The next day.
As discussed during the party yesterday, Team Fox and Friends decided not to convene today and instead take a day off to rest. Aether, however, had no time to rest for he had a shift that morning.
While he dressed, he stifled a yawn that threatened to leave his mouth. Last night’s affairs had resulted in him getting less than three hours of sleep, leaving him weary.
After wearing his socks and checking his pockets, Aether turned to glance at the sleeping Mei. He saw her lie sprawled next to the living room’s coffee table, having kicked off her blanket. After having eaten the snacks and pastries that he had brought her, Mei had not returned to her room and instead had decided to sleep next to him.
She had even clutched onto the corner of his t-shirt while sleeping; an old habit of hers that she had stopped doing after moving to a room of her own.
Suppressing the smirk that rose at the corners of his lips, Aether walked over to her and properly covered her with her blanket. It was a futile effort but he did it anyway.
After leaving her a message on her communicator that he was leaving for work, Aether exited the apartment after wearing his shoes and mask.
The time was in the wee hours of the morning yet the activity on the streets of District 4 was more or less the same as always. Crowds of humans populated the roads and the stations with some leaving for work and others returning.
The sky up above was also familiar; growling and thundering with relentless fury. The coils of lightning that intermittently struck were the only sources of light illuminating this otherwise dark world. Of course, the neon-coloured city never stopped glowing.
Evading the proselytising cultists chirping in the streets and ignoring the uninterrupted stream of mind-numbing advertisements, Aether travelled on the monorail and finally arrived at his job’s location.
Entering the thick, windowless building, Aether was greeted by his friend and colleague in this job, Luther.
“You’re late… and tired. What happened?” The taller, middle-aged man asked him.
Stifling another yawn, Aether tiredly replied. “Girl trouble.”
A look of understanding flashed across Luther’s eyes as he asked, “Girlfriend?”
“Worse,” Aether replied with a shrug. He then looked around, greeted a few familiar faces amongst his colleagues and shot Luther a question. “Why is only half the workforce gathered today? Where are the others?”
“Did you forget?” said Luther. “Today’s the last day on this job.” He then pointed at the grim-looking older man standing some distance away, and explained, “The old devil cut off the rest and is having only the ones gathered here to finish the job.”
“Tch,” Aether clicked his tongue. “More work for the same pay, huh? Or is he giving us a raise?”
Luther scoffed at his question. “Yeah, right.”
“I suppose that’s a no.” Aether shook his head. This was a textbook example of worker exploitation.
A sly smile appeared on Aether’s face as he suddenly neared Luther. He then whispered into the middle-aged man’s ears, “Say, should we form a party and strike?”
Luther felt a chill go down his spine. He then hurriedly pushed away the crazy youth and furtively glanced at his surroundings. After confirming that no one was near enough to accidentally hear his words, he scolded through suppressed breath. “Are you crazy?”
“Haha, nope! I’m just Aether,” he replied with a lame joke.
“Bastard! If you’re so keen to commit suicide, do it in a place where there’s nobody around you. Why drag me into this?” Luther fumed.
“Come on, it was a joke,” Aether giggled dumbly.
“Hahaha,” Luther mirthlessly laughed. “Stupid f*cker.” He cursed.
Uttering words such as ‘strikes’ or ‘unions’ in your place of employment was akin to walking up to a cultist and saying that his religion was fake. It was one of the stupidest ways to kill oneself.
Watching Luther’s terrified reaction filled Aether with immense satisfaction. His daily quota of teasing others was successfully fulfilled.
The duo then continued to inanely chat with each other for some more time before they, and the other workers, were called to suit up and enter their designated transport vehicle.
With practised familiarity, Aether went about his tasks and finally boarded the transport vehicle. After seating himself somewhere in the middle of the vehicle, he closed his eyes and decided to catch up on his sleep until they arrived.
The engine came alive with a dull roar of the engine and the transport vehicle soon began moving. Leaving the city, it slowly headed to another segment of the Wall; the only remaining portion that had to be cleared.
---
Three hours later.
Inside Grid 1143.
“What happened next? Tell us!” A worker who had been busily shovelling the mountain of crushed debris underneath his feet paused his work for a moment and eagerly asked.
A short, stout man with a comical appearance glanced around at the eager faces of his colleagues and humorously replied, “I said, ‘My daughter? I hardly know her!’ Hahahaha!” He burst into loud laughter. Some of his colleagues followed.
The worker who had asked him this question looked dumbfounded, and asked, “You did not!?!”
“I did!” The stout man replied with absolute certainty.
“But what if she really is your daughter?” The worker asked.
“Oh, please.” The stout man waved his hands. “That b*tch looked old enough to be my mother!”
“Now, Lud. Why you gotta bring your mama into this?” Another worker asked the stout man from the back.
“Oh, crap. I’m sorry, Seed,” Lud, the short and stout man, promptly turned back and apologised. He then looked at the speaker with a sincere expression and said, “I’ll be sure to take your mama out tonight so that she doesn't feel left out.”
“WHOOOAAAAA!!~” The crowd of workers exclaimed in unison.
Lud snickered to himself while Seed’s face turned dark like the sky above. His popping veins and clenched fists made it seem like he was about to lunge at the stout man at any second. However, just before he was about to move, a hand arrived and rested atop his shoulder.
Turning around, Seed saw Aether’s face appear next to him. “Look man, Aether. He made fun of my mama, man! I gotta do something about it.”
Continuing to pat his shoulder, Aether only said one word. “Relax.” He then turned to look at the jubilant-looking Lud and spoke. “Come on now, Lud. Why do you have to make fun of Seed’s mother like that?”
Seeing Aether stand up for Seed, Lud’s brows furrowed. He said, “You stay out of this, pretty boy. You weren’t even here in the first place.”
His usual smile plastered on his face, Aether consoled. “Oh, don’t be like that, Lud. We’re family!” He cheerfully exclaimed.
“What?” With a look of utter incomprehension, Lud looked at Aether, stupefied.
“Family! You and me.” Aether gestured between the two of them. The playful smile on his face widened as he continued. “I was just with you sister, you know? That’s why I was late.”
Looking at Lud’s confusion, Aether asked with an expression of total earnestly. “Did she not tell you?”
“Bastard! Lud screamed. His confusion turned into reason which then gave way to anger. He finally understood that Aether was mocking him.
“Who me? No, no, no.” Aether calmly shook his head. “That would be your brother.” He looked at Lud with a smirk.
Lud trembled from rage. The snickers and laughter of his colleagues caused his ears to turn red and his face to become hot. Unable to remain on the receiving end, he hissed. “I don’t even have a brother!”
“Oh, but you will,” Aether evenly replied, seemingly having expected this response. He then looked at Lud with a gaze of superiority as he finished. “In nine months, that is.”
‘You will have a brother in nine months.’ Only utterly brain-dead people would be unable to understand his meaning. The workers gathered here were not and were clearly versed in the art of vulgar speech.
“My mother is dead, you as*hole!!” Lud screeched. The laughter and guffaws coming from the surroundings suddenly quietened down.
No matter how much two people hated each other, insulting a dead person was of poor taste. The workers’ eyes quickly turned to look at Aether, expecting his reply.
Aether, on the other hand, froze with a cramped smile on his face. Truth be told, he hadn’t been expecting this. He, who had been so proud of his glorious punchline, now stood awkwardly.
‘Could he be lying?’ Aether was immediately suspicious. He glanced at Lud, only to find hot tears pouring out of his which were hidden behind his visor. At this sight, Aether knew… he had fu*cked up!
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.
However, what was said had already been spoken. He could not retrieve his words. Additionally, Aether wasn’t the type of person to willingly draw the short end of a stick. Rather than suffering a total loss, he would…
Taking a deep breath, he said, “Well, she did feel rather cold.”
…crash and burn.
---
Fifteen minutes later.
Luther shot a disgusted look at the person next to him, The latter tried to reduce his presence as much as possible and quietly shovelled the waste.
“‘She did feel rather cold’” Luther repeated Aether’s spoken words from earlier. With the disgust in his eyes compounding, he asked, “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Aether did not reply and instead quietly shrunk away.
“Not only did you insult a dead woman in front of her son,” Luther breathed. “But instead of apologising after learning of your mistake, you continued with your horrible, horrible joke. Again, I ask you. What the hell is wrong with you?”
Aether shrank even farther.
“Did your brain get eaten by maggots?”
He didn’t reply.
“Has your conscience been traded away?”
He didn’t reply.
“For goodness’ sake, man! Say something!” Luther bellowed.
“I fu*cked up, okay!” Aether cried. “I was sleep-deprived, my thoughts were all over the place, and my mouth blabbered nonsense in the heat of the moment.”
“That’s your defence?” asked Luther. “That you were sleep-deprived?”
“...yes?” voiced Aether, unsure.
“You’re a horrible person,” declared Luther.
“Hah… I know,” he sighed. Though he had admitted to that, a tiny corner of his heart felt immensely satisfied by his trash talk.
He would never admit it out loud though. Unless he wanted to be shunned by society and looked everywhere with the same gaze that Luther was looking at him with now.
The two of them then continued to shovel the waste under their feet in silence. They moved busily and loaded the floating carrier next to them, sorting the garbage by type. Having worked the same job for the last two weeks, the duo was entirely proficient with the task.
Time passed and soon everyone forgot about the debacle from earlier. Under everyone’s united efforts, the final portion of the grid overlooking the large, river-sized moat filled with toxic waste material was finally cleared.
Shovelling the final load of waste into the load carrier, Aether stomped at the ground with his boot to flatten the upturned earth. He then rested the heavy shovel against his shoulder and looked around.
“It’s finally all cleared,” Aether spoke with satisfaction.
This earth, previously filled with blood, metal, and bodies, now returned to its olden state of cracked earth and blackened soil. Seeing the infinite stretches of land where nothing grew be restored to its previous state of emptiness, a smile appeared on Aether’s face.
Before him lay the vast moat that caused the various instruments within his hazardous suit to go crazy with their readings. And past the radioactive waters of the moat, stood the impossibly tall walls of Eden.
The place where he stood now was the closest point that people could approach unarmed. To step any further would mean triggering the security measures of the sanctuary. The result of such an action would obviously spell their death.
The old foreman had already informed and warned Aether, and the rest of his colleagues, multiple times to watch their steps. He told them that should they cross this invisible line, their lives would be instantly forfeit. Fortunately, none of his colleagues seemed especially keen on dying and paid careful attention to the old foreman’s words.
Still, fate was a fickle mistress.
As Aether was gazing at the tall walls with a complicated expression on his face, he suddenly heard his colleagues in the distance stir. Turning his attention to the source of the noise, he heard the commotion.
“Hey! Crazy motherf*cker!! Stop moving! Didn’t you hear the old devil!!” A worker screamed.
“Oh god, that stupid bastard!~ Why does he keep walking!?!” Another groaned with frustration.
“Wait! I know that guy! He’s deaf!” An acquaintance of the fellow who was being cursed at spoke up.
“Deaf? Deaf!? How the f*ck can he be deaf!?!” Someone raged.
“I don’t f*cking know! I just know that he’s deaf, okay!? He can’t hear you screaming at him!!” The acquaintance from earlier answered with exasperation.
“Where’s the old devil? Is he here!?” A cautious worker asked.
“No! Why would that as*hole be here? F*ck this!! Should we just go and grab him!?” A worker proposed with bitterness.
Hearing that sentence, Aether immediately screamed at the top of his lungs. “NO!! Don’t step over the line! You WILL be killed!” He warned with utter surety.
His scream was oddly resounding and drew notice from every colleague present in the scene. As they all turned to look at him, the worker acquainted with the person treading beyond the invisible line asked anxiously. “What do you propose we do!? We can’t just let him die!”
Aether, having arrived at the scene of the commotion, looked at his distant colleague who was treading deeper into the no man’s land with blissful ignorance and bit his lips. His mind whirred with activity and searched for a solution.
“H-hey! Wh-what’s that?” Someone from the gathered crowd mumbled with a terrified expression on their face, pointing toward the distant wall.
Possessing eyes that were sharper than the rest, Aether focused his gaze in the direction of the man’s pointing. And there, in the distant barrier of ashy silver and grey, he saw it.
The appearance of eerie blackness the size of a human’s palm.
Its dark colour made it all the more noticeable in the light-coloured background, making sure that not a single person gathered outside the wall could miss its appearance.
The instant Aether noticed its arrival, he screamed with a conditioned reflex. “GET DOWN!! KNEEL WITH YOUR HEADS TOUCHING THE GROUND AND YOUR ARMS SPREAD OUT!!!”
Then, he did not dare waste time looking at the other and acted according to his instructions out of pure instinct. His knees landed heavily on the blackened earth. His head bowed fully until it touched the cracked soil. His hands dropped the shovel that he was carrying and spread in worship.
Aether’s appearance was reminiscent of the most pious worshippers of religion. Not a shred of defiance or rebelliousness was present within his heart. Most importantly, he did not dare raise his head.
An instant passed and Aether heard the people around him drop to their knees and follow his instructions. He could only hope that every one of the workers would give value to his words and follow his instructions. For if they didn’t, he knew without fail…
…that they would die. Unconditionally and unequivocally.
A moment passed in silence and then, everyone heard it. The sound of compressed air exploding.
The sound was sudden and akin to the thunder that rang in the heavens. It filled their hearts with heaviness and made their bodies instinctively tremble. And then, as suddenly as it came, the sound retreated.
Utter silence blanketed the space following its retreat. The workers dared not breathe, much less move their bodies.
After waiting for thirty seconds post the disappearance of the sound, Aether slowly raised his head. And then, he saw it.
The poor bloke who had ventured beyond the invisible line lay on black earth with the upper half of his body missing. His intestines, half-charred from the attack, spilled out of his body and lay sprawled.
He wasn’t just dead. He was utterly massacred.
---
Fifteen minutes later.
Inside the transport vehicle.
“How many times did I tell you, retards?” The old foreman hoarsely spoke. “How many dozen times did I repeat my warnings?”
“Don’t. Cross. The f*cking. Line!” His gravel-like voice enunciated each word. “Which part of that wasn’t f*cking clear!?” He bellowed.
The rest of the workers remained quiet. Their heads were lowered in mourning.
“Haah~” The old foreman sighed. What had happened had happened. There was no point regretting it now. He then massaged his forehead and mentally estimated how much trouble this was going to bring him. “So f*cking useless.”
He then got up, glared at all the workers one more time, and then turned around. “Return to the city!” He ordered.
The transport vehicle roared once again and began its return to District 4.
Aether, who sat at the back of the vehicle, stared at the floor blankly. His mind continuously replayed the scene of his colleague dying. While he hadn’t seen it, he knew.
He knew better than any single person present here, what had killed him and how his colleague had died.
Staring blankly at the metal floor, Aether’s mouth subconsciously uttered a single word.
“...Michael.”
---
It was unknown how much time had passed and how he had gotten here. Frankly speaking, everything that happened after the death of his nameless colleague had been a blur within Aether’s head.
Before he knew it, he found himself at his relaxation spot, atop the ruins of the abandoned district of the city.
Aether huddled himself and sat at the edge of the building. His knees, which he hugged to provide him with some warmth, hugged his head in their embrace. Exhaling a breath of foul air, he quietly peeked at the faraway walls standing tall in the distance.
“Goddammit. My chest feels so stuffy,” he spat out his thoughts. “I did my best. My warning saved everyone else. I couldn’t have done anything to save that idiot who wandered into no man’s land.”
“There’s nothing that I could have done. It’s not my fault.” Aether firmly shook his head.
However, while his mouth told so, his thoughts ran contrary. A creeping doubt crept into his mind while itching guilt scratched at his heart.
A cynical voice repeated itself within his mind. ‘Do you really believe that you could not have done anything to save him? Hah! Admit it. You didn’t even try!”
Like the ravings of the devil, it whispered. ‘You knew what guards those walls. You knew how it kills intruders. Yet, you chose to do nothing! You callously stood behind and watched that man walk towards his demise!’
“There was no time. I couldn’t have done anything,” Aether bitterly absolved himself.
The voice scoffed. ‘Really? Then what if instead of that man, it was Mei? Would you still stay behind, cower like a coward, and let her die? Will you watch as her body is disintegrated by an attack? As her head is shattered and her spine is pulled?’
“That will never happen,” Aether shook his head with conviction. “I will never let it happen.’
‘Admit it! You could have prevented that man’s death! You could have saved his life! You CHOSE to NOT do it!!’ The voice screamed.
‘You chose to not save him, just like you chose not to save–!’ Aether’s communicator suddenly rang, snapping him out of his daze.
The absentminded expression on his face disappeared and turned neutral. He then retrieved his communicator and accepted the call. “Hey, Gocks! What’s up?” Aether spoke cheerfully.
[I got a job for you. Interested?] asked the voice from the communicator.
“Of course, I do. Why even ask?” Aether rolled his eyes. “Where and when?”
[Industrial District. Stainless Steel Street. You’re familiar with the Artificial Meat Processing Factory over there, right?]
“You mean the one owned by Lowes?” asked Aether after searching his memories.
[Exactly. Come here within the hour.]
“What’s the pay?” asked Aether.
[110 credit/hour. The job is packing some meat. Nothing too difficult. You only need to keep your mouth shut.]
“Oh,” voiced Aether. He then thought about it for a moment and replied, “Alright. I’ll see you there.” He then said his goodbyes and cut the calls.
Aether then stared at his communicator for a few seconds before putting it away. Looking up at the sky, he watched the rumbling clouds for a few moments before saying. “The weather is quite decent today, huh?”
Raising to his feet, Aether dusted his hands and his butt. He then clapped, wore a cheerful smile, and declared. “Yosh! Time to make bacon!”
He then headed towards his next job site while giggling madly at his lame joke.