek, and off her face. “I can’t believe you’d stoop that low.” Her voice wavered as she spoke. She was trying her darndest to keep her smile, her cheer, her heart. Yeah, she was stupid. She was an idiot. She was a moron. She wasn’t a hero or a detective. Jeremy was always right. More droplets of tears streamed down the path that their predecessors had made on her face. “I just want to know…” she started, why you want to stay with an idiot like me? She wanted to finish, but she did not. Holding her tongue, she shook her head, and rubbed her sleeve across her face, wiping away the tears on her face. What was she afraid of? Why was she so fearful of hearing that answer? Of hearing those words from him? Deep down, she knew exactly why. She just wanted things to stay like this, between them. An idiot and her minder. She didn’t want it to go anywhere else. “Nevermind. I’m…” she paused, searching for the right words to say. “I’m glad you’re dumb enough to stick around a moron like me.” She wanted to tell him more. She wanted to say she was happy that he wanted to stay by her side. He was stupid for even trying to suggest throwing his life away, but she was happy that he was just as stupid as she was.

She glanced towards the keys the mayor held in his hands, then took them from his grasp. Her tone towards the old man changed, as if a cloud had been lifted from her vision. “Thank you, Mayor. We’ll do our best. Together, right, Jerry?” She cast a careful look towards Jeremy. She wanted to hold her hand out to him, but right now didn’t seem like the best time to do that. Why would he take it now? He was so angry at her. To tell the truth, seeing him actually lose it like this for her was...not a feeling she wouldn’t be comfortable with. She wanted him to be more assertive with his thoughts and actions. He should do it more often.

 

[_Line 213]

The old man let out a long sigh, his posture both slumping forward yet lightening, as if a weight had been lifted from each of his aging joints as he moved. Yet, in that same instance, he nearly seemed to shudder, perhaps fearing the future in that moment far more than either of the children did. Were such true, it would be no shocking revelation; it was he and he alone that knew the true scope of what he tasked the children with.

"...Then go--there is only so much time left above," he said, lidding his eyes as he focused at the surface of his desk. "It will be much easier to find what you're looking for if you don't have to dig through rubble to get it." Though he attempted to maintain the soft, grandfatherly kindness that had permeated his speech until then, that quality seemed, at the end of their conversation, to lose itself in the man's unspoken thoughts, prevalent only in the cadence of his voice. Another low rumble came somewhere from above, the very fact that it managed to reach the safe room serving as a testament to the true weight of the conflict on the surface."

"Quickly!"

---​

Alex led on through the forest underbrush, Modestine straggling along beneath the weight of her superior. Labored breathing came from them both, Modestine nearly spent from the flurry of the chase and their escape from the facility, and the elder Kain all but unconscious from both rampant emotions and the ever-present hungering that now took the place of his arm. Night was beginning to fall, and while there was no sign of Civil Protection, there seemed to be no sign of civilization either. No roads, no glimmering lights, and no sound but footfalls and wind. Perhaps in another time, in another moment, it would have been peaceful, or a source of eerie beauty. Yet, all that could be managed was slow, yet frantic plodding from the group, until at last Modestine gave out, letting herself and Adam fall to the ground.

"...We need to stop," she said, chest heaving as she turned herself over to stare at the sky, "just...just for a little while...For a little while..." The stars were open and apparent past the trees, what little moonlight that could reach them casting pools of light upon the forest floor whilst all else remained shrouded in the shadows cast by upper boughs. Her breathing steadied, weakened; Adam made nearly no sounds at all, the soft rise and fall of his chest being the only sign that he still clung to life. The brush, perhaps, was as good a hiding place as any; if they were to be found, it would be by flashlight, or not until day.

Whether such would be a day one wished to see would be, perhaps, another matter.

Modestine's breathing became irregular, resolving into a series of stiff, breathless sobs. "...Alex, I'm sorry," she croaked, the beginning of tears just visible in the low light, "I'm so, so sorry...what have we done to you children..."

Episode 2.
Strands.​

 

[_Line 213]

Dormant Hearts​

Modestine awoke to the sound of her own breathing.

Even as she sharply pushed herself into a sitting position, it remained the only sound in the forest; even the wind and the birds seemed to have abated the valley. Slowly, her memories of the last twenty-four hours returned, her gaze quickly turning to land upon the accompanying Kains, still asleep a short distance away. Strands of grey material seemed to have diligently forced their way through the glove of Adam's suit, sprawling out upon the ground a few inches in each direction, browning and consuming the surrounding grass at a pace too slow for the eye to see, yet quick enough to turn all life within that small radius into brown dust.

Shielding her eyes, Modestine glanced upward through the trees, sighing as she noted that the sun was nowhere to be seen in the small patch of blue sky she had access to. Her attention turned back to father and son, neither seeming fully-rested from their journey thusfar. She stepped toward Adam first, moving the long way around his afflicted arm to touch, then gently shake, his opposite shoulder.

"Adam."

The man breathily stirred, his limbs shifting in a vague semblance of protest. The small growths emanating from his hand unlatched from the ground, momentarily arching upward, seeking the sun like plants, before retracting into the rubber that previously bound them. "Adam," Modestine insisted.

The man's head turned, his eyes finding Modestine's from behind the visor of his still-donned hazmat suit. He let out a long sigh, the weary, half-asleep expression on his face rendering it unclear as to whether such came on the back of relief, or whether her face and the plastic obscuring it were mere proof that what he had hoped was a dream was in truth an ongoing struggle. "...Miss Kent."

Modestine smiled, letting out a breath that might have been the beginning of a chuckle, were she in better spirits. "Do you think you can walk?"

The scientist turned his head, attempting to sit up slightly as he took stock of his legs. He bent one knee, then the other, and, with Modestine's backing, brought himself up to a fully-seated position before beginning to stand. "I think so."

Steadying himself at his full height, Adam looked to his son, still asleep near the other end of the small space between trees. Modestine watched, too, the pair sharing what was nearly a full minute of silence between them. "...We'll have to wake him, Adam," she eventually said, pulling her hands away from the man to finally let him stand on his own, "the two of you are going to need a proper place to rest, not to mention food to eat." She caught herself looking at Adam's disfigured hand during the latter half of her words, refocusing on Alex for her own sake. She did not wait for Adam to move, or even agree; she stepped toward Alex herself, mildly shaking his shoulder as she stooped to her knees.

"Alex...? Hey..."

---​

"Shhh..."

Another thunderous crash shook and reverberated through the concrete library. Clutching a young girl to her chest, the librarian watched as the shelves surrounding the open reading area shed their books, perfectly-organized collections falling and sprawling themselves upon the floor. Fistfuls of her blouse were taken up by the girl, the youngling pulling at the cloth as she sought further safety. Even there, huddled within a swarm of other people, the child felt alone, desperate, and afraid.

The librarian took a deep breath. So did she.

"Don't worry, we're going to be fine here, we're going to be okay," she whispered, "Civil Protection is working very hard for everyone. Everyone will be okay..."

Another boom rocked the library.

Mitfühlen reeled from the Entity's strike to the stomach, the grey, lizard-like beast, interlaced with an ever-expanding network of growing and rerouting orange energy lines, sending a claw straight into the machine's midsection as the two struggled against each other. This one, however, seemed to be the strike the Entity hoped for, as despite the Husk's attempt to readjust its footing, the blue titan was shifted just enough to be tossed aside, the Entity flinging its adversary toward the Colony wall and the hills behind. Clouds of dust many stories high erupted into the air, shards of buildings and trees tossed skyward, only to crash back downward again, peppering the landscape with rubble and debris before the clouds could even settle.

Its dealings with the one present Husk seemingly settled, the mass turned toward the library, immediately seeming to hone upon the large mass of people within. Tendrils erupted from its back, shifting forward and enveloping the concrete building as the Husk stepped forward and began to pull upon the structure, growing more tendrils and redoubling its efforts after an initial inability to wrench the building free with the same efforts it did the others.

"Children, if you can hear this, we've got spotters on the mountaintops," came the patchy, static-ridden voice of a Civil Protection member, echoing through the cockpits of the now-active Husks as they charged towards Column. "this...this thing is going for the safety area; we'll try and give you whatever details we can see whenever we can, but all of this is on you now!"

---​

It likely took some doing, but the sewer cover at the edge of Column had finally moved enough for Jeremy and Cain to squeeze themselves out of the small ladder space.

The Mayor's back route had taken them through service tunnels, narrow crawlspaces, maintenance walkways and sewers, the pair finally emerging in an as-yet untouched portion of the colony as the Entity loomed above from the other end of town. Knowledge of the mayor's house was common from early schooling, though the peace of such times likely felt far and away in that moment. The class was younger, and brighter-eyed then, their tour around Column one of their society's many long-standing, carefully-constructed rituals. A visit to the Mayor's home and an introduction to their loving overseer--along with platitudes on how someday perhaps one of the visiting youth might take up residence in that house, always ended their touring day.

If memory served, the building in question was still a few blocks away, and every moment out in the open meant a moment still in grave danger. To the Entity and the Husks coming in from the horizon, the pair on the ground may as well have been ants, unseen amongst the still-standing buildings and the gentle falling of snow-like dust.

 

[simj26]

CainFinally, a breath of fresh air. Cain was never one for cramped, confined spaces like the passageways she had just crawled through. She straightened up, and arched backwards, then moved to stretch her arms. Her headache was beginning to clear up, and, without the haze of pain or the suffocating stuffiness of the clouding her mind, she was thinking much clearly now.

She cast a look around her surroundings, surveying them, trying to get a grasp on where they were. If she remembered right, this was the place where they had their class tour years ago, another ritual of their youth that the colony practiced. The same kind of ritual that got them into this mess, she reminded herself, as her eyes drifted towards the Entity that bore down upon her home. She hoped their parents were fine. She turned away, and chewed on her lower lip. They should be fine. The evacuation should have been successful. There was no way they could have botched that up. Her parents were shrewd, smart people anyway. They knew how to handle themselves.

She raised her hand and looked down at the keys in it. "Answers, huh?" She closed her fingers around them, and turned slightly to address Jeremy. "C'mon, the mayor's home shouldn't be too far." What was this feeling at the bottom of her gut? Guilt? Fear? Whatever it was, it was an unpleasant feeling. Still, nothing was gained from standing around doing nothing...not while there was a giant monster bearing down upon the colony.

 

[The One Eyed Bandit]

"First giant robots and now secret missions." Jeremy walked alongside Cain, steadily navigating down the old, dusty roads of the colony. The two of them might have been children, but they knew the roads as well as any of the settlement's adults. It was the sort of thing that came with the territory of being suffocated by a tiny little town for all of one's life.

"What do you think he's left waiting for us, Vic? I've never really watched any spy films, so..." The young boy held a smile on his face, but his voice was shaky. He'd steeled himself for what was to come, but he wasn't such a bastion of mental fortitude that he was capable of blocking out of feelings of worry and anxiety altogether. Still, he wasn't going to shunt his concerns off onto Cain, or at least, he wouldn't do so anymore.

The sun had dropped close to the horizon by the time the mayor's home came into sight, and the distant beast straddling it cut an ugly silhouette into the soon to be setting sun. The cracks and booms of its battle against Mitfühlen filled the air, haunting the usually peaceful evening sky with an orchestra of warfare. Compared to it, the mayor's relatively impressive home was a tiny little thing, an anthill for Jeremy and Cain to scuttle into for shelter. Jeremy approached it straight on, not wanting to waste any of the time that their friends were buying them.

Well, that was assuming that they were still friends at all.

"I guess there's no point in knocking, is there?" Jeremy joked, urging Cain to put those keys of her to use. "So I guess we just invite ourselves in?"

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