Valerie and Max were met with the usual sound of the Ironbrook: the hustle and bustle of the roadway above them, the people cursing and shouting in the streets, the sounds coming from the holographic screens around the city; displaying the news and weather, among other things. The air smelled of smoke and fresh rain; the pathways were just starting to dry from the recent storm. Buildings of sleek metal lined the roads, and towered above the pedestrians at their feet. Max groaned:
“I already want to go back to the Ravenglass, it’s so much quieter there.”
Valerie sighed. “I don’t know, it reminds me of home a little bit."
Continuing down the sidewalk, they listened to the conversations of people passing by and watched as people trekked in and out of buildings. Like a well-oiled machine the Ironbrook worked; everyone had a place to be at a certain time, rivers of people flowed through the sidewalks, cascading against the towering silver skyscrapers that covered this part of the city.
“Hey Val, you want to get something to eat?”
“Yeah sure, I’m pretty hungry from running around on that last job.”
Max looked around thoughtfully. “Well,” He paused, “We can go to the Silver Fox, it’s in the heart of the city, but they have amazing burgers.”
Valerie nodded. “I would love a good burger,” she hesitated, “I'll follow you.”
The two travelers made their way through the streets of the silver-lined Ironbrook, carefully squeezing past small crowds of slow walkers on the sidewalk. The sound of car horns and revving engines filled the air, along with angry commuters shouting back and forth on the street. The air was surprisingly clean based on the smoky, polluted smell that it gave off. The sleek buildings that created the vast expanse of the Ironbrook seemed to never end; skyscrapers overlapped on the horizon, while smaller buildings filled in the gaps.
Max could see that a crowd had gathered up ahead, blocking the street and the flow of traffic. He turned to Valerie.
“Take a look. What’s going on over there? Wanna check it out?”
Valerie stood on her “tiptoes” to try and get a closer look at what was happening. The commotion was too far away.
“Sure, why not. But let’s not get too close”.
Max agreed and tried to find a gap in the crowd or a place where they could camp out. His eye caught a small bench in front of a grocery store about fifty feet away. He motioned Val to follow him. The two snuck across the street and sat down on the metal bench.
Once they settled themselves on the bench, Valerie tried to get a closer look to see what was happening in the street. She saw that a large, elevated platform had been placed in the middle of the road, with a wide, white banner draped across the top. The banner read: Rowen Rivers 2068- Keeping Greymont Prosperous. A moderate sized crowd had gathered at the base of this platform. Max rolled his eyes after he saw the banner.
“Ugh, this is nothing exciting. Just another re-election campaign for Rowen to stay the Head of the Committee of Domestic Affairs. God, I hate politics.” Max slumped his posture and crossed his arms across his chest.
Valerie looked closer with a curious eye. She saw a woman wearing a red jumpsuit standing at the back of the platform, talking to a much smaller and younger figure. The woman in the red jumpsuit seemed to be yelling at her inferior. Two large men stood at the edges of the platform, wearing silver chest plates that caught a glare from the sun at the right angle. The crest of Greymont was plastered on the front, but Valerie was most distracted by the giant weapons they carried on their backs. They were gun shaped, but didn't have any resemblance to a normal gun that a police officer would carry before the Lost War. They were long and bulky, but the guards carried them with ease. The weapon's matte black sheen contrasted the strange blue buzz that was crackling at the bottom.
The woman in the red jumpsuit straightened herself out and walked up to the podium. With a couple taps of the microphone, her voice projected across, to what felt like, the entire city.
“Hello! Is this thing on?” She let out a forced laugh.
Her face popped up on the holographic screens attached to the sides of the couple buildings around this venue. Her face lit up in delight as everything became in working order. Max turned his head back toward the event after hearing the microphone check.
“Oh god, here we go.”
Valerie gave him a slap on the arm. “Stop being like that! Maybe if you actually listened for once, you might find something interesting.”
Max sarcastically nodded but kept his attention toward the stage. They could hear a mixture of yelling and cheering as she got ready to speak.
“Hello, citizens of Greymont!” She had a squeak to her voice, but still managed to sound commanding.
“As you know, I am Rowen Rivers: current Chairwoman of the Committee of Domestic Affairs and I am thankful that you have all decided to come and show your support for my re-election.” A mix of cheering and booing escalated. “Now, you all know that in Greymont, it is our sacred duty to keep every single citizen safe and secure. That is our number 1 priority. With my re-election, I will administer and guide CODA to create, improve, and enforce policies that ensure the safety and security of all citizens.”
The crowd erupted. Max sat up and threw his hands out in front of him. “See? It’s the same B.S that she throws at us every election.” Valerie quickly waved her hand in front of him to quiet him down and shushed him.
“Shhh…Do you hear that?” She placed her hand over his mouth.
A chant had erupted from the back of the crowd.
“DOWN WITH RIVERS! DOWN WITH RIVERS!”
The chant was coming from toward the back of the group, closer to where Valerie and Max were sitting. A group of protestors had infiltrated the rally and were causing a ruckus. Some were holding signs that carried a similar message of “Equality for Unnaturals”. It wasn’t until now that Valerie noticed two more Greymont guards corralling the group of people in the back, except now the barrel of their guns were pointed toward the crowd. Some quieted down, but some started to shout in the guards’ faces. One brave soul near the front of the crowd saw the commotion but turned to Rowen to ask a question.
“Representative Rivers! What do you plan to do about the rising tensions in nonhuman and human relationships? What will CODA do to help them become more accepted and assimilate them into the rest of Greymont?”
Rowen Rivers gave the questioner a stern look but returned to a smile as she met the eyes of the rest of the crowd.
“Well, I don’t think that can be a priority of CODA at the moment, but rest assured, we will be helping them along the way”.
The unruly crowd in the back, unsatisfied with that answer, became rowdier and started to push the people in front of them. The Representative gave one hand wave to the Greymont Guard that was controlling the crowd. The Guard gripped the sleeve of the questioner, who had now dropped the flimsy sign they were holding, and dragged them out of sight. The protestor flung their limbs around to try and escape the tight grasp of the armored guard, but to no avail.
Valerie tugged on Max’s sleeve.
“I don’t like where this scenario might be headed."
Max snapped out of his perpetuated ennui and perked his head up. He followed the guard with his eyes.
“Yeah, me neither.” He leaned his head outward to try and catch a glimpse of where the Guard could have been taking the man.
His body soon followed his head as he quickly jumped off the bench in order to go after the Guard. Valerie followed suit.
They darted between lingering groups of protestors and supporters alike trying to spot the path the Guard could have taken. After being spit out on the other side of the rally, they were led to a small cluster of buildings, each lined up where small passageways were formed in the gaps between them. The paths were narrow, no larger than two people wide. Although the crowd behind them was loud, Valerie could hear the signature, booted footsteps of the Guard on the pavement.
Max led them both to a front side of one of the smaller buildings, adjacent to the path the Guard and the protestor had entered. Both were not strangers to sneaking around, and it was especially crucial in this moment.
Valerie could hear the rage filling the captured protestor’s voice. It was a mix of curse words and indistinguishable screaming.
“You dirty Greymont scum! You serve a corrupt system, and you will pay for the suffering you’ve brought our race and theirs! How can you live like this?” His voice shook as he fought for every last word.
Valerie and Max peered their heads around the cement corner of the building.
The Guard was facing away from them, and holding the man by his hands, which were now in handcuffs. The man looked young, maybe in his mid-twenties, Valerie could guess. But the Guard was much larger than him, and looked like he could snap the man in half. The Guard threw him to the ground violently, and the young man’s head hit the pavement, disorienting him. He groaned in pain.
The Guard chuckled. “Scum? This city saved what was left of the human race. CODA saved the human race from extinction. It saved you from those filthy unnaturals.”
The man tried to lift his head up. The Guard pushed his boot into his skull, forcing him back on the ground.
“The reign of Rowen Rivers will end, and the city will be given the rightful liberties it deserves. The nonhumans will be given the rights they deserve. The city will be freed of CODA’s terror.” He coughed weakly.
The Guard stood in silence. He reached for the large gun that was strapped on his back; it’s matte black sheen contrasting the glare of his silver armor plates. It wasn’t like any common gun that was used before the Lost War, its barrel gave off a strange blue aura. It looked like electricity sparking from the inside and leaking onto the outside.
“You should be grateful. You’ve been saved from the dangerous unnaturals and their unknown magics. This city is a safe-haven.” The Guard powered up the gun with a whining screech. He pointed the barrel at the back of the downed man’s neck.
Valerie’s breathing quickened. “Oh my god,” she whispered.
Max whipped his head around and placed a hand over her mouth, tears welling in his eyes.
The Guard pushed the barrel deeper into his neck. The man started to beg for mercy.
“This isn’t a reign of terror. This is salvation.”
In a flash of blue electric energy, the protestor fell silent.
Max gasped. “Holy sh- “The Guard started to turn around. “Val, we gotta get out of here.” He stumbled and tried to grab Valerie, who was frozen in fear and had to be ripped from the building corner.
Max felt a few teardrops linger down his face as they raced back through the unknowing rally, pushing and shoving the supporters near the front of the group. He quickly wiped them off with the back of his hand.
Valerie rushed to sit on the bench where they had originally started to watch the rally. Both stared off into the distance in silence for, what felt like, hours.
Valerie started to speak, but couldn’t complete a full sentence. Max put his head in his hands, his chest quivering.
“M-Max? Let’s go get something to eat.”
Max nodded his head.
They slowly got off the bench and headed toward the center of the city. Valerie looked stared down at the sidewalk as they walked as they walked in silence. She didn’t want to look at Max’s tear-stained eyes. He kept his head down during the avoiding eye contact himself. She tried to control the cloud of anxiety that she could feel overtaking her.
“I just wonder if stuff like that is what Kane was talking about, I mean, I do think tensions are rising between everyone in the Oldswick and us,” Valerie said, her voice cracking in between words.
“That protestor was just murdered in cold blood, Val. Yeah, there’s always been certain tensions, but this is ridiculous. I’m just going to try and forget about it.” He didn’t take his attention away from where he was walking.
Valerie bit her lip. “I can’t get it out of my head. I feel like we should tell someone.”
Max shook his head. “Stop. Worrying. We are not getting involved. I am not getting involved. Let’s not mingle in CODA’s business, and end up with the same fate. There has to be a reason that he-“ His voice broke. Max took a deep, shaky breath. “There has to be a reason.”
He put on a fake smile, now noticing the spiraling of Valerie’s mental state. “We don’t we go get something to eat at the Silver Fox, and maybe try and forgot what just happened. I promise it will be the best burger you’ve ever put in your mouth.
Valerie ‘s mouth curled into a small smile, her lip still quivering. “Alright, but you are setting my expectations so high for this burger.” She pointed a finger toward him.
Walking in the city during this hour was peaceful, at least compared to the normal noise level of the Ironbrook, as most people were busy working or out to dinner. The heart of the city however, was always busy. Even into the late hours of the night, it was thriving with life, bustling with people on every corner. Max tugged on Val’s sleeve.
“Hang a left, it’s just down here.”
They took a turn into a dark, sidewalk that was lit with streetlamps. The buildings on either side of the sidewalk formed a narrow path that led into darkness.
“What’s with us and alleyways? Can’t we just walk in the open like normal people?”
“Just trust me, it’s not as sketchy as you think.”
They ventured down the path, lined with red brick walls, which was quite uncharacteristic of the Ironbrook. After a few turns, the two arrived at a small, rustic brick building that was hidden away from all the activity of the city.
“There she is: The Silver Fox. One of the best restaurants in town. Let’s go.”
They made their way toward the building. Once they arrived at the doorstep, Valerie looked up. An image of a running fox, lacquered in all silver hung above the doors.
“They don’t shortcut theming here.”
Once they were seated inside, they ordered two cheeseburgers for themselves and waited. Valerie tapped her fingers nervously on the table.
“What’s wrong Val? Can’t get the image out of your head?”
“And you can?” She looked at him, her eyes softened with anxiety.
“Don’t overthink it. It will make it worse. You are just worried because of the stupid ‘warning’ that Kane gave us or whatever. First off, Kane is a rookie; you should not be listening to him for advice. Second, we weren’t supposed to be in that place anyway, so we might have misinterpreted something, or misheard them. Anyway, it is not our problem. Our only problem right now is eating two delicious burgers”.
“-yeah but I just feel like it’s become a more recent problem. We are seeing more and more protests everywhere in Greymont. Mostly in the Oldswick, but it’s leaked into the Ironbrook. We are lucky no one we know has gotten hurt yet.”
Val was interrupted by the waiter bringing two, very large, cheeseburgers to their table. She took an exasperated breath and put her head in her hands. She finally gave up on her argument and started to eat her cheeseburger. In between bites she looked up at Max, talking with her mouth full.
“Oh my god. This is delicious! This is definitely the best burger I’ve ever had. How do they make it so flavorful?”
Max lifted up his top bun of his burger before taking his first bite to reveal a blotch of blue liquid spread across the bun.
“It’s a type of chemical engineering. The restaurant hires a group of scientists to specifically engineer the molecules in the sauce to mesh with the food particles it’s next to, or something like that, but that makes it taste delicious.”
Valerie lifted her bun and saw the same blue liquid. “Interesting.”
After they finished their burgers, they paid and walked out the doors of The Silver Fox, back down the side street and into the heart of the Ironbrook.
The flow of traffic, people and cars alike, had begun to pick up again. The day was nearing an end and most were headed home from work. Val and Max headed back through the bustling heart of the Ironbrook, still thriving with life, and toward the west side of the city. The sun peeked through the lines of buildings, and slowly disappeared behind the large wall surrounding Greymont. As the two traveled from the heart to the outskirts of the Ironbrook, the shouting voices changed to quiet conversations. The buildings more spread apart and lower to the ground. Max seemed more relaxed the farther from central city they traveled. After walking through worn cement paths, they reached a cluster of small, thrown together buildings made of scrap metal. The lighting wasn’t physically darker, but the atmosphere of this part of town caused it to seem much lower than the rest of the Ironbrook. They scurried through the maze of scrap metal until the landed in front of a larger building tucked away in the back, with a beaded curtain hanging in front of the entrance. There was a sign, drawn on with black ink, that said “HOME”, above the entrance.
“It’s so much quieter here, isn’t it so much better Val?”
Val chuckled to herself. “I guess that just depends what you prefer. I will say it’s more peaceful though.”
They walked into their makeshift home, lit by the same blue lanterns scattered lining the streets on the way to Silver Fox. Two mattresses, separated by a single wooden nightstand with a lamp on top. The nightstand was the only wood that could be seen anywhere for miles in the “iron jungle” of the Ironbrook. Max ran and jumped face first into his mattress, which had a single pillow and one blanket on it. Valerie’s mattress had the same. She walked over on her bed and sat down on the side. She saw Max’s breathing shift to be calmer and more rhythmic. He had already fallen asleep, his face buried in his pillow. She slowly rolled onto her back and put her head on her pillow. Looking up, she could see where a sheet of scrap metal was missing on their roof; it had been missing since her and Max had pieced the house together. She looked out through the hole, and saw the very faint purple glow of the moonlight hitting the buildings of the Ravenglass over the cobblestone wall. Looking further, she could see a large castle-like, pillar peeking over the wall, with a small, open, window near the top. Squinting her eyes, she saw a figure standing in that window, just staring. Staring into the Oldswick, and staring back into the Ironbrook. Valerie broke her gaze shortly after realizing that the figure had disappeared.
She rolled over on her right side and put her arm over the mattress, to where it touched the ground. The ground was cold and moist, most of the dirt absorbing the water from the rain. She ran her hand up and down the ground until she felt a harder texture. She grabbed the object she ran her hand over and lifted it to eye level: a wooden box. A wooden box with the letters VRT carved into it. She ran her thumb over the letters multiple times, feeling every intricate cut and line of them. It was made of dark wood and had a singular gold latch in the center. She looked back over at Max, still face down in his bed, then back at the box. She sighed, put it back on the ground and pushed it up toward her head. Looking back through the hole once more, she drifted off to sleep with the Ravenglass and Oldswick in sight.
ns 15.158.61.21da2
