“She’s…awake.”605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqTPRTxWsz
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.”605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSkGRnwIQG
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. 605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCOsnV49RXW
“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.”605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBiYpT4D7hA
***
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.605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZm28rlwnJi
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.605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBXiyTq6xt6
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.605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuuy3HokeVw
“How do you feel?” The man asked.605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4Ri99F9mm
“You mean me? Me, me? Not her?” Up until now, any talk of feeling had been exclusively directed towards the unknown girl.605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNvfci0UtO
“I do.” Answered the man, a fleck of red shooting into his otherwise aquatic colouring.605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynt80JfiAr
“Where are we?” Apollo answered, or at least it was the closest answer he could give to summing up how he felt.605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQGvTGr2x5k
“Oil Town”605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAytYWHLFG9
“Oil Town?”
“Yes. The first settlement to be established after ‘The Burnout’.”605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrFfSoD6FO2
“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.”605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD211wt3crc
***605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2oyhlO97T
“Hello! I sense someone. I know you are near to me.”605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TlFQ0aD1b
A light shined across the girl’s pale face. 605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lAZwKoOXW
“Who are you?” she asked. 605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsRKD9HVCL
“We could ask you the same,” came a gruff voice. 605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXAWkxMWXv
“We are friends, that’s who we are.” came another voice, in a smoky tone that clearly disapproved of its partner’s comment.605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpPUSOJ4hQ
The torchlight flickered for a second before cutting out altogether and plunging them all into darkness once more.605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtO1ucY7Nuk
“You see. I told you those batteries we dug up a few weeks back would be useful,” came the words from the smoky voice. 605Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb39ZufsIJJ
“Yeah, you’re right. All we need now is to go back up and get them out of pack in the dark.”
ns 15.158.61.19da2
