“She’s…awake.”418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgLusO7i7a
The man looked up from his book. “You sense her?” he said, looking intently at Apollo across the small grey cabin. “Where is she?”
Apollo pointed towards the cabin door. “She’s… that way.”418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlse46Y69e
It was an odd feeling. Or maybe feeling wasn’t the right word, it was more of a knowing. A knowledge that she was in that general direction, in fact it was exactly that direction. 418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWY4spQNq7m
“Then it’s time to leave, Apollo.” The man got up from his chair and walked towards the cabin door. “Come,” he said, gesturing for Apollo to follow. “It’s time for you to see the rest of the world.”418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVGQzmssvm
***
Coming out of the grey metal walls that had been Apollo’s home for the last three weeks, was an unsettling experience. Not because it was intimidating or chaotic or even unknown. It was in fact, quite the opposite, as after about three seconds of standing in the dim grey light of the outside world Apollo once more just seemed to know. Or at least he knew about the place and its people.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pvzjGVbg9
Individuals and communities, towns and cities, nations, federations he suddenly knew about them all. About people in general. How they were, what they’d done. Language, history, art, philosophy, geography, psychology, literature, music. Humanity was vast. And for some reason that he knew all this was right. In the proceeding ten seconds, after this newfound knowledge had filled his head, it dawned on Apollo that despite everything he knew, he did not know where he was.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfYHqTYu1J7
He looked up at the man standing by his side. He felt a bluish, purple colour. If it were a word perhaps Apollo would have said, apprehension or perhaps curiosity. Something like that.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡouua0Ssrjg
“How do you feel?” The man asked.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4jbAAHdVo
“You mean me? Me, me? Not her?” Up until now, any talk of feeling had been exclusively directed towards the unknown girl.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcfRz1KJOL
“I do.” Answered the man, a fleck of red shooting into his otherwise aquatic colouring.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwGLFisS0H
“Where are we?” Apollo answered, or at least it was the closest answer he could give to summing up how he felt.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MRBbdFI70
“Oil Town”418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYjN91TAGSu
“Oil Town?”
“Yes. The first settlement to be established after ‘The Burnout’.”418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BzpaV3IeQ
“The Burnout? What is that? And why don’t I know about this place?”
“Because you are from before all this. You are from the point of time when humanity was at its best, the point at which we could have achieved greatness, but instead collapsed. And you are the guardian of that knowledge. Or you’re one of them at least.”418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXcQDxIr5Rs
***418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHewyu0tcU
“Hello! I sense someone. I know you are near to me.”418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4NIJxnoAO
A light shined across the girl’s pale face. 418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgU83BVAeHL
“Who are you?” she asked. 418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnORtN3ktyB
“We could ask you the same,” came a gruff voice. 418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg8srYCxd1I
“We are friends, that’s who we are.” came another voice, in a smoky tone that clearly disapproved of its partner’s comment.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGGiahphOf
The torchlight flickered for a second before cutting out altogether and plunging them all into darkness once more.418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqTv9Foq7qJ
“You see. I told you those batteries we dug up a few weeks back would be useful,” came the words from the smoky voice. 418Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfn1GjhUp4m
“Yeah, you’re right. All we need now is to go back up and get them out of pack in the dark.”
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