mute
06-03-2001, 05:32 AM
Mankind is dying, and yet they don't know the fact exists. Countries wage
war and resources fade. A new city is born, Alexander. Slowly, the world
flocks to this city, and whoever remains left behind is forgotten. This is
the world now, this grand and gigantic city. As many decades pass by,
patience is lost. The city returns to the old ways of mankind, and insanity
begins anew. However, only in Alexander does it continue, because it is what
is known as the world now."
Alexander has a population of 6.7 billion people. The city lays along the
Atlantic coast, where the vast countries of the United States and Canada
once existed, and it reaches as far west as the Great Lakes. The city is
sparsely populated near the outer regions, but nearer the center it forms
buildings and houses contained within vast complexes.
The whereabouts for all the resources to build this grand city is a mystery.
The energy source for Alexander comes from the center of the Earth, and
where the knowledge and technology to utilize it is undetermined as well. No
one ever considered the thought of this, however. It all grew from a speck
into this giant land, and as a result passed them by like thin air. A lot is
unknown about this place, and this is where the story begins.
Chapter 1: The Creator
"Magic?", the crowd said. They were astonished, but understood what he spoke of now. A man stood infront of a huge crowd of politicians, reporters, scientists and citizens. He looked like he was out of a Science-Fiction Movie, but was indeed real. He wore a suit of great technology, no one had ever seen something like this before. It seemed he wore black-spandex like material, and over his chest, lower arms, thighs and boots was a shiny white metallic casing, with all kinds of wires, buttons, lights and things unexplained. He also wore a helmet with a glass-plated face panel. Although it seemed heavy and rigid, he stood there in comfort and seemed he could move around as if the suit was as light as a feather. He called himself Suron.
He explained his abilities and this new discovery, "My mind has the power to create things from nothing. I call this 'molecular manipulation,'" he told the crowd ,"but in more simple terms, you could call it 'magic'. This suit I wear enhances my abililty. It enhances the power in my brain and body, and if I were to take it off, it would bring complete shock to my body, and I would cease to exist. Nor can another human wear this suit, because the power it transmits to your brain is so powerful, if another human were to wear it, the powers would be so great it would make the brain and body vanish."
The crowd looked in confusion. "There's no way I can explain this any better. Life is so complex that we haven't even began to find it. Our brains are capable of things you only dream of. Again, this is the beginning of a new hope for us."
The crowd quickly started roaring with comments of lies. He then started to do something, to make them believe. "Do you think I can create fire from my hands right now, as I speak?"
The people's rants started to calm. His hands then started to glow and fire appeared. The crowd went silent. "This man's a fake!" a voice shouted out.
The fire suddenly stopped, and Suron pointed his hand to the crowd and a man floated out of the crowd. "Is this fake, sir?" he questioned the man, who was the accuser.
"What are you doing?!," the man screamed. "Put me down!"
The man suddenly dropped to his seat. He was silent now.
"I created this city long ago, but kept myself unknown because of what it might do to the growth of this place. I come forth now, because the once peaceful place this was is no more. We have turned back into the people we once were many, many years ago. This is what I look to change" he replied to the crowd. "My coliegues and I have created a new school, The Academy. It's for 'gifted minds'. Please come forth, Orlandue, David and CalamA.R."
3 men walked onto the platform. One dressed in black armor, wearing a brown hooded cape and on his belt a sword. His hair was pure white as well as his beard. The other dressed in a green gown with yellow trim. The gown seemed like ancient chinese wear, his hair was long brown, and he as well had a beard. The other seemed more mechanical, he had a green glowing eye piece. on his right arm he had no hand but a circular like opening. He wore a dark-green hooded cape and dressed in leather and dark gray armor.
Some of the crowd were amazed, and others laughed. "What is this? A fairy tale?" they asked.
"This is no fairy-tale of knights and wizards. This school will teach these young ones new grounds that were thought impossible, and it will bring a new breed of warriors and peace-keepers for this city. This is reality," Serberon replied. "There is nothing more you will need to know except testing will take place in all grade levels of schools. You need know nothing more as of now."
He gracefully levitated from the platform and disappeared. The 'knights' walked off the platform and under it. The crowd was amazed and roared with questions, but all unanswered. The crowd soon begun to chant, "The Creator has come..."
Chapter 2: The Beginning
He stood there in Center Street, watching this "creator" on the huge Times Square T.V. He couldn't believe his eyes, this was a big deal to him. They heard the chants of the creator, and it ended. The weather came on and everybody returned to their business. He looked around to discover no one cared about what just happened. He heard the occasional group talking about it, and most of them were excited. He wasn't, nor he thought good things were coming from this. He didn't have a clue what was to come. He began the paranoid walk back to his home of depression. His name was Caia.
Times Square was huge, with millions of people full of excitement. People rushed through stores collecting presents for themselves. The diversity of everyone was so grand. From well trimmed to white zombies, you couldn't tell if some people were even human. Caia slipped into an alley way, and jumped into a sewer. It was dark, but light broke through the grates from the above streets. The filth and darkness didn't disturb him, for here he was at peace. He enjoyed it with nobody around, but still missed company as well. All of a sudden, a figure came out of nowhere and threw him to the ground. He growled at Caia, "Give me your cash or valuables now, and I might not hurt your sorry ass!"
Caia was alarmed. He muttered, "I got nothing man. If I had something valuable on me, I wouldn't be walking down here, now would I?"
"Wrong answer," the man replied.
He drew out a knife from his coat and went to stab Caia. As he did it, a blue flash appeared and something hit him. He flew down the sewer tunnel for nearly 50 meters as a result. He got up struggling in pain and moaning, "What the fuck was that?!"
Caia looked over to a small boy dressed in a brown khaki cloak, wearing what seemed to be a pilots hat with goggles around the head. He held a cylinder that looked similar to a gun/cannon, which was far too big for him. "Get out of here now, before I shoot you again," the boy told the mugger.
"What!? you're just a kid," the mugger replied.
The boy stood in silence, and triggered the gun again, judging from the sound. The mugger stood and ran back into the darkness, or at least tried to considering his injuries. "Are you okay?" the boy asked Caia.
"I'm fine now... jesus...thanks for saving my ass just then. I thought I was dead," Caia replied to the boy. "That's quite a piece of machinery you got there," he said, pointing to the weapon.
"Yeah, I guess so," the boy told Caia.
"Why are you down here by yourself anyways?" Caia asked the boy.
"I dunno, just wandering around," he replied, "I don't have a home..."
"Well, that's no good. Wanna come to my place?" Caia asked the boy. "It's the least I can do for you since you did just save my life. Don't expect much though, it's down in the slums."
"Really?!" the boy asked with relief. "Are you sure it's ok?"
"Not a problem at all. I could use the company. What's your name anyways?"
His eyes looked sad, glaring with light, giving off hope. His cloak and pilots hat were raggy and old. His journeys were grand, and still were not over.
"Oh, my name's Arthur, but you can call me A.R.," he replied.
Caia stood telling A.R., "Follow me."
Caia walked as A.R. followed closely behind him. Caia was astonished with this boy and his gun. He seemed lost, and had a sad face. His gun seemed amazingly advanced, no law enforcement even used this kind of technology. Caia kept quiet, though, as the boy didn't seem interested in conversation at the moment.
They came to the end of the sewer, entering an industrial park for the energy plant. A.R. could see some apartment buildings in the distance. "Where are we going? Is this where you live?" asked A.R.
"Look down there," said Caia as he pointed to a train station, "This is our free ride back to the slums."
They walked down and cut under a fence. They approached the train from the opposite side from where the passengers got on and paid. They crept under the train and Caia opened a small door. "How do you know how to do this?" A.R. asked.
"Shhhhh, be quiet.." Caia said as he slipped in through the open door.
They snuck in under the train and waited until it began moving before creeping up into the energy bay. They then walked over into the next cart where passengers sat. The train had an antique appearance, like an old western movie. Lights crackled on and off. No wealthy man travelled on this train. It usually held industrial workers from the energy plant.
They sat in a booth, silent for a bit until Caia asked A.R., "Where'd you get that gun?"
"My dad gave it to me before he died," A.R. replied.
"Where are ya from?"
"I used to live somewhere in this city, but when my dad died I had to run away. I've been lost ever since."
"Where's your mother?" Caia asked.
"I've never met my mother..."
"How old are you?"
"I don't know."
"That's terrible! Well, now you have a place to call home." Caia told A.R.
"Really?! You'd let me stay for a while?" A.R. asked Caia.
"It's no problem, friend."
The train slowly did its spiral descent. It was travelling down below Center Street and Times Square. The night sky and stars were gone now. A.R. looked out the window. Huge pillars could be seen holding the city above them. Since there was no sky, the only light for these parts of Alexander were from sky-lights on the pillars. The lighting from homes, buildings and the streets glared through the foggy smog-mist.
"I've never been down here before!" A.R. said.
Caia looked puzzled. He thought he heard A.R. say that with excitement, but he didn't question him. "Yep, this is the slums, cozy ain't it?"
"Looks neat.." A.R. replied.
"You've never been down here before? You've been wandering around alone for how long?" Caia asked A.R., "Usually lost ones come down here, it's the best place if you've got nothing and you wish to survive. It's real dangerous too, since there's not much law down here, only bounties. This whole city is dangerous if you really think about it."
"I've heard people talk about this place, and I've heard stories. Just never wandered down here, that's all." A.R. said to Caia. "I guess I'm on an adventure. There's so much of this city you've probably never seen. I've been to the outer barriers of this city, like where the earth starts to appeA.R. The homes out there are nice, and and the air seems cleaner too, just not as many people."
"The outer barriers? That's a long ways to go, it would take months just to drive there, not including the traffic," Caia said. "Did you walk all that way?"
"I've just travelled, I guess. I've walked my fair amount. I've also ridden trains and trucks before."
"You're one brave kid....." Caia said smiling at the boy.
The train began its stop. "Ahhh...home sweet home." Caia remarked.
The train stopped and the passengers starting exiting the train. Caia and A.R. were amongst these people. "Next stop, Sector A-7! The train is departing soon!" a conductor shouted as they walked away.
Most of the streets were small around here. Roads for automobiles were scarce. Some people rode on horses or carts, but most transportation was on foot. The trains were only for long distance travelling to different sectors, or in simple terms, other parts of town. Life was different in the slums, nothing was of value down there to the world above. You didn't see citizens walking around with valuable clothing or jewelry. If you saw a person with things of value on them, the chances of them getting mugged, or even killed, were high. If you had nothing of value, then you were pretty safe. Only gang leaders and business owners had such things. Business was low, for the only things of profit were stores, inns and bars. Bounties were created by people down here to keep the chaotic crime low. Law enforcement officials were occasionally seen, but were only there to "try" and keep the slum crime low. The slums were the forgotten part of the city. The population of the slums is mostly people without enough money to live above (which is very poor). Thieves and criminals, or ones who wish to be forgotten from the city above lurked here. Crime was still bad in the great parts of the city, but law enforcement was much harsher.
A.R. held his gun under his cloak, hiding it. He looked like he was carrying a large load, or was hunchbacked. "Isn't that thing too heavy for you?" Caia asked A.R.
"Nope..." he replied.
They continued walking. There were houses that were made out of shrapnel, and people stumbling through the streets. They walked into a bA.R. A.R. looked up to see the sign, "A.J.'s."
"Don't buy any liquor," Caia said, "the stuff he'd serve you would probably kill. And he's probably gonna try and give ya a drink."
"..Oh...okay," A.R. replied.
They walked into a murky bar, not too shabby. "Hey, what's up, comprada," a bald man asked, wearing an eyepatch.
"How's it going, A.J.," Caia said to the bald man.
A.R.'s eyes scrolled through the bA.R. Burnt out light bulbs, broken chairs and shattered glass on the floor. In the corner, he could see 2 junkies sniffing something, what the substance was is probably a mystery. A lonely looking, pale old man sat on a stool by the bar, sipping a glass of liquor. "Who's dis lil' bugger ya got dere?"
A.R. looked up to the bald man with an eye patch, A.J..
"Some kid who saved my life in the sewers above us," Caia said to A.J..
"Dis lil' shit?" A.J. said, "Good job lil' guy."
"..th..tha...thanks," A.R. replied.
"Got a problem dere kid? Wanna drink?" A.J. asked A.R.
"....No thanks," A.R. replied.
"C'mon, it's guud shit."
"Lay off the kid eh?" Caia asked A.J..
"Only jokin', pal, chill out," A.J. said.
"We're going out back," Caia said to A.J..
"Alright, you have a good one ya hear lil' guy," A.J. said.
Caia walked towards a hall. they went by the washrooms. Caia opened a door leading to a stairway. They walked down to a wide open space resembling an apartment. The usual furnishings were in it; a couch, T.V. and computer. A.R. wandered around, the only other rooms in the place were a kitchen, bedroom and balcony. The place looked beaten around. Holes were in the walls, with chipping, peeling paint. A fan spun above him in the main room, and most light bulbs were dim or burnt out.
"Like it?" Caia asked A.R. "It's pretty much free too."
"I guess so," A.R. said to Caia.
"Hahah," Caia laughed, "This is it, I get everything free here pretty much. All I do is help around the place, bartend some nights if A.J. goes out. A.J. and his friends come party here some nights, but usually it's just me here alone."
"That's cool..." A.R. replied.
"If you don't like it, you can leave anytime, it's fine with me," Caia said to A.R. smiling.
"Oh, no, I like this place. I've never really lived anywhere before," A.R. said to Caia.
"Stay here as long as you want, friend. I usually wouldn't let some stranger stay here, but, there's something about ya that's funny. Like, I know you wouldn't do anything like steal, or kill me., Caia said to A.R.
"Oh, please don't think I'd do something like that, I'm not like that," A.R. said to Caia, "If I wanted to rob ya, I would have in the sewers already."
Caia laughed, and A.R. smiled.
"Tell me where you really found that gun," said Caia, "It's remarkable, I think. I've never seen a gun like that before."
"I told you already, didn't I? My father gave it to me before he died, or got killed," A.R. said to Caia.
"Killed?" Caia asked.
"He was killed by people who didn't like what he was doing, I guess," A.R. replied.
"What did he do?" Caia asked A.R.
"He was an engineer for some really smart scientists," A.R. replied, "He could build a lot of cool stuff."
"Wow, hey, I hope you don't mind if I'm asking you these question. Do you want me to stop?" Caia said.
"Oh no, I don't mind at all. I like talking about my father," A.R. said.
"Great. So your father made that gun?" Caia asked A.R.
"Yep, this is the first one he built, and the only one, I think." A.R. replied.
"So, why'd he give it to you?"
"I dunno. I was sleeping one night, and he woke me up and gave it to me. He seemed upset. He told me to take it and run away, because bad things were coming. He didn't want me to get hurt, and the gun to fall in the wrong hands. He only trusted me with this gun. He told me it would protect me," A.R. said to Caia.
".....wow, that sounds weird. So you've been wandering around all this time, and that guns helped protect you?" Caia asked A.R.
"Yep. Well, I've had to fire it at people before, but they were bad people, people who tried to hurt me or steal it," the boy replied.
A.R. yawned.
"I say again, you sound like one brave kid," Caia said, "Well, you can chill here as long as you want."
"Can I go outside and come back?" A.R. asked Caia.
"Oh yea, that's no prob. Don't worry, A.J. won't do anything. He's a pretty cool guy after ya get to know him ," Caia said, "I'm going to bed, I'm going to the surface tomorrow to visit some friends at my old school."
"A school?!" A.R. asked Caia with interest.
"Yep, you're welcome to join me if you'd like," Caia said.
"Really? Wow, I haven't been to a school since my father died," A.R. said.
"Well, I'll wake ya up in the morning. I'm tired, and you look like you are too. Night," Caia said, going into his room and turning off the light.
"...night," A.R. replied in a quiet voice.
He looked out the balcony window. Caia's place looked over the slums. His place was the basement of A.J.'s, but on top of an apartment building. A.R. looked into the forever murky night sky. He laid on the couch, where he would have a comfortable night's rest for once. He glared into the night and fell asleep....
------------------
............
war and resources fade. A new city is born, Alexander. Slowly, the world
flocks to this city, and whoever remains left behind is forgotten. This is
the world now, this grand and gigantic city. As many decades pass by,
patience is lost. The city returns to the old ways of mankind, and insanity
begins anew. However, only in Alexander does it continue, because it is what
is known as the world now."
Alexander has a population of 6.7 billion people. The city lays along the
Atlantic coast, where the vast countries of the United States and Canada
once existed, and it reaches as far west as the Great Lakes. The city is
sparsely populated near the outer regions, but nearer the center it forms
buildings and houses contained within vast complexes.
The whereabouts for all the resources to build this grand city is a mystery.
The energy source for Alexander comes from the center of the Earth, and
where the knowledge and technology to utilize it is undetermined as well. No
one ever considered the thought of this, however. It all grew from a speck
into this giant land, and as a result passed them by like thin air. A lot is
unknown about this place, and this is where the story begins.
Chapter 1: The Creator
"Magic?", the crowd said. They were astonished, but understood what he spoke of now. A man stood infront of a huge crowd of politicians, reporters, scientists and citizens. He looked like he was out of a Science-Fiction Movie, but was indeed real. He wore a suit of great technology, no one had ever seen something like this before. It seemed he wore black-spandex like material, and over his chest, lower arms, thighs and boots was a shiny white metallic casing, with all kinds of wires, buttons, lights and things unexplained. He also wore a helmet with a glass-plated face panel. Although it seemed heavy and rigid, he stood there in comfort and seemed he could move around as if the suit was as light as a feather. He called himself Suron.
He explained his abilities and this new discovery, "My mind has the power to create things from nothing. I call this 'molecular manipulation,'" he told the crowd ,"but in more simple terms, you could call it 'magic'. This suit I wear enhances my abililty. It enhances the power in my brain and body, and if I were to take it off, it would bring complete shock to my body, and I would cease to exist. Nor can another human wear this suit, because the power it transmits to your brain is so powerful, if another human were to wear it, the powers would be so great it would make the brain and body vanish."
The crowd looked in confusion. "There's no way I can explain this any better. Life is so complex that we haven't even began to find it. Our brains are capable of things you only dream of. Again, this is the beginning of a new hope for us."
The crowd quickly started roaring with comments of lies. He then started to do something, to make them believe. "Do you think I can create fire from my hands right now, as I speak?"
The people's rants started to calm. His hands then started to glow and fire appeared. The crowd went silent. "This man's a fake!" a voice shouted out.
The fire suddenly stopped, and Suron pointed his hand to the crowd and a man floated out of the crowd. "Is this fake, sir?" he questioned the man, who was the accuser.
"What are you doing?!," the man screamed. "Put me down!"
The man suddenly dropped to his seat. He was silent now.
"I created this city long ago, but kept myself unknown because of what it might do to the growth of this place. I come forth now, because the once peaceful place this was is no more. We have turned back into the people we once were many, many years ago. This is what I look to change" he replied to the crowd. "My coliegues and I have created a new school, The Academy. It's for 'gifted minds'. Please come forth, Orlandue, David and CalamA.R."
3 men walked onto the platform. One dressed in black armor, wearing a brown hooded cape and on his belt a sword. His hair was pure white as well as his beard. The other dressed in a green gown with yellow trim. The gown seemed like ancient chinese wear, his hair was long brown, and he as well had a beard. The other seemed more mechanical, he had a green glowing eye piece. on his right arm he had no hand but a circular like opening. He wore a dark-green hooded cape and dressed in leather and dark gray armor.
Some of the crowd were amazed, and others laughed. "What is this? A fairy tale?" they asked.
"This is no fairy-tale of knights and wizards. This school will teach these young ones new grounds that were thought impossible, and it will bring a new breed of warriors and peace-keepers for this city. This is reality," Serberon replied. "There is nothing more you will need to know except testing will take place in all grade levels of schools. You need know nothing more as of now."
He gracefully levitated from the platform and disappeared. The 'knights' walked off the platform and under it. The crowd was amazed and roared with questions, but all unanswered. The crowd soon begun to chant, "The Creator has come..."
Chapter 2: The Beginning
He stood there in Center Street, watching this "creator" on the huge Times Square T.V. He couldn't believe his eyes, this was a big deal to him. They heard the chants of the creator, and it ended. The weather came on and everybody returned to their business. He looked around to discover no one cared about what just happened. He heard the occasional group talking about it, and most of them were excited. He wasn't, nor he thought good things were coming from this. He didn't have a clue what was to come. He began the paranoid walk back to his home of depression. His name was Caia.
Times Square was huge, with millions of people full of excitement. People rushed through stores collecting presents for themselves. The diversity of everyone was so grand. From well trimmed to white zombies, you couldn't tell if some people were even human. Caia slipped into an alley way, and jumped into a sewer. It was dark, but light broke through the grates from the above streets. The filth and darkness didn't disturb him, for here he was at peace. He enjoyed it with nobody around, but still missed company as well. All of a sudden, a figure came out of nowhere and threw him to the ground. He growled at Caia, "Give me your cash or valuables now, and I might not hurt your sorry ass!"
Caia was alarmed. He muttered, "I got nothing man. If I had something valuable on me, I wouldn't be walking down here, now would I?"
"Wrong answer," the man replied.
He drew out a knife from his coat and went to stab Caia. As he did it, a blue flash appeared and something hit him. He flew down the sewer tunnel for nearly 50 meters as a result. He got up struggling in pain and moaning, "What the fuck was that?!"
Caia looked over to a small boy dressed in a brown khaki cloak, wearing what seemed to be a pilots hat with goggles around the head. He held a cylinder that looked similar to a gun/cannon, which was far too big for him. "Get out of here now, before I shoot you again," the boy told the mugger.
"What!? you're just a kid," the mugger replied.
The boy stood in silence, and triggered the gun again, judging from the sound. The mugger stood and ran back into the darkness, or at least tried to considering his injuries. "Are you okay?" the boy asked Caia.
"I'm fine now... jesus...thanks for saving my ass just then. I thought I was dead," Caia replied to the boy. "That's quite a piece of machinery you got there," he said, pointing to the weapon.
"Yeah, I guess so," the boy told Caia.
"Why are you down here by yourself anyways?" Caia asked the boy.
"I dunno, just wandering around," he replied, "I don't have a home..."
"Well, that's no good. Wanna come to my place?" Caia asked the boy. "It's the least I can do for you since you did just save my life. Don't expect much though, it's down in the slums."
"Really?!" the boy asked with relief. "Are you sure it's ok?"
"Not a problem at all. I could use the company. What's your name anyways?"
His eyes looked sad, glaring with light, giving off hope. His cloak and pilots hat were raggy and old. His journeys were grand, and still were not over.
"Oh, my name's Arthur, but you can call me A.R.," he replied.
Caia stood telling A.R., "Follow me."
Caia walked as A.R. followed closely behind him. Caia was astonished with this boy and his gun. He seemed lost, and had a sad face. His gun seemed amazingly advanced, no law enforcement even used this kind of technology. Caia kept quiet, though, as the boy didn't seem interested in conversation at the moment.
They came to the end of the sewer, entering an industrial park for the energy plant. A.R. could see some apartment buildings in the distance. "Where are we going? Is this where you live?" asked A.R.
"Look down there," said Caia as he pointed to a train station, "This is our free ride back to the slums."
They walked down and cut under a fence. They approached the train from the opposite side from where the passengers got on and paid. They crept under the train and Caia opened a small door. "How do you know how to do this?" A.R. asked.
"Shhhhh, be quiet.." Caia said as he slipped in through the open door.
They snuck in under the train and waited until it began moving before creeping up into the energy bay. They then walked over into the next cart where passengers sat. The train had an antique appearance, like an old western movie. Lights crackled on and off. No wealthy man travelled on this train. It usually held industrial workers from the energy plant.
They sat in a booth, silent for a bit until Caia asked A.R., "Where'd you get that gun?"
"My dad gave it to me before he died," A.R. replied.
"Where are ya from?"
"I used to live somewhere in this city, but when my dad died I had to run away. I've been lost ever since."
"Where's your mother?" Caia asked.
"I've never met my mother..."
"How old are you?"
"I don't know."
"That's terrible! Well, now you have a place to call home." Caia told A.R.
"Really?! You'd let me stay for a while?" A.R. asked Caia.
"It's no problem, friend."
The train slowly did its spiral descent. It was travelling down below Center Street and Times Square. The night sky and stars were gone now. A.R. looked out the window. Huge pillars could be seen holding the city above them. Since there was no sky, the only light for these parts of Alexander were from sky-lights on the pillars. The lighting from homes, buildings and the streets glared through the foggy smog-mist.
"I've never been down here before!" A.R. said.
Caia looked puzzled. He thought he heard A.R. say that with excitement, but he didn't question him. "Yep, this is the slums, cozy ain't it?"
"Looks neat.." A.R. replied.
"You've never been down here before? You've been wandering around alone for how long?" Caia asked A.R., "Usually lost ones come down here, it's the best place if you've got nothing and you wish to survive. It's real dangerous too, since there's not much law down here, only bounties. This whole city is dangerous if you really think about it."
"I've heard people talk about this place, and I've heard stories. Just never wandered down here, that's all." A.R. said to Caia. "I guess I'm on an adventure. There's so much of this city you've probably never seen. I've been to the outer barriers of this city, like where the earth starts to appeA.R. The homes out there are nice, and and the air seems cleaner too, just not as many people."
"The outer barriers? That's a long ways to go, it would take months just to drive there, not including the traffic," Caia said. "Did you walk all that way?"
"I've just travelled, I guess. I've walked my fair amount. I've also ridden trains and trucks before."
"You're one brave kid....." Caia said smiling at the boy.
The train began its stop. "Ahhh...home sweet home." Caia remarked.
The train stopped and the passengers starting exiting the train. Caia and A.R. were amongst these people. "Next stop, Sector A-7! The train is departing soon!" a conductor shouted as they walked away.
Most of the streets were small around here. Roads for automobiles were scarce. Some people rode on horses or carts, but most transportation was on foot. The trains were only for long distance travelling to different sectors, or in simple terms, other parts of town. Life was different in the slums, nothing was of value down there to the world above. You didn't see citizens walking around with valuable clothing or jewelry. If you saw a person with things of value on them, the chances of them getting mugged, or even killed, were high. If you had nothing of value, then you were pretty safe. Only gang leaders and business owners had such things. Business was low, for the only things of profit were stores, inns and bars. Bounties were created by people down here to keep the chaotic crime low. Law enforcement officials were occasionally seen, but were only there to "try" and keep the slum crime low. The slums were the forgotten part of the city. The population of the slums is mostly people without enough money to live above (which is very poor). Thieves and criminals, or ones who wish to be forgotten from the city above lurked here. Crime was still bad in the great parts of the city, but law enforcement was much harsher.
A.R. held his gun under his cloak, hiding it. He looked like he was carrying a large load, or was hunchbacked. "Isn't that thing too heavy for you?" Caia asked A.R.
"Nope..." he replied.
They continued walking. There were houses that were made out of shrapnel, and people stumbling through the streets. They walked into a bA.R. A.R. looked up to see the sign, "A.J.'s."
"Don't buy any liquor," Caia said, "the stuff he'd serve you would probably kill. And he's probably gonna try and give ya a drink."
"..Oh...okay," A.R. replied.
They walked into a murky bar, not too shabby. "Hey, what's up, comprada," a bald man asked, wearing an eyepatch.
"How's it going, A.J.," Caia said to the bald man.
A.R.'s eyes scrolled through the bA.R. Burnt out light bulbs, broken chairs and shattered glass on the floor. In the corner, he could see 2 junkies sniffing something, what the substance was is probably a mystery. A lonely looking, pale old man sat on a stool by the bar, sipping a glass of liquor. "Who's dis lil' bugger ya got dere?"
A.R. looked up to the bald man with an eye patch, A.J..
"Some kid who saved my life in the sewers above us," Caia said to A.J..
"Dis lil' shit?" A.J. said, "Good job lil' guy."
"..th..tha...thanks," A.R. replied.
"Got a problem dere kid? Wanna drink?" A.J. asked A.R.
"....No thanks," A.R. replied.
"C'mon, it's guud shit."
"Lay off the kid eh?" Caia asked A.J..
"Only jokin', pal, chill out," A.J. said.
"We're going out back," Caia said to A.J..
"Alright, you have a good one ya hear lil' guy," A.J. said.
Caia walked towards a hall. they went by the washrooms. Caia opened a door leading to a stairway. They walked down to a wide open space resembling an apartment. The usual furnishings were in it; a couch, T.V. and computer. A.R. wandered around, the only other rooms in the place were a kitchen, bedroom and balcony. The place looked beaten around. Holes were in the walls, with chipping, peeling paint. A fan spun above him in the main room, and most light bulbs were dim or burnt out.
"Like it?" Caia asked A.R. "It's pretty much free too."
"I guess so," A.R. said to Caia.
"Hahah," Caia laughed, "This is it, I get everything free here pretty much. All I do is help around the place, bartend some nights if A.J. goes out. A.J. and his friends come party here some nights, but usually it's just me here alone."
"That's cool..." A.R. replied.
"If you don't like it, you can leave anytime, it's fine with me," Caia said to A.R. smiling.
"Oh, no, I like this place. I've never really lived anywhere before," A.R. said to Caia.
"Stay here as long as you want, friend. I usually wouldn't let some stranger stay here, but, there's something about ya that's funny. Like, I know you wouldn't do anything like steal, or kill me., Caia said to A.R.
"Oh, please don't think I'd do something like that, I'm not like that," A.R. said to Caia, "If I wanted to rob ya, I would have in the sewers already."
Caia laughed, and A.R. smiled.
"Tell me where you really found that gun," said Caia, "It's remarkable, I think. I've never seen a gun like that before."
"I told you already, didn't I? My father gave it to me before he died, or got killed," A.R. said to Caia.
"Killed?" Caia asked.
"He was killed by people who didn't like what he was doing, I guess," A.R. replied.
"What did he do?" Caia asked A.R.
"He was an engineer for some really smart scientists," A.R. replied, "He could build a lot of cool stuff."
"Wow, hey, I hope you don't mind if I'm asking you these question. Do you want me to stop?" Caia said.
"Oh no, I don't mind at all. I like talking about my father," A.R. said.
"Great. So your father made that gun?" Caia asked A.R.
"Yep, this is the first one he built, and the only one, I think." A.R. replied.
"So, why'd he give it to you?"
"I dunno. I was sleeping one night, and he woke me up and gave it to me. He seemed upset. He told me to take it and run away, because bad things were coming. He didn't want me to get hurt, and the gun to fall in the wrong hands. He only trusted me with this gun. He told me it would protect me," A.R. said to Caia.
".....wow, that sounds weird. So you've been wandering around all this time, and that guns helped protect you?" Caia asked A.R.
"Yep. Well, I've had to fire it at people before, but they were bad people, people who tried to hurt me or steal it," the boy replied.
A.R. yawned.
"I say again, you sound like one brave kid," Caia said, "Well, you can chill here as long as you want."
"Can I go outside and come back?" A.R. asked Caia.
"Oh yea, that's no prob. Don't worry, A.J. won't do anything. He's a pretty cool guy after ya get to know him ," Caia said, "I'm going to bed, I'm going to the surface tomorrow to visit some friends at my old school."
"A school?!" A.R. asked Caia with interest.
"Yep, you're welcome to join me if you'd like," Caia said.
"Really? Wow, I haven't been to a school since my father died," A.R. said.
"Well, I'll wake ya up in the morning. I'm tired, and you look like you are too. Night," Caia said, going into his room and turning off the light.
"...night," A.R. replied in a quiet voice.
He looked out the balcony window. Caia's place looked over the slums. His place was the basement of A.J.'s, but on top of an apartment building. A.R. looked into the forever murky night sky. He laid on the couch, where he would have a comfortable night's rest for once. He glared into the night and fell asleep....
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