Through the swift glimpses of flying debris and dusty old shards of glass and soot, there flutters a ragged cloth, ripped from the gnawing teeth of sharpened metal.
Holding onto the sides of his abdomen, a lad held his ground as he looks towards face to face upon a bandit that glared at him, holding a gun towards his head. With a cocky smile, he exchanges sight as he held the pain he endured.
A grievous slash by his hip, as it dripped blood, curdling onto his coat and his ripped jeans before spilling a small puddle on the ground.
Grinning gleefully with a froth of spit, he slowly eyes to the left and right, a small standoff of a yellow-clad lass holding her gun towards the handmade rifle of the so-called leader's remaining and breathing henchman.
The bandit knowing that she won her match, nods slowly before reaching her other hand slowly towards her bandanna, pulling it down, she smiles as her cracked lips slowly split and bled. Not even bothering about it, she licks it as it slowly flowed, turning as nourishment for her parching lips as it looked like an alternate lipstick of sorts.
The partner of the lad, stood still, watching her surroundings as sand passing her eye didn't falter her senses. As her eyes fell to a squint, aiming down her sights, she watches closely as the bandit slowly reached her hand towards her partner.
"Well, well. Lookey what we have here." The bandit spoke in a very charismatic form of tone as raises her head. "This isn't what we expected, but as much to say, lass. We seem to be in quite a standoff."
The lad nod slowly as he swallowed his saliva, relaxing as he secretly planned a counterattack. "So, what do you want? Gun, money? or just bloodlust?" He asks kindly as the bandit smiles and sniffs him like some wild dog.
Sniffing his muck and making an audible grunt, the bandit leader smiles back at him. "I don't smell fear out of you, you are an interesting lady."
Yanking the lad's long and rough hair, she pulls and snatches a small lock of it with her knife as she puts it into her pocket. "To be honest, I will leave you be. Your friend too." She points out to Mary as the bandit chuckles softly.
"But, Leader! She killed Dredge, Big Momma and Calo." The henchman spoke out before being raised a finger to shush.
"Shut up. What this lady did was kill Calo and Dredge, the others were by someone else." The leader replied as her crooked and blackened teeth smiled upon a mad smile. "Let them be. Go, go away before I change my mind. We fought enough. Just warn your friends not to cross our territory again or else, you will be captured or worse, killed on sight."
Pulling back her gun, she holsters it slowly as she smiles. "Put down your gun now, Zel. Now!"
Her henchman lettering in fear and spasms nods slowly before slinging her handmade rifle again."Y-yes leader."
Mary exhaling softly, she too slings her rifle as the lad gestures to follow.
Exchanging odd smiles, the bandit leader puts on her bandanna once more as she turns around and walks away. Her henchman legging up to her, she turns around once in a while to keep an eye on the other two.
"Phew, that was a close one.". Mary sighs as she regains her normal composure as she breaths normally.
NZ shaking his head, he turns to her before rubbing his sore area where his hair was pulled and cut off. "Psychos... They are so mad, they don't even know what they're doing anymore. Luckily the clone machines were disabled quite some time ago."
"Yeah, I was wondering why did she cut off your hair out of thin air, it frightened me for the second," Mary replies surprisingly as she notices the others from the bunker are heading out from the staircase.
"Bonkers, that's for sure. All logic from the failed clones just has lower intellect than usual." Doctor Faltina replies as she wore an old fedora of sorts that fitted with her lab-coats colour.
NZ turning towards them, he shrugs and sighs in an angry tone. "I am tired, confused and hungry. Let's just go to sleep and continue the work tomorrow?"
"Yeah, NZ is right. We have been the whole night and day riding in an uncomfortable buggy and getting into random fights, it's only fair we get some rest for now." Mary replies as she rubs off the sandy dust off her hoodie.
Doctor Faltina adjusting her goggles, her augmented eye read their systems and vitals as she makes a deduction out of it. "Yeah, I see the problem. William has lower calories and lacks an energy source, meaning food obviously and you Miss Walter, is fatigued. Welp, there's your answer."
Nodding, Doctor Faltine then turns around and walks down the bunker before waving to the two to follow her. "Come on, let's go get you some food."
Head on down once again through long and narrow flights of stairs. NZ and Mary were led towards the entrance of Continuum-Now's bunker as the opening was slowly closing in with the help of pressure plates under the welcome mat.
Through a few rooms filled with either people, resources or junk. Mary was amazed to see rooms that were based on regrowing plants and maintaining species of certain animals which could help in producing more alternate food sourcing.
Passing by a library filled with olden day books, William reaches towards a wooden table after stopping the two as he opens a secret compartment which opened an extra special drawer.
Mary gestured to close her eyes for some reason, NZ places some stuff into a small leather coin bag he uses and ties it up with a knot before asking Mary to hand her hands.
Doing so, Mary folds her hands like a book as she felt a rough and texture feeling on her palms.
Opening it, she notices a chestnut brown leather coin-bag with some heavy items in it as she gave it a slight push up and down.
Hearing a soft plastic rattle, she realises what it was before thanking NZ and placing it into her patched side pocket.
Continuing their room shopping one by one, they finally stopped by the soup kitchen where a few preparers were busy stacking up leftovers and placing them in separate containers into a freezing metal casing.
Mary points to the room and asks. "What is that?" With a childish look at her face, her innocent smile gave off wonders of joy.
"That is a freezer, well not like the small types that can be carried along as a device. This is a freezing room meant for usually freezing meat or huge amounts of food and ingredients." NZ replied as he then points to the metal trunks that lay in the corner of the freezer.
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"Over there are probably frozen vegetables and fruits as the other side, the strange red things hanging on those hooks are meat."
Nodding her head, Mary smiles. "Ahh, I see. That makes a lot of sense. It's like a small arctic area so it helps to keep food fresh longer."
"Indeed, That is correct. In Layman terms." Doctor Faltina replies as she stops her conversation with a staff, to prepare some food for the two as she pulls out a set of keyrings from her pocket before shoving them to Mary and NZ. "Here are your room keys. They just down the hallway, the number is written on the keys and doors to help you. Also, your luggage is already in there if you had some and it's quite small so bear with me."
The two replied with their gestures, then found a place to seat as they kept their set of keys.
Looking around they noticed the mess hall of sorts was rather empty and quiet. There were barely any tables and chairs and only a few people sat about and are or minded their business.
In one corner you have some ladies chatting up in their daily gossip in either rags or uniforms with very baggy and black eyes and in the other, there was a lonely girl who constantly spoke to herself as if she had an imaginary friend.
It felt very pitiful to be around in these odd situations but with the lack of interactions due to ever nervousness and anxiety, it's hard to convey one's proper feelings.
Being served some mashed vegetable puree with some boiled potatoes and some dried meat, they were then given some rusted cutlery to be used.
"Enjoy." The staff replied to the two in a very annoying way before walking to her station, sitting down on a chair before sparking a handmade cigarette. Smoking on it a few times, she then sighs as she stares at a bare wall.
Mary and NZ ignoring the surroundings, they then greeted each other to have enjoyed their food before munching on it. The food tasted bland as per the lack of spices but the food was food and it was the only way to fill themselves with it even if it tasted horrible.
Finishing off their meal, NZ heads to his room to take a nap as Mary stayed behind after being crowded by a few random ladies who got attracted to her rather lovely features and very special clothing.
(This will take a while..) Mary says to herself before following the many compliments and questions they had to ask about the new random outsider.
After hours of chatting up and answering, Mary soon felt more exhausted than usual and slowly drags herself to her room. But where was her room?
"Which one...?" She asks herself as she stops room by room looking at the number that was spray-painted on it.
"20, 21, 22...it keeps dragging on and on. " Complaining about the many rooms and corridors that exist, she finally stops at the door which was similarly numbered with her key.
Placing her key into the lock, she then enters and immediately locks it before pulling off her rucksack and clothing from herself. Stripping herself nude, she then gets under her sheets before dragging up the rucksack that was beside her.
Untangling the wire that was wired into her headphones, she then pulls out the tapes from the leather coin bag that NZ gave her and counts the amounts that consisted. "Twenty to be exact...that's a lot."
Inserting the headphone jack into the tape recorder's given hole. She then places in the tape she wanted before putting on the headphones and relaxing on her bed.
Closing her eyes to rest, she reaches onto the many buttons that existed on the device, pressing play. "Well, here goes nothing."
[Tape Starts]
As a sound of metal and wood scratching each other could be heard, a creak was slowly sprung from the old and badly maintained bed of a corner side.
Already awoken for quite some time, William started quiet and still as he wrote in his diary about what happened recently and started writing down calculations for personal money usage.
("I suppose having one thousand pounds transferred into euros would help.") He thinks up an idea in his mind as he then closes his book and turns towards the tape recorder. Picking it up, he noticed it automatically turned to a video recording mode.
A little surprised he just left it be and latches it towards his jeans as he pushes himself up. Heading towards a nearby desk, he picks up his airing clothes and puts them on piece by piece as slow as possible.
Turning around, he smiles a little as he noticed the two lasses sleeping soundly before walking his way towards the door.
Turning the doorknob, he exits it and was greeted by a staffed guard who was standing by there the entire time beside the door.
"Ah, gute morgen Herr Endicrite, wohin geths du?" The guard asked as she stood still in her guarding position.
William scratched his head as he couldn't figure out what to answer. He has forgotten to activate his translation spell given by Shin-ae and he was too tired to mutter its entire sentence in his head. "Excuse me?" He asks in a very mumbled way.
The guard noticing his small struggle, she sighs and smiles before opening her mouth. "Where are you heading sir? Would you like to be guided to the cafeteria or would like to speak to someone?"
William finally understanding what she meant, he grins and nods his head. "Ahh, yes. I would need some assistance with this place, cafeteria preferably."
The soldier nodding back in his reply. She reaches for her walkie talkie and phones in on her partner. Speaking in German, she was calling in to help guide the lost fellow.
Turning off the walkie-talkie, she looks back at William. "Someone will come and guide you soon. You can relax."
Gaining a firm understanding, William then thanks her for her cooperation before heading towards the front side of the soldier where multiple windowpanes were showcasing the fields of the everyday soldiers.
Watching as the breeze blew away leaves and shook thin scraps of metal. He watched the surroundings of soldiers of multiple ages and diversity.
Young recruits were training vigorously in their strange form of combat as the more professional ones relaxed with coffee and sausages as they made jokes and laughed about the everyday dumb incidents that happened in their daily motivation "gifts" towards the newcomers, the recruits.
Resting upon the metal edge, daydreaming. William then felt a slow feeling on his right shoulder. Alerted, he turns around slowly to notice a very busty yet tightly clad businesswoman who wore a tag and was quite short.
"Good morning.' The businesswoman squeaked as she smiles towards the tall figure, a little shy as to have not seen a man for ages.
Gesturing a shuffle of feet and a nod, William smiles back at her. "Good morning to you too, Miss."
"You are wanting assistance to be guided around, yes?" The lady asked to confirm that he was the requested person for the guide.
Replying with a yes, William was then excused from his spot and was brought along an entire block of random rooms to head to the cafeteria. It was rather small and was quite compact, but it fits the atmosphere of a place to sit back and relax.
Soldiers were mostly sent to the mess halls for servings as the cafes were more for the staff or other government officers. William being a guest, however, was given a pass on the soldier averted ban and was allowed to order whatever he wanted.
Comforting himself with a few orders of meat, potatoes, gravy and sausages. He hands out his card to pay up his receipt before sitting down and waiting for his meal.
The businesswoman sitting down in front of him sips on her coffee occasionally as she explains about the place as she points onto a pamphlet of the building, only available to a set few of people. To avoid the jeopardy of exposing their weak points. "Anything else you want to know?"
Questioning if he is slowly going deaf, his ears started to ring a little like the constant squeaking of the lass slowly started to hurt his ears. Nodding constantly to every sentence she explains and upon hearing the question, bored out of his mind, he replies. "Nothing else Miss, I understand now."
Respectively, the lady nods as her odd body started to bounce together like a pendulum of sorts. Excusing herself, she skips herself to a nearby metal door that led to a washroom as a break. William knew she was just embarrassed by her odd behaviour.
Sighing it off and continuing his food, the nearby staffs at the next table were gossiping about everyday work and how the economy is slowly faltering due to the terrible states of electrical and military payments.
William, a little close them. He kind of listened in a little too much, and eavesdrop that gave attention to one of the staffs. Clearing her throat loudly purposely, William shuddered a little as he turns around and apologizes.
The other two staffs laughed softly as their partner replied that it was fine and there was nothing to worry about. A little curious, she then asks for his name and why was he doing there. "So, was ist your name, Warum bist du hier?"
Finally being able to use his Guardian's ability after gaining some energy and a wake-up call, he then thinks up the entire spell before conjuring it. WIth two blinks of his eyes, everything that was written in the confusing language turned to English which made him easier to understand. Clearing his throat and swallowing his food, he then answers the staff. "My name is Willia, I am here for a job."
"What is the job about? The staff asked as she looks at him up to down, trying to understand why was he wearing casual clothing instead of a uniform or fatigues. "You don't look like you came from a job, rather a holiday."
"Ever heard of being undercover?" He asks as he sips his coffee before being interrupted by the sudden appearance of the squeaking bumblebee'd lady.
In a surprise, he accidentally drops his cup of coffee and spills it on his jeans. "Goodness gracious..." He grunts as he gets up and wipes off the liquid that was absorbed from his pants.
"I am really sorry." The girl squeaked again loudly as she reached towards her bag and pulls out a small packet of tissue paper. Pulling off a ply, she then hands it to him as she shivered slightly.
Shaking his head, finally understanding his situation, he then accepts the tissue paper and cleans off the stain. ("This lass knows I am a male and she seems pretty new to her job from her behaviour and looks. I suppose she is a little nervous because of her seniors here and I am supposedly her first client.")
"It is ok miss. Don't worry, I won't be harsh to you. But, you are being quite much of Miss Pipsqueak." He replies in a very sarcastic way.
"Oh ok..." She sighs in relief as she pats her chest, trying to relax. "To tell the truth, I am new. So I am not used to this kind of situations. Also, I know about your job so I am worried if you are more than you look."
"Ah, I see," William replies as he pushes off the spilt coffee cup to the corner of the table. Wiping off the coffee on the chair, he then sits once again.
The staff alerted with what her newbie said, she then turns towards her and asks her in German, which was translated for William. "Who is this person? Why is she here, in that attire?" In a very rough tone, she questions her junior.
"Ahh," The business lady answers towards her partner in surprise. "She is an important p-person. She just came back from a very dangerous job and is hiding here in this casual attire."
"So, she is a soldier? Why is she here then? She is supposed to be led to the mess hall or the government officials. Why were you employed to guide her? It should be a soldier or one of our guards to keep an eye for spies." The senior answered as she exchanges her sight with William. "You shouldn't be here..."
William shrugs before turning back to his guide. "What does she mean I shouldn't be here?" He felt a warm rush of unnecessary adrenaline pump through his heart as he started seeing bloodshot red very slowly. He wasn't alright, he was sick but he didn't know from what.
He was warned by Beo and his guardians before his sleep in his head that he may have contracted a disease, but he shrugged it off as an image that crossed his mind. William started to scratch his back as his throat started to itch. Swallowing his saliva constantly, the two then notices his strange behaviour.
"Are you alright, Miss? You don't look so good." In a surprise, the business lady asked in a very cautious way as she takes a step back.
"I am...fine.." He mutters before excusing himself and walking slowly towards the exit of the cafe. Shrugging himself and bumping to and fro random people and soldiers, he didn't even bother to apologise before slumping onto a side of a wall, dropping down and losing conscious.