“She’s…awake.”687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGNFH0x9MAU
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.”687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN65bBtLrqI
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. 687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jRgpW6Pzn
“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.”687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xupVQ0Jzw
***
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.687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcOnJawInhU
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.687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcQFAinKHiR
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.687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ26w7tjUxx
“How do you feel?” The man asked.687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XcmJftbOj
“You mean me? Me, me? Not her?” Up until now, any talk of feeling had been exclusively directed towards the unknown girl.687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTZ7AonOhe
“I do.” Answered the man, a fleck of red shooting into his otherwise aquatic colouring.687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdNQZynmzi
“Where are we?” Apollo answered, or at least it was the closest answer he could give to summing up how he felt.687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6l9Jylswn
“Oil Town”687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjp1ru5KFi
“Oil Town?”
“Yes. The first settlement to be established after ‘The Burnout’.”687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd4zRL8IN6Z
“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.”687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimsnKQcvyC
***687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqNX9wcsIQa
“Hello! I sense someone. I know you are near to me.”687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9jkpyyBQe
A light shined across the girl’s pale face. 687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfd9falyczU
“Who are you?” she asked. 687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU4238qaSfc
“We could ask you the same,” came a gruff voice. 687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJCEy0TbpFf
“We are friends, that’s who we are.” came another voice, in a smoky tone that clearly disapproved of its partner’s comment.687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeGUcTwasok
The torchlight flickered for a second before cutting out altogether and plunging them all into darkness once more.687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM4yPshIudD
“You see. I told you those batteries we dug up a few weeks back would be useful,” came the words from the smoky voice. 687Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaXDrh4kCSt
“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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