“She’s…awake.”610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0qc9ZBLkJ
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.”610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu15fkIViGx
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. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN7lMlHG4xi
“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.”610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9jAFFy7vC
***
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.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCv5ehQXbr0
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.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ORbftqXV3
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.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsM0dXJXB4j
“How do you feel?” The man asked.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd93RvuXT0g
“You mean me? Me, me? Not her?” Up until now, any talk of feeling had been exclusively directed towards the unknown girl.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7MiPrwMz6
“I do.” Answered the man, a fleck of red shooting into his otherwise aquatic colouring.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIo0HnfzLj
“Where are we?” Apollo answered, or at least it was the closest answer he could give to summing up how he felt.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡen2Ygn7qIO
“Oil Town”610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0JjYXI7HUo
“Oil Town?”
“Yes. The first settlement to be established after ‘The Burnout’.”610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VZKxUzMEo
“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.”610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQOyMZ612L
***610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vRLG926j1
“Hello! I sense someone. I know you are near to me.”610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ819ey5TghH
A light shined across the girl’s pale face. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3dYSsoYQ2
“Who are you?” she asked. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Aqx3cAF1J
“We could ask you the same,” came a gruff voice. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQcUtA5der
“We are friends, that’s who we are.” came another voice, in a smoky tone that clearly disapproved of its partner’s comment.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUSWlkW3bwJ
The torchlight flickered for a second before cutting out altogether and plunging them all into darkness once more.610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFmGZmrRgW
“You see. I told you those batteries we dug up a few weeks back would be useful,” came the words from the smoky voice. 610Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZoc1fFBFeR
“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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