The old, red truck sped down the highway towards Atlanta, its two occupants chatting over the noise of the radio with the windows down all the way. The wind woodshed past, filling the cabin with high-speed, cooler air. Just as Kathy had mentioned the day before, Georgia was definitely hot. What's more, it was a humid sort of heat, no doubt from the various lakes and swamps that littered the countryside. Not only hot, causing sweat to stick to your skin, but the mugginess only added to make the back of Riley's shirt damp. And just to top it all off, Jim's truck didn't have working AC. Apparently they kept forgetting to get it fixed.
"Not quite what you're used to I suppose?" Jim asked in a cackle, watching as the brunette fanned the front of her shirt to get some air going. She looked over with a rueful grin.
"I mean, California's hot, but not like this. This is…something else."
The older man shook his head in amusement. "Yeah, most folks don't know quite how bad it gets. Us residents know a little better, but even we can't take too much of it."
The miles vanished under their tires minute by minute, getting closer and closer to the state's capitol. From Marietta, where they lived, it was only about a half hour drive, most of it through thick, green forests on either side of the road. It was gorgeous, and with the gray skies promising an afternoon rain, Riley couldn't have found it more beautiful. Actually, she found Georgia altogether incredibly stunning. Maybe, years down the line, she'd decide to move here for retirement when she was sick of living in big cities.
Jim reached over and tapped on the dial button, looking for another radio station in the channels. Apparently he was tired of listening to Star 94.5, Atlanta's Hottest New Hits. "Now, I'm all for tolerance when it comes to other people's music tastes, but this is ridiculous." He said, jabbing the button until it came to a classic rock station.
"…so I signed my name on number 24, hey!…Yeah, the judge said, 'Boy, just one more.'" Jim nodded his head along to the lyrics with a wistful smile.
"I hope you'll forgive an old man for wanting to listen to some of his generation's music." He said apologetically with a shrug. "But there's no reason not to like this stuff."
"I'm all for classic rock." Riley reassured, tapping her finger on the windowsill to the beat of Sammy Hagar's voice. It evolved into also nodding her head along to the beat.
"…we're gonna throw your ass in the, city joint…Looked me in the eyes, said, 'You get my point?' I said yeah!" Both Jim and Riley sang together, and they shared a glance between them both, appreciating the good music for what it was. The brunette was glad that they could bond over similar interests like this. She'd been terrified that there wouldn't be anything to talk about, but as they belted out the song, her anxiousness melted away, and they smiled through the rest of the song.
Jim was the perfect tour guide for Atlanta. He'd lived here for so many years, he knew the city inside and out. Riley was in good hands.
He also seemed to know a lot of history about the city. Most notably, it's importance in the Civil War era. Riley, who appreciated learning anything having to do with the past, was enthralled as he described how a majority of the city had been destroyed during the war, as a lot of the fighting took place here. And back then, Atlanta hadn't been the state capitol at that point.
When they arrived in the city, the first places they visited were historical landmarks associated with the war, most notably the Oakland Cemetery. Now, normally it would be a strange sort of tour around the city if the first stop was a cemetery, but they'd already had that conversation on the way there.
"It's gotta seem a little weird." Jim had commented at one point, but Riley had only shaken her head and chuckled.
"I love history, plus family wouldn't be family if they weren't a little weird."
So saying, they arrived to the cemetery and Jim showed her the most notorious graves and spots. The short, wrought iron fences that enclosed the grass from the stone pathway was a pleasing aesthetic, and the hollow atmosphere of the place was actually pretty cool to feel. So much different from home.
It was strangely beautiful; seeing the stone grave markers, angel statues, cracked scrolls and mausoleums that dotted the grounds shadowed by the tall, modern steel skyscrapers of downtown Atlanta. The total shift between the two was astounding. A stark comparison of where the country was not even 200 years ago, versus where society was now. It was also a reminder that they'd sacrificed much in terms of tradition and style for efficiency and uniformity. Nowadays, all you got was a flat plaque. It was kind of sad.
They wandered the cemetery, with Jim serving as her own personal tour guide, spouting out random facts about those buried here if he knew them.
After they'd had their fun looking at the old graves, they piled back into the truck and headed towards the main city. Traffic grew steadily worse as they approached the city, but Riley was used to bad traffic, and wasn't too bothered. Jim, however, griped about so many people living in the big cities that they could hardly move anywhere.
The first stop in the big city was the Atlanta Aquarium. The main lobby was wide and spacious, with bright blue walls of varying shades, simulating waves or something similar. The floor underneath her feet was glass, displaying streams of water underneath, just for added effect. Jim walked them up to the admission counter and purchased their tickets. Riley tried negotiating with him to let her buy her own ticket, seeing as money wasn't an issue for her anymore, but he waved it away.
"Let an old man buy his niece something nice. Just consider it a Christmas gift almost 20 years too late." He joked with a toothy smile. The brunette could tell he enjoyed the thought of treating her to a fun day of adventure and sightseeing, so she didn't argue from that point on. If he wanted to spoil her, she wouldn't tell him otherwise.
Tickets in hand, they bypassed the counter and walked into the second main lobby. There was a large jungle gym in the middle, with brightly colored plastic decorations. Whales and sharks and dolphins, hopping out of perpetually splashing waves stuck in place, Dozens of children, their parents sitting on benches surrounding the gym, ran through the walkways and swung from the monkey bars. It was walled off by half-sized, cushioned walls so the children wouldn't get hurt.
There are two levels to the place, the lower floors for the aquatic animals, while the upper floors contained the birds and land animals. They navigated to the section of the aquarium where you could touch the stingrays. Riley was a bit afraid; knowing what had happened to the Crocodile Hunter years before gave you some hesitation about going anywhere near the things.
"I don't know about this…" She said at length, keeping her hands tucked against her chest, fidgeting her fingers.
Her uncle kept a gentle hand against her back, encouraging her forward. "Oh, they're just a bunch of fish."
"Yeah, with deadly tails." She said, watching the tails trail behind them calmly.
"They're not gonna kill you." He pressed her harder, enough that she bumped against the edge of the pool. He himself approached right beside her, eagerly plunging his hand in and letting his fingers brush up against the marine animal's skin. After Jim reassured her that she wouldn't be killed, she hesitantly reached out to touch one as well.
It was slippery but soft, a dull gray color as it glided just underneath the surface of the water. It rippled and lapped against the edge of the waist-height pools, bright lights pointed down to illuminate every inch. It slipped out of reach, but another one came into her sight after a moment, and she felt that one too.
After the apprehension had passed, and the risk of her being injured slowly went away, she smiled, enjoying the moment. There were others also touching the rays, small and young children. Wow. Riley was being shown up by 6 year olds. If Wrench heard about this…well, at least she could keep her pride intact.
They enjoyed the stingrays a bit longer, before moving on to the next room.
After exploring the aquarium to its fullest, Jim brought them over to what was, according to Jim, a very famous restaurant. Riley wouldn't know, as she'd never heard of the place. The Silver Skillet had a nice 1950's sort of vibe, and they both enjoyed hearty lunches. The servings were large, perhaps a bit greasier than her tastes, but damn did it taste good. Well, she could certainly see why it was famous now.
Their bellies full of good food, Jim drove them over to the Coca Cola Museum. They looked through all the old memorabilia and he lamented how the country had changed since he was a boy.
"Hell, you used to be able to buy a bottle for a nickel. Can't find anything like that anymore." Was his sad statement, and Riley only nodded along, eyes glancing over the old models of the previously used coca cola bottles. They were all uniquely shaped, but retained the same general mold.
They even got to take a free drink with them after the tour, and they sipped on them greedily, given the sun was still high in the sky. They piled back into the truck and headed off towards the next destination.
Centennial Olympic Park was very similar to Union Square in San Francisco only much, much bigger. There was a lot more to do here as well. While San Francisco boasted about its unique and one-of-a-kind aesthetic, Atlanta stepped it up a bit more with attractions and reasons to stay a bit longer than just seeing the sights.
In the middle was a large, concrete pad. And in the center of that was a splash pad in the shape of the Olympic rings. Water shot up in patterns and different heights as music from speakers played nearby. Kids and even adults ran through it freely, wanting to cool off from the extreme heat.
"Too bad I didn't bring a bathing suit." Riley said, eyeing the water feature as they walked past it.
"You'd have been all wet the rest of the day." Jim said, then shrugged. "Well, maybe next time you visit, we can all come down here and spend some time really enjoying these places."
Past the splash pad, above the tree line, Riley could see a ferris wheel fairly close by. Wow, it even had its own small amusement park? Definitely something San Francisco was sorely missing.
They spent some time enjoying the shade that the park provided from all the tree cover, buying each an ice cream from a vendor and sitting on a bench for awhile. Riley was feeling very content. This trip had been good for her. Perhaps it hadn't started out on the best foot, but it had evolved into what she'd hoped.
Riley shook her head minutely, dashing any further thoughts of her mother away. There wasn't any point dwelling on her fate now. The brunette had been genuine when she'd told her that she didn't ever expect to visit or see the woman again, and that's how it would remain. If she hadn't changed after all these years, there wasn't any point checking again years in the future either.
"Something wrong?" Jim asked, probably noticing her far-off stare and tiny head shake. Meeting his eye, she smiled.
"No, just overthinking. I have a tendency to do that."
"About what? If you don't mind me being a bit nosy." Jim said, licking some of his vanilla cone away.
The brunette shrugged. "Just…this whole trip. It hadn't started out the way I'd planned, meeting her, but I'm glad I did. Because if I hadn't, there's a chance I never would have met you guys."
"Well, we're glad you did too." He assured, wrapping one arm around her shoulders behind her. It was comforting and gentle. "Sometimes the worst circumstances bring out the best outcomes."
"Yeah, I've come to notice that." She said wistfully, thinking of the whole kidnapping incident and how, at least for her, it had brought her and the masked hacker closer together. Sure, she'd legitimately thought she was going to die, but remembering the vague memory of Wrench trying to keep her awake on the warehouse floor while she continued bleeding onto the concrete was still sort of fond.
Finishing their ice cream and wandering through the park a bit longer, they finished up their tour of the city by going to the Atlanta Historical Center. It featured every historical event that shaped Atlanta into what the city was today. Jim was very knowledgable about the Civil War aspect of it, but the museum definitely had more in-depth information that would be impossible for one person to remember it all.
Other sections, about the Civil Rights activism that had occurred, Martin Luther King's influence and success, and all sorts of more community-driven and folksy artifacts made up the rest of the museum. It was neat and extensive, and they took their time wandering through the many halls that the museum sported, taking in all the relics put on display.
They came out feeling much wiser and more humbled about the world around them. At least, Riley did. Learning about events from the past always had that effect on her. Jim looked pretty normal, but maybe he'd been here before. After all, he'd lived here for years by the sound of it. This was probably all things he'd learned forever ago.
It was easy to forget that other people's lives were trooping on, history was being made on a regular basis all around the world. Without you even knowing. Incredible.
Jim lead them back to the truck, and they tumbled inside. He gave her an expectant glance. "So, what'd you think of Atlanta? I imagine it doesn't hold a candle to San Francisco."
"Actually, it's got its own unique charm." Riley admitted as they reversed out of the museum's parking lot. "There's a whole lot more history here than I expected, and the contrast between the old and new just works in a way I don't think it could anywhere else."
"You're just saying that to make me feel better." Jim joked with a toothy grin, and she laughed.
"Nah, I'd love to come down and explore it in more detail next time. Definitely worth seeing and experiencing."
He nodded, satisfied. "That's good to hear. I'm sure the boys would want to take you around too." They turned down onto a main street, heading towards home. At least, Riley assumed. She honestly didn't have much of a sense of direction here. Which way was North?
"I promised Kathy we'd pick up some dinner on the way back. How does Georgian barbecue sound to you?"
"Really good." Just the word 'barbecue' sent her mouth to salivating more than before. Suddenly, she wondered if she'd ever want to leave this place. Georgian barbecue? History everywhere? Sounded like a dream come true to her. But at the same time, she missed Pants. And DedSec. And Wrench. She missed her own home. No matter how tempting Georgian barbecue every single day was, she couldn't replace the feel of the comfort of San Francisco. Mixed in with the anticipation of food was a small pang of homesickness.
These stupid clicker phone games were the worst. They dragged you in right at the beginning, got you hooked on the instant gratification of leveling things up and the promise of profit, and then it got slower and slower as you played along. Soon enough, you were waiting to progress in the game for longer than you were actually playing it. Wrench had the sudden realization that he'd grown entirely bored of the whole thing and, with more reluctance than he'd readily admit to, he navigated over to his application manager and swiftly deleted the app.
There was an empty space where the icon of the game used to be, and the hacker couldn't help the sudden pang of loss. All that time and effort he'd put into it, just poof. Vanished. Now what was he going to play when he was bored? Like, right now?
Still laying on the couch in his garage, he glanced around at the tables of stuff that he'd had yet to finish. The prototype for a new gun lay in pieces, ready to be put together. Right next to it, among the various tools and things, was Wrench Jr.'s clear plastic dome. Unable to part with the little guy without something to hang onto after he was gone, he'd kept the top dome that had the smiley face painted on it. The display no longer had any light-up eyes behind it, but the smile was enough.
There were dozens of other projects he could work on, but the midday heat had put him into a lull. Plus, after joining Marcus on their successful mission destroying the 580's cocaine the day before, he'd spent the rest of the evening doing just that. Tinkering and putting things together and taking things apart. He was burnt out, honestly.
He'd been dicking around on his phone for awhile now, wasting his day away playing worthless tapping games because there was nothing else he felt like doing. But now, without that, now what? He wished Riley were back home, because he could always talk to her. As it stood, he didn't want to bother her while she was with her aunt and uncle. More on a whim than anything, he navigated to the messages from their conversation last night.
Hey! Just thought I'd check in. How's Pants? He's not still giving you trouble is he? I hope not.
He's fine, but half of my clothes are now covered in fur…
Yeah, he has a tendency to shed…probably should have mentioned that. Anyway, I'm probably going to spend a few more days with them, then come home. I'm having a lot of fun here!
That's awesome. ^.^ Are they more than you expected?
A lot more. I wasn't sure what to think going in, but I hoped they'd be good people. Turns out they're even better than good people. Plus, get this…I've got three cousins I don't ever remember having.
Don't get any ideas about marrying any of them. ~.^
That's in rural places, you dork. This is Atlanta. -.- Plus, it's second cousins you can marry. Not cousins.
Oh, so you're suddenly the expert on incestuous marriage? Your true colors are showing…
I'm kicking your ass when I get home. :)
Pff. If you can. Should I get you a ladder to reach it?
We've devolved into short jokes. This conversation is over!
You won't be able to stay away for long. ~.^
Hmph. You don't know anything.
I thought the conversation was over?
Goodnight, Wrench! :)
^.^
She hadn't responded after that, but Wrench knew she hadn't actually been upset over his teasing. Riley was just like him in that sense. Between them, anything that could be considered rude or mean-spirited was simply a joke. He liked that about her. She didn't take everything personally.
Glancing at the time, he knew it was too late in the day to message her. It's be around 1 in the morning over there, and he didn't want to wake her up. She always kept her phone on a high volume just in case for emergencies. After the whole kidnapping thing, she'd taken several precautions to make sure she could respond to emergency situations. It was a good gesture.
Even so, his own loneliness while she was on a personal trip wasn't enough of an emergency to warrant him waking her up. Besides, it gave him some time to think to himself. And maybe take a shower, he thought with a grimace, feeling how greasy his hair had become.
Rising from the sofa, he wandered over to the stairs that lead to the second level. After establishing this garage as his home away from the hackerspace, he'd installed the shower and bathroom upstairs. It hadn't been easy, and most likely not up to any sort of city safety code, but it worked, and he had hot, running water. So there was that.
Wrench grabbed a change of clothes from his room next door and wandered into the bathroom. Shutting the door behind him, he stripped down to nothing and turned the knob, sending a stream of water down from the nozzle.
It heated quickly, quickly filling the room with steam. Facing the mirror on the wall, Wrench tossed his mask onto the counter and stared into his own reflection.
It was still the same face as usual. That same damn mark above his eye. Did Riley see something different when she looked at him? Because he couldn't see how she could look at him with anything other than pity or disgust. Normally, he didn't stoop so low as to doubt himself like this, but when she wasn't around and he was alone with his thoughts, they tended to ambush him out of nowhere.
He reached up and pulled a few strands of his hair out of his face. He needed a haircut. The sides were getting longer than what he preferred, and feeling his own hair tickling against the top of his ears all the time was annoying. There was only one person he trusted going to. Wrench would call him tomorrow.
The mirror eventually fogged up so much that he could no longer see himself clearly. Only the distorted, blurry form of his indistinct shape. Shaking himself from his thoughts, he stepped into the shower, intent on washing all of these doubts away.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
