“She’s…awake.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNWlrctgdK
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.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrC0XG80fW
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. 657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHrh7UwC9yy
“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.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxjZSx9uQA
***
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.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNnvu5xdrc
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.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsI5OcCrvj2
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.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvvoXTYoXyQ
“How do you feel?” The man asked.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRfkRYmrsm
“You mean me? Me, me? Not her?” Up until now, any talk of feeling had been exclusively directed towards the unknown girl.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0T7vT5o66A
“I do.” Answered the man, a fleck of red shooting into his otherwise aquatic colouring.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpvZlBsfeG
“Where are we?” Apollo answered, or at least it was the closest answer he could give to summing up how he felt.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPXM02ZrrI
“Oil Town”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCVt9KNRp9D
“Oil Town?”
“Yes. The first settlement to be established after ‘The Burnout’.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaeBWp9ILWo
“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.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBVbSH8P15F
***657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX5HEKEwx5y
“Hello! I sense someone. I know you are near to me.”657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVJO1milp0a
A light shined across the girl’s pale face. 657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBvi2idDJv
“Who are you?” she asked. 657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiE9cXsivtJ
“We could ask you the same,” came a gruff voice. 657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDdqHsuXDz7
“We are friends, that’s who we are.” came another voice, in a smoky tone that clearly disapproved of its partner’s comment.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmj5NqPZy3A
The torchlight flickered for a second before cutting out altogether and plunging them all into darkness once more.657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDH0HyIfPJN
“You see. I told you those batteries we dug up a few weeks back would be useful,” came the words from the smoky voice. 657Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9UltyBq6m
“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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