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kurofai2013-03-29 11:17 pm
caffeine_buzz) wrote in kurofai2013-03-29 11:17 pm
[Team Future] (Ghost in the Machine) The Bright End of Nowhere (2/5)
Title: The Bright End of Nowhere
Prompt: Ghost in the Machine
Parts: (Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Four) (Part Five)
Fai followed Imris Garan through the tunnel towards Edras Agra’s quarters. Neither one of them spoke but even so Fai could feel the hostility radiating off the other man in waves.
He supposed that couldn’t be helped. Everything was all Fai’s fault, after all.
The place that was currently being used a headquarters by these people had once been some sort of train station. The tunnels led all around the city and were difficult for the reapers to enter, making it an ideal hiding place. The trains, of course, no longer worked but some of the cars still remained. Edras Agra lived in one of these, a long line of six interconnected silver cars all covered in a fine layer of rust and grime. The door to the main car hung open slightly on its hinges and Imris Garan stopped in front of it, gesturing for Fai to go through.
“I’ll be waitin’ out here, so don’t get no ideas, Faceless,” the man spat as Fai went past. Fai didn’t even look at him, pulling the black cloak closer over his head.
The floor creaked slightly as he stepped into the car. A cluster of figures in the corner glanced up briefly and then turned back to the small pile of colored glass shards they were sifting through as if putting together a puzzle. All wore black cloaks the same as Fai’s and all of their faces were totally smooth and bone-white, no different than the masks they normally wore. Only their eyes gave any indication that they had faces at all.
Fai paused for just a moment to stare at them. Each one had bandages covering their arms and Fai could almost see the three familiar long scars along their forearms. His own bandages itched and he resisted the urge to touch them. Fai quickly lowered his head and walked past without another word.
The next several cars were the same, filled with the Faceless clustered together like crows, all remaining close to each other and following each other’s lead perfectly as if unable to separate from the group at all. Each car was filled with small baubles and colorful items, the kind one might give to a small child to keep them amused, and these the Faceless crowded around in fascination. The only normal person Fai passed was a man in the second to last car, who from what Fai understood was tasked with taking care of the Faceless when they were not being sent on missions. He nodded at Fai as the magician slipped past him and into the final car.
Edras Agra was laid out on the bench in the far end of the car, watching Fai with keen golden eyes. The man was enormous, even by the standards of this world’s people, and Fai knew from experience that he was far more intelligent and dangerous than anyone else in the underground. Imris Garan might wave around a gun and make threats, Edras Agra had no need. Reaching an understanding with anyone in this place had been difficult without Mokona around but Edras Agra had been different. The two of them understood each other, even without speaking the same language.
“You can remove it.” Edras Agra’s voice was deep and smooth, like a rumble of thunder. Fai smiled wryly and pulled off his mask but did not lower his cloak from around his head. “Imris Garan tell me you found a stray dog, huh?”
“More like a cute black puppy, really,” Fai said breezily. If Edras Agra was surprised to hear him speaking the language the man didn’t show it. He simply nodded and motioned for Fai to step closer.
“Fires still comin’.” Edras Agra stood and pressed his hand against one of the screens on the wall. It immediately lit up, showing an image of the ruined city walls and the fires burning just inches beyond them. Fai could still see the slight electric shimmer in the air indicating that the barrier was still in place. “Won’t hold for long, that barrier. It runs on independent power but even that power got its limits. Soon we be smoked out, same as the rest of the country. Been readyin’ what transportation we can, boats and such. If we can’t stay in the city, our only hope lies in the belief that somethin’ more exists beyond the sea that surrounds us.”
“What about them?” Fai glanced back the way he had come.
“The Faceless?” Edras Agra shrugged. “That is a question, don’t you think otherwise. The Faceless, they ain’t got no wills of their own, no memories, no emotions proper. They just go where they’re told. We can try to take them in the boats, but who knows if they go? They only move with purpose when the reapers about. Like they know what was taken from them and they want it back. Ain’t gonna happen, though. Mother, Little Brother…they weren’t made to give up that stuff. Anyone get eaten by a reaper, that’s the end. Ain’t no one survived intact after bein’ taken for more’n half a day or so.” He looked back at Fai, who kept his expression calm and his gaze steady. “Cept you, of course. How long was it, boy?”
“Three days,” Fai said evenly.
“Right, three days.” Edras Agra nodded, as if he hadn’t already known that answer. “We drag you out from a tomb, boy. The only one alive, much less with a face. But those needles, they sink deep into you. You were a tasty meal, I think. And Little Brother ain’t been the same ever since.” His manner was deceptively casual as he moved closer to where Fai stood. “He doesn’t take a meal the way he used to. Them reapers…they don’t grab no more, don’t bring him the meal. They look and they hunt and they kill. Like they lookin’ for someone, and anyone who ain’t that someone ain’t worth sparin’.”
“Really?” Fai cocked his head and kept his tone light. “That’s really interesting! I don’t know anything about these machines of yours, you know. I’m not from here, after all. I’m just a traveler.”
A traveler on a long, long journey that will have to reach its end sooner or later. And how much time do you really think you have left?
“So you’ve said.” Edras Agra regarded him critically and Fai kept smiling blandly. “You still plan on destroyin’ Little Brother? You and your stray dog partner?”
“Kuro-rin’s really more like back-up,” Fai said. “The muscle, if you will.” He lowered his gaze for a moment, smile faltering just slightly. “I’d leave him here if I could…but there won’t be time, will there? We have to go together, or not at all.” He shook his head as if to clear it and turned back to Edras Agra with the smile back in full force. “Well, anyway. We can take care of it, as long as you’ll give me what I need.”
“I plan to,” Edras Agra said easily, and Fai couldn’t stop making a small start of surprise. Edras Agra laughed. “You think I’m bad as all that then, boy? I told you, we ain’t stayin’ in this place much longer. We need supplies, not weapons that run on dwindlin’ power cells. The bikes ain’t gonna do us no good across the water. I’ll give you enough to get you across the Graveyard and towards the tower, no worries on that score.”
“Tower?” Fai said, trying not to show the sudden foreboding that was spreading in his mind. “But it was…”
“The citadel’s changed,” Edras Agra said, nodding. “Not long after we pulled you out. We thought Little Brother was finally shuttin’ down and fallin’ apart like all the others but we was wrong. It’s reconstructed itself into somethin’ new. Shouldn’t hinder you none. Citadel or tower, either way you gotta find the power cells at the heart and destroy it. Once you do that, Little Brother be done with. Ain’t no one comin’ back from that place, though. Even without rest, it will take a day at least to cross the Graveyard and reach the tower. By the time you get the heart and get out, the fire already gonna be there, and ain’t no outrunning that. You got a plan for that, stranger?”
“Oh, I have a couple ideas,” Fai said, waving a hand. “I’m touched by your concern, Edras Agra.”
“Ain’t no concern.” Edras Agra’s golden eyes bored into Fai’s, and Fai never wavered. “I just wonder, what kinda person it is who agrees to take a suicide mission for strangers. What kinda person can be eaten by that and come out not only with a face, not only with a self, but even just with his sanity. Interestin’ thing indeed.” He smiled, the look almost feral. “You know, boy, I helped make Mother. You know what her purpose was, when we built her?”
“I couldn’t guess,” Fai said, not so much as flinching even as Edras Agra began to circle around him.
“To take away bad dreams.” Edras Agra laughed again. “Sound silly, right? Maybe it was. We wanted to use it for children that been suffering from things no one should, to take away what scared them and make them happy again so they could live regular lives. But code don’t work that way, and neither do people. The machine got away from us. She take everything and keep only the bad, none of the good, and leave you with nothin’ at all, not even a face. Little Brothers work the same. Soon they start takin’ anyone with even the smallest bit of bad feeling in them, eat ‘em up, spit ‘em out. You’d think takin’ in so much bad stuff, that would affect them, right? But Mother, Little Brother….they just machines, in the end. Can’t do nothin’ more than what they’re built for. Eat the memories, store ‘em to the proper circuits and flush them out on a regular basis, just like we programmed ‘em to do. Eastpoint Little Brother, though…he different. I noticed it not long ago after Mother went boom and it been gettin’ worse ever since you came. Little Brother don’t process that right. It remembers. And it changes, from takin’ in those memories. So then it take all of the bad, of all my people, and it nearly crushes under its own weight…and then you come along, and that’s the weight that breaks it. It never been the same, since we took you out. You know that. I know that. So I wonder…what did it take from you, stranger? What dreams did you dream, when those needles in your arm?”
—a high cold tower and a deep black pit—
—snow that never ceases, bodies that never rot—
—misfortune, always—
—and above all, a wish more important than life--
“Hey, you’re like me, right?”
Fai simply stared coolly back at him, silent.
Edras Agra returned that gaze for a long moment before giving a great bark of unpleasant laughter.
“What I thought,” he said at last. “Well, you keep your secrets, Faceless boy. I seen enough to guess. Go get some sleep. Tomorrow you and your stray dog, you go take care of Little Brother for us. This is farewell for us both. I won’t be seein’ you again.”
Fai nodded and turned to go. He paused in the doorway, staring at the Faceless gathered in the corner of the next room.
“Do they ever go back?” he wondered aloud. “To what they were, I mean.”
“No one know,” Edras Agra said with a shrug. “We ain’t like you, boy. We can live wearin’ nothin’ but a mask forever. If they ever able to take that mask off…that, no one know. You tell me, stranger.”
“Well…who knows that, after all,” Fai said with a quiet laugh. “Thank you for your help.”
He reached over to pull his mask back on and paused.
“One more favor, if I can. Are there any other masks I can borrow?”
—
The room was dark and Fai lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Something was scuffling in the darkness.
Imris Garan had insisted on moving Kurogane to another room, claiming he didn’t want them running off together in the night, and Fai had sent Mokona with him. It was just as well, Fai supposed — his room was small and spare, and there was barely room for even one person as it was. They would have had to sleep close together if Kurogane had stayed in his room and Fai didn’t think he could quite handle that. Not this time, not in this place.
Something was moving in the darkness again and Fai reached out towards the table beside the bed, taking hold of his mask and pulling it over his face as he rose.
“There you are.” The voice in the dark was small and had a metallic quality to it. There was something distinctly childlike about it. “I’ve been looking for you, all this time.”
“I know,” Fai said quietly.
“I thought we had a deal.” The tone was pleading now. “You’re going to help me right? You said you would help. I already have the others in a safe place. Once we find that person…”
“You don’t need to do that,” Fai cut the voice off sharply. “It…isn’t time yet.”
“But it will be time soon, right? He’s already being a hindrance, right? That journey can’t go on forever, you know that. It has to end, and then you’ll have to do it.”
“You don’t know anything about that.”
“But you haven’t done what you were supposed to. I’ll do it for you, if you don’t want to do it. That was our deal, right?”
“It’s not necessary yet.” The lie felt cold in his mouth and Fai rose from the bed. He felt around until his hands closed over a small pin light. He shone it towards the rustling shadows.
“But that’s just a lie, right? You can’t know those things,” the voice said, as if every word it spoke was completely logical. It was neither angry nor accusing, simply curious. “You shouldn’t lie. You’re like me, all alone, a separated part of a whole. That’s why you need to bring him back, right? But you can’t do that while that person is here, and alive.”
“That’s none of your concern.” Fai could see it now, a lump of black in the far corner. He reached for the gun he’d left on the other side of the bed.
“That’s why I’ll kill him for you,” the voice said, eager now. “For us. You’re like me, right? You understand. We can make our wish come true, if only we do that. That man in the snow, he promised you. If he can grant that wish for you, he can grant it for me too. All we have to do--”
The beam from the pin light shone on a small mechanical rat, hunched in the corner of the room. Fai aimed and shot.
The creature broke apart into a pile of metal and wires and the lights of its eyes went out. Fai stared at the wreckage for a long time before laying aside the gun and returning to bed.
There would be much to do tomorrow. It was best to get some sleep while he could.
—
“Why the hell do I have to wear this crap?” Kurogane muttered as he pulled on a black glove.
“Camouflage, Kuro-sama, camouflage!” Fai said happily as he threw a black cloak over Kurogane’s shoulders. “You don’t want to get eaten by the big nasty machines, do you?”
“Mokona wants camouflage too!” Mokona piped up from inside Kurogane’s cloak.
“Shut up, you,” Kurogane grumbled, glancing sharply in the direction of several of the other denizens of the underground who were standing around nearby watching them get ready.
“Kuro-sama’s cloak will be perfect camouflage for you, Mokona,” Fai said with a laugh, pulling his mask closer over his face.
“The rest of the people with you last night weren’t wearing these things,” Kurogane grumbled sourly.
“But we’ll be outside more this time, so it’s more dangerous,” Fai pointed out. He reached under his own cloak, digging around in the inner pockets for a moment. “Oh, and I found you the perfect mask, Kuro-tan! Look!”
He proudly brandished a white mask similar to his own. Drawn on the front was a mouth similar to that of a cartoon dog, complete with whiskers.
“Won’t Kuro-sama look adorable in this, Mokona?” Fai said happily.
“Just like a big puppy should!” Mokona agreed.
“I am not wearing a damn mask,” Kurogane stated flatly. Fai pressed it into his hands anyway, pulling up his own mask so that Kurogane could see the expression on his face. He was still smiling, but there was something ferocious in it now.
“Once we’re above, Kuro-sama, you should wear it,” he said in low tones. “Trust me.”
“Trust you?” Kurogane snorted but didn’t push the mask back at him, tucking it inside his cloak. Fai laughed as he pulled his mask back over his face.
“So mean, Kuro-tan. After I made it special for you and everything.”
“You two look like you’re havin’ fun here,” an unimpressed voice said. Kurogane noted that Fai immediately fell back into a subdued pose as Imris Garan strode up to them, shouldering two packs. He handed one to Fai and pushed the other at Kurogane. “Here. The supplies Edras Agra promised.”
Fai dipped his head in thanks, opening up his pack and giving the contents a quick once over.
“We got transportation for you, too,” Imris Garan said, turning. Two other people were coming over to join them, dragging one of the motorcycles between them. Imris Garan eyed Kurogane coldly. “You know how to drive, stray dog?”
“Me?” Kurogane said. “Why the hell do I have to--”
“You wanna let Faceless drive?” Imris Garan laughed, shaking his head. “You don’t know what you in for then, stray dog. But that no skin off my nose. You all die, ain’t my problem. We leavin’ this dump anyway. Doesn’t matter none what Little Brother does to us now. Edras Agra just lettin’ you do this because he feels some kinda responsibility or some shit for this thing. It’s nothin’ to the rest of us. Any of our people haven’t made it to these tunnels by now, they dead anyway.” He turned to go without even glancing back. “You can go whenever you’re ready. No need to wish you good luck cause there ain’t no such thing in this place. You wanna go to your graves, you can go anytime.”
With that he disappeared through the nearest doorway, leaving Kurogane and Fai alone.
“Well, that was a pleasant goodbye,” Fai said cheerfully. He was still digging through the pack he’d been given. “I didn’t think they’d give us a cycle.”
“Can you drive?” Kurogane asked him darkly. Fai laughed again and Kurogane had a sudden sinking feeling. He shook his head, disgusted. “Whatever. How hard can it be?”
“That’s the spirit, Kuro-tan!” Fai said. He made a small sound of surprise as he pulled something out of his pack. It looked like a handful of small marbles, made all of clear glass. “Hyuu. That’s unexpected.”
“What is it?” Kurogane asked despite himself.
“Explosives.” Fai picked one up between his thumb and forefinger and held it up close to his eye. “They’re very rare here, from what I gather. This is probably the last of them. We’ll have to be careful.” He tucked them gently back inside the pack. “It looks like Edras Agra managed to get us some power cells, too.” He pulled out a small square of black metal and took his gun off his belt, pulling off a part near the grip and replacing it with the new one. Three blue lights immediately brightened along the barrel of the gun. “We have three of these. Hopefully that’ll be enough.”
Kurogane opened up his own pack, staring inside. He reached in and pulled out something that looked a bit like a small silver canister.
“That will be perfect for you, Kuro-sama,” Fai told him. “Press the red button. Oh, and point the end away from you.”
“Which side is the--” Kurogane cut off sharply as his finger found the button Fai had indicated and a beam of red light shot out from the far end of the object. It was one of the laser swords he’d seen the fighters using the day before.
“Since Kuro-sama’s sword is no good, I thought one of those might come in handy,” Fai said, ignoring the glare Kurogane shot his way.
“What part of this is a damn sword?” Kurogane demanded. He swung it around experimentally, doing his level best to restrain himself from aiming it at Fai’s head. It was lighter than his usual sword and the grip wasn’t as good but he supposed there wasn’t much choice. He didn’t like admitting it, but the stupid magician was right. If Souhi couldn’t cut through the metal hulls of the reapers, he needed something that would.
“Don’t be such an old man, Kuro-rin,” Fai said, patting him on the shoulder. “This is the wave of the future!” He reached around Kurogane’s arms and pressed the button on the sword’s hilt, causing the light blade to retract. “Though the future does require batteries, so I’d conserve those if I was you.”
“This is why it’s a damn ridiculous excuse for a sword,” Kurogane stated even as he affixed the blade to his belt right alongside Souhi. “Steel doesn’t need batteries or crap like that.”
“That’s my Kuro-sama,” Fai said, taking hold of Kurogane’s pack and peering inside. “The future will leave you behind, Kuro-rin.”
“Shut up,” Kurogane grumbled, crossing his arms. “Is there anything useful in there?”
“A little bit of food and two more of those swords,” Fai said, handing him the pack back. “And this.”
In his hands was something that looked like a black metallic pencil. Fai held it between both hands and it split in the middle, stretching open like a scroll. Instead of paper, however, in between the two halves there was a glowing green screen.
“A map,” Fai said, staring at it intently and pressing at a couple small squares along the screen. The map changed and adjusted depending on where he touched. “It looks like whatever information Edras Agra was able to get about Little Brother, it should be in here. So!” He whirled back to face Kurogane, and Kurogane could hear the smile. “Does Kuro-rin want to be the driver or the navigator?”
Kurogane looked over at the cycle, then back at Fai. He sighed.
“Come on, idiot. I’m driving.”
—
The first thing Kurogane noticed as he carefully dragged the bike out into the open air was that the sky had gotten slightly lighter. The red scar seemed to be almost glowing and far in the distance the sky had grown a sickly red-orange.
“The fires from Centerpoint,” Fai said, coming up behind him. He was looking down at the map again. “It’s burning faster than expected.”
“Can we make it to that citadel or whatever in time?” Kurogane asked grimly.
“We’ll have to move fast,” Fai said. “No sleeping tonight, Kuro-rin. We’d better leave now.”
“Right.” Kurogane threw one leg over the side of the cycle, glaring down at the myriad buttons and glowing dials as if doing so might scare them into making sense. Fai’s hands slid unexpectedly around him as the magician leaned over his shoulder, dangling the white dog-faced mask in one hand.
“Mask, Kuro-tan.”
“I told you, I’m not wearing that stupid--” Kurogane was cut off as Fai pressed on finger against his lips.
“No arguing this time, Kuro-puu,” Fai said sharply in tones that demanded nothing less than absolute obedience. “You can’t let anything see your face out there.”
Kurogane stared at him for a long moment, suddenly overcome with the desire to rip the mask off Fai’s own face just to see what sort of expression Fai was making under it. He gave a disgusted sigh instead and took the mask from the magician’s hands, securing it over his own face. To his surprise, he was able to breath normally even without there being any hole for his mouth and his vision seemed to be minimally effected.
“Now, if Kuro-tan will just start the cycle…” Fai said, leaning back into the seat behind Kurogane.
“And vroom!” Mokona added from its spot securely tucked inside Kurogane’s cloak.
“Vroom!” Fai agreed happily. Kurogane rolled his eyes and carefully pressed a button on the underside of one of the handlebars.
The motorcycle flew off like a shot, so unexpectedly that he nearly lost his grip and sent the whole thing flying into the side of a building. It took Kurogane a moment to get the stupid thing under control and then they were finally flying easily along the ruined streets.
“Daddy’s such a good driver!” Fai cooed as he pressed himself against Kurogane’s back, one arm snaking around Kurogane’s waist.
“Shut up,” Kurogane growled. “So? Which way?”
“Give me a minute.” Fai pulled out the map again, holding onto it with one hand while the other remained securely fastened around Kurogane’s waist.
“Why the hell are you holding onto me?” Kurogane muttered. “You didn’t do that on the cycle before.”
“You don’t want me to fall off, do you, Kuro-rin?” Fai said, voice filled with exaggerated concern. “The other people in this country are used to these cycles and don’t like it when passengers hold onto them. But I was sure Kuro-tan wouldn’t mind at all, right?”
Kurogane snorted in reply and Fai laughed.
“I knew you’d understand, Kuro-rin.” Fai held the map up to his face. “We need to make a left at the next streetlight. It’s a little roundabout, but Edras Agra’s tried to give us a route that makes us less likely to run into reapers. There’s a reason they call this stretch of territory the Graveyard, after all.”
They rode on in silence, save for Fai’s occasional directions. The deeper they went into the city the more destruction they came across and more than once Kurogane found himself forced to take a wide detour around a completely collapsed building or circling to avoid a yawning sinkhole. The pavement grew increasingly more cracked and broken, and it was difficult to keep the cycle upright.
“Kuro-sama is doing a very good job driving,” Fai said encouragingly as Kurogane just managed to navigate a tight turn and avoid a giant chunk of fallen building.
“This is a mess,” Kurogane muttered. He suddenly began to slow the cycle.
“Kuro-tan?”
“Shut up,” Kurogane said sharply. “I hear something.”
The motorcycle slowed to a stop in the center of what looked to have once been a town square. Twisted streetlights encircled them like bent and broken trees.
“Mokona doesn’t hear anything,” Mokona said quietly.
“There’s something here,” Kurogane said in low tones. “All these stupid machines don’t have any presence, but there’s definitely something here.”
There was the sudden sound of something scrambling away in the darkness and Kurogane’s hand reached down for the light sword at his belt.
“Wait…” Fai grabbed his wrist. “We should try to outrun it first. I do hate to deprive Kuro-sama of violence, but we don’t have time to waste fighting something that might let us go if we get past it fast enough.”
With some reluctance Kurogane lowered his hand and revved the cycle back to life. Fai pulled out the map again.
“There’s an entrance to more subway tunnels not far from here,” he said. “If we can at least reach that, we should be safe for a bit. Turn left from here, Kuro-rin.”
“Turn where?” Kurogane replied. “There’s nothing that way but some kind of building.”
“It was some sort of shopping center, I think,” Fai said. “We should be able to use it as a shortcut. Go through the entryway, over there.”
Kurogane glanced back dubiously but even so he carefully maneuvered the motorcycle through the entrance Fai had indicated. The building they were in seemed to be in fairly decent shape compared to most of the ones they had passed — the walls were still mostly intact and the tiled floor even in the majority of places. The building was made all of wide hallways with shuttered and empty storefronts lining the walls, the doorways boarded up haphazardly or simply blocked by caved-in entryways. The halls themselves were wide enough for the cycle to cruise easily through them.
They were just beginning to reach a decent speed again when the ground beneath them started to shake.
“Damn it, what now?” Kurogane growled, speeding up. All of a sudden one of the walls ahead seemed to split apart, pieces of smooth steel changing and pulling apart like the yawning of a giant mouth.
An enormous blue eye made all of rusted sheet metal stared straight at them, and then the ground exploded.
--Part Three--
Prompt: Ghost in the Machine
Parts: (Part One) (Part Two) (Part Three) (Part Four) (Part Five)
Fai followed Imris Garan through the tunnel towards Edras Agra’s quarters. Neither one of them spoke but even so Fai could feel the hostility radiating off the other man in waves.
He supposed that couldn’t be helped. Everything was all Fai’s fault, after all.
The place that was currently being used a headquarters by these people had once been some sort of train station. The tunnels led all around the city and were difficult for the reapers to enter, making it an ideal hiding place. The trains, of course, no longer worked but some of the cars still remained. Edras Agra lived in one of these, a long line of six interconnected silver cars all covered in a fine layer of rust and grime. The door to the main car hung open slightly on its hinges and Imris Garan stopped in front of it, gesturing for Fai to go through.
“I’ll be waitin’ out here, so don’t get no ideas, Faceless,” the man spat as Fai went past. Fai didn’t even look at him, pulling the black cloak closer over his head.
The floor creaked slightly as he stepped into the car. A cluster of figures in the corner glanced up briefly and then turned back to the small pile of colored glass shards they were sifting through as if putting together a puzzle. All wore black cloaks the same as Fai’s and all of their faces were totally smooth and bone-white, no different than the masks they normally wore. Only their eyes gave any indication that they had faces at all.
Fai paused for just a moment to stare at them. Each one had bandages covering their arms and Fai could almost see the three familiar long scars along their forearms. His own bandages itched and he resisted the urge to touch them. Fai quickly lowered his head and walked past without another word.
The next several cars were the same, filled with the Faceless clustered together like crows, all remaining close to each other and following each other’s lead perfectly as if unable to separate from the group at all. Each car was filled with small baubles and colorful items, the kind one might give to a small child to keep them amused, and these the Faceless crowded around in fascination. The only normal person Fai passed was a man in the second to last car, who from what Fai understood was tasked with taking care of the Faceless when they were not being sent on missions. He nodded at Fai as the magician slipped past him and into the final car.
Edras Agra was laid out on the bench in the far end of the car, watching Fai with keen golden eyes. The man was enormous, even by the standards of this world’s people, and Fai knew from experience that he was far more intelligent and dangerous than anyone else in the underground. Imris Garan might wave around a gun and make threats, Edras Agra had no need. Reaching an understanding with anyone in this place had been difficult without Mokona around but Edras Agra had been different. The two of them understood each other, even without speaking the same language.
“You can remove it.” Edras Agra’s voice was deep and smooth, like a rumble of thunder. Fai smiled wryly and pulled off his mask but did not lower his cloak from around his head. “Imris Garan tell me you found a stray dog, huh?”
“More like a cute black puppy, really,” Fai said breezily. If Edras Agra was surprised to hear him speaking the language the man didn’t show it. He simply nodded and motioned for Fai to step closer.
“Fires still comin’.” Edras Agra stood and pressed his hand against one of the screens on the wall. It immediately lit up, showing an image of the ruined city walls and the fires burning just inches beyond them. Fai could still see the slight electric shimmer in the air indicating that the barrier was still in place. “Won’t hold for long, that barrier. It runs on independent power but even that power got its limits. Soon we be smoked out, same as the rest of the country. Been readyin’ what transportation we can, boats and such. If we can’t stay in the city, our only hope lies in the belief that somethin’ more exists beyond the sea that surrounds us.”
“What about them?” Fai glanced back the way he had come.
“The Faceless?” Edras Agra shrugged. “That is a question, don’t you think otherwise. The Faceless, they ain’t got no wills of their own, no memories, no emotions proper. They just go where they’re told. We can try to take them in the boats, but who knows if they go? They only move with purpose when the reapers about. Like they know what was taken from them and they want it back. Ain’t gonna happen, though. Mother, Little Brother…they weren’t made to give up that stuff. Anyone get eaten by a reaper, that’s the end. Ain’t no one survived intact after bein’ taken for more’n half a day or so.” He looked back at Fai, who kept his expression calm and his gaze steady. “Cept you, of course. How long was it, boy?”
“Three days,” Fai said evenly.
“Right, three days.” Edras Agra nodded, as if he hadn’t already known that answer. “We drag you out from a tomb, boy. The only one alive, much less with a face. But those needles, they sink deep into you. You were a tasty meal, I think. And Little Brother ain’t been the same ever since.” His manner was deceptively casual as he moved closer to where Fai stood. “He doesn’t take a meal the way he used to. Them reapers…they don’t grab no more, don’t bring him the meal. They look and they hunt and they kill. Like they lookin’ for someone, and anyone who ain’t that someone ain’t worth sparin’.”
“Really?” Fai cocked his head and kept his tone light. “That’s really interesting! I don’t know anything about these machines of yours, you know. I’m not from here, after all. I’m just a traveler.”
A traveler on a long, long journey that will have to reach its end sooner or later. And how much time do you really think you have left?
“So you’ve said.” Edras Agra regarded him critically and Fai kept smiling blandly. “You still plan on destroyin’ Little Brother? You and your stray dog partner?”
“Kuro-rin’s really more like back-up,” Fai said. “The muscle, if you will.” He lowered his gaze for a moment, smile faltering just slightly. “I’d leave him here if I could…but there won’t be time, will there? We have to go together, or not at all.” He shook his head as if to clear it and turned back to Edras Agra with the smile back in full force. “Well, anyway. We can take care of it, as long as you’ll give me what I need.”
“I plan to,” Edras Agra said easily, and Fai couldn’t stop making a small start of surprise. Edras Agra laughed. “You think I’m bad as all that then, boy? I told you, we ain’t stayin’ in this place much longer. We need supplies, not weapons that run on dwindlin’ power cells. The bikes ain’t gonna do us no good across the water. I’ll give you enough to get you across the Graveyard and towards the tower, no worries on that score.”
“Tower?” Fai said, trying not to show the sudden foreboding that was spreading in his mind. “But it was…”
“The citadel’s changed,” Edras Agra said, nodding. “Not long after we pulled you out. We thought Little Brother was finally shuttin’ down and fallin’ apart like all the others but we was wrong. It’s reconstructed itself into somethin’ new. Shouldn’t hinder you none. Citadel or tower, either way you gotta find the power cells at the heart and destroy it. Once you do that, Little Brother be done with. Ain’t no one comin’ back from that place, though. Even without rest, it will take a day at least to cross the Graveyard and reach the tower. By the time you get the heart and get out, the fire already gonna be there, and ain’t no outrunning that. You got a plan for that, stranger?”
“Oh, I have a couple ideas,” Fai said, waving a hand. “I’m touched by your concern, Edras Agra.”
“Ain’t no concern.” Edras Agra’s golden eyes bored into Fai’s, and Fai never wavered. “I just wonder, what kinda person it is who agrees to take a suicide mission for strangers. What kinda person can be eaten by that and come out not only with a face, not only with a self, but even just with his sanity. Interestin’ thing indeed.” He smiled, the look almost feral. “You know, boy, I helped make Mother. You know what her purpose was, when we built her?”
“I couldn’t guess,” Fai said, not so much as flinching even as Edras Agra began to circle around him.
“To take away bad dreams.” Edras Agra laughed again. “Sound silly, right? Maybe it was. We wanted to use it for children that been suffering from things no one should, to take away what scared them and make them happy again so they could live regular lives. But code don’t work that way, and neither do people. The machine got away from us. She take everything and keep only the bad, none of the good, and leave you with nothin’ at all, not even a face. Little Brothers work the same. Soon they start takin’ anyone with even the smallest bit of bad feeling in them, eat ‘em up, spit ‘em out. You’d think takin’ in so much bad stuff, that would affect them, right? But Mother, Little Brother….they just machines, in the end. Can’t do nothin’ more than what they’re built for. Eat the memories, store ‘em to the proper circuits and flush them out on a regular basis, just like we programmed ‘em to do. Eastpoint Little Brother, though…he different. I noticed it not long ago after Mother went boom and it been gettin’ worse ever since you came. Little Brother don’t process that right. It remembers. And it changes, from takin’ in those memories. So then it take all of the bad, of all my people, and it nearly crushes under its own weight…and then you come along, and that’s the weight that breaks it. It never been the same, since we took you out. You know that. I know that. So I wonder…what did it take from you, stranger? What dreams did you dream, when those needles in your arm?”
—a high cold tower and a deep black pit—
—snow that never ceases, bodies that never rot—
—misfortune, always—
—and above all, a wish more important than life--
“Hey, you’re like me, right?”
Fai simply stared coolly back at him, silent.
Edras Agra returned that gaze for a long moment before giving a great bark of unpleasant laughter.
“What I thought,” he said at last. “Well, you keep your secrets, Faceless boy. I seen enough to guess. Go get some sleep. Tomorrow you and your stray dog, you go take care of Little Brother for us. This is farewell for us both. I won’t be seein’ you again.”
Fai nodded and turned to go. He paused in the doorway, staring at the Faceless gathered in the corner of the next room.
“Do they ever go back?” he wondered aloud. “To what they were, I mean.”
“No one know,” Edras Agra said with a shrug. “We ain’t like you, boy. We can live wearin’ nothin’ but a mask forever. If they ever able to take that mask off…that, no one know. You tell me, stranger.”
“Well…who knows that, after all,” Fai said with a quiet laugh. “Thank you for your help.”
He reached over to pull his mask back on and paused.
“One more favor, if I can. Are there any other masks I can borrow?”
—
The room was dark and Fai lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Something was scuffling in the darkness.
Imris Garan had insisted on moving Kurogane to another room, claiming he didn’t want them running off together in the night, and Fai had sent Mokona with him. It was just as well, Fai supposed — his room was small and spare, and there was barely room for even one person as it was. They would have had to sleep close together if Kurogane had stayed in his room and Fai didn’t think he could quite handle that. Not this time, not in this place.
Something was moving in the darkness again and Fai reached out towards the table beside the bed, taking hold of his mask and pulling it over his face as he rose.
“There you are.” The voice in the dark was small and had a metallic quality to it. There was something distinctly childlike about it. “I’ve been looking for you, all this time.”
“I know,” Fai said quietly.
“I thought we had a deal.” The tone was pleading now. “You’re going to help me right? You said you would help. I already have the others in a safe place. Once we find that person…”
“You don’t need to do that,” Fai cut the voice off sharply. “It…isn’t time yet.”
“But it will be time soon, right? He’s already being a hindrance, right? That journey can’t go on forever, you know that. It has to end, and then you’ll have to do it.”
“You don’t know anything about that.”
“But you haven’t done what you were supposed to. I’ll do it for you, if you don’t want to do it. That was our deal, right?”
“It’s not necessary yet.” The lie felt cold in his mouth and Fai rose from the bed. He felt around until his hands closed over a small pin light. He shone it towards the rustling shadows.
“But that’s just a lie, right? You can’t know those things,” the voice said, as if every word it spoke was completely logical. It was neither angry nor accusing, simply curious. “You shouldn’t lie. You’re like me, all alone, a separated part of a whole. That’s why you need to bring him back, right? But you can’t do that while that person is here, and alive.”
“That’s none of your concern.” Fai could see it now, a lump of black in the far corner. He reached for the gun he’d left on the other side of the bed.
“That’s why I’ll kill him for you,” the voice said, eager now. “For us. You’re like me, right? You understand. We can make our wish come true, if only we do that. That man in the snow, he promised you. If he can grant that wish for you, he can grant it for me too. All we have to do--”
The beam from the pin light shone on a small mechanical rat, hunched in the corner of the room. Fai aimed and shot.
The creature broke apart into a pile of metal and wires and the lights of its eyes went out. Fai stared at the wreckage for a long time before laying aside the gun and returning to bed.
There would be much to do tomorrow. It was best to get some sleep while he could.
—
“Why the hell do I have to wear this crap?” Kurogane muttered as he pulled on a black glove.
“Camouflage, Kuro-sama, camouflage!” Fai said happily as he threw a black cloak over Kurogane’s shoulders. “You don’t want to get eaten by the big nasty machines, do you?”
“Mokona wants camouflage too!” Mokona piped up from inside Kurogane’s cloak.
“Shut up, you,” Kurogane grumbled, glancing sharply in the direction of several of the other denizens of the underground who were standing around nearby watching them get ready.
“Kuro-sama’s cloak will be perfect camouflage for you, Mokona,” Fai said with a laugh, pulling his mask closer over his face.
“The rest of the people with you last night weren’t wearing these things,” Kurogane grumbled sourly.
“But we’ll be outside more this time, so it’s more dangerous,” Fai pointed out. He reached under his own cloak, digging around in the inner pockets for a moment. “Oh, and I found you the perfect mask, Kuro-tan! Look!”
He proudly brandished a white mask similar to his own. Drawn on the front was a mouth similar to that of a cartoon dog, complete with whiskers.
“Won’t Kuro-sama look adorable in this, Mokona?” Fai said happily.
“Just like a big puppy should!” Mokona agreed.
“I am not wearing a damn mask,” Kurogane stated flatly. Fai pressed it into his hands anyway, pulling up his own mask so that Kurogane could see the expression on his face. He was still smiling, but there was something ferocious in it now.
“Once we’re above, Kuro-sama, you should wear it,” he said in low tones. “Trust me.”
“Trust you?” Kurogane snorted but didn’t push the mask back at him, tucking it inside his cloak. Fai laughed as he pulled his mask back over his face.
“So mean, Kuro-tan. After I made it special for you and everything.”
“You two look like you’re havin’ fun here,” an unimpressed voice said. Kurogane noted that Fai immediately fell back into a subdued pose as Imris Garan strode up to them, shouldering two packs. He handed one to Fai and pushed the other at Kurogane. “Here. The supplies Edras Agra promised.”
Fai dipped his head in thanks, opening up his pack and giving the contents a quick once over.
“We got transportation for you, too,” Imris Garan said, turning. Two other people were coming over to join them, dragging one of the motorcycles between them. Imris Garan eyed Kurogane coldly. “You know how to drive, stray dog?”
“Me?” Kurogane said. “Why the hell do I have to--”
“You wanna let Faceless drive?” Imris Garan laughed, shaking his head. “You don’t know what you in for then, stray dog. But that no skin off my nose. You all die, ain’t my problem. We leavin’ this dump anyway. Doesn’t matter none what Little Brother does to us now. Edras Agra just lettin’ you do this because he feels some kinda responsibility or some shit for this thing. It’s nothin’ to the rest of us. Any of our people haven’t made it to these tunnels by now, they dead anyway.” He turned to go without even glancing back. “You can go whenever you’re ready. No need to wish you good luck cause there ain’t no such thing in this place. You wanna go to your graves, you can go anytime.”
With that he disappeared through the nearest doorway, leaving Kurogane and Fai alone.
“Well, that was a pleasant goodbye,” Fai said cheerfully. He was still digging through the pack he’d been given. “I didn’t think they’d give us a cycle.”
“Can you drive?” Kurogane asked him darkly. Fai laughed again and Kurogane had a sudden sinking feeling. He shook his head, disgusted. “Whatever. How hard can it be?”
“That’s the spirit, Kuro-tan!” Fai said. He made a small sound of surprise as he pulled something out of his pack. It looked like a handful of small marbles, made all of clear glass. “Hyuu. That’s unexpected.”
“What is it?” Kurogane asked despite himself.
“Explosives.” Fai picked one up between his thumb and forefinger and held it up close to his eye. “They’re very rare here, from what I gather. This is probably the last of them. We’ll have to be careful.” He tucked them gently back inside the pack. “It looks like Edras Agra managed to get us some power cells, too.” He pulled out a small square of black metal and took his gun off his belt, pulling off a part near the grip and replacing it with the new one. Three blue lights immediately brightened along the barrel of the gun. “We have three of these. Hopefully that’ll be enough.”
Kurogane opened up his own pack, staring inside. He reached in and pulled out something that looked a bit like a small silver canister.
“That will be perfect for you, Kuro-sama,” Fai told him. “Press the red button. Oh, and point the end away from you.”
“Which side is the--” Kurogane cut off sharply as his finger found the button Fai had indicated and a beam of red light shot out from the far end of the object. It was one of the laser swords he’d seen the fighters using the day before.
“Since Kuro-sama’s sword is no good, I thought one of those might come in handy,” Fai said, ignoring the glare Kurogane shot his way.
“What part of this is a damn sword?” Kurogane demanded. He swung it around experimentally, doing his level best to restrain himself from aiming it at Fai’s head. It was lighter than his usual sword and the grip wasn’t as good but he supposed there wasn’t much choice. He didn’t like admitting it, but the stupid magician was right. If Souhi couldn’t cut through the metal hulls of the reapers, he needed something that would.
“Don’t be such an old man, Kuro-rin,” Fai said, patting him on the shoulder. “This is the wave of the future!” He reached around Kurogane’s arms and pressed the button on the sword’s hilt, causing the light blade to retract. “Though the future does require batteries, so I’d conserve those if I was you.”
“This is why it’s a damn ridiculous excuse for a sword,” Kurogane stated even as he affixed the blade to his belt right alongside Souhi. “Steel doesn’t need batteries or crap like that.”
“That’s my Kuro-sama,” Fai said, taking hold of Kurogane’s pack and peering inside. “The future will leave you behind, Kuro-rin.”
“Shut up,” Kurogane grumbled, crossing his arms. “Is there anything useful in there?”
“A little bit of food and two more of those swords,” Fai said, handing him the pack back. “And this.”
In his hands was something that looked like a black metallic pencil. Fai held it between both hands and it split in the middle, stretching open like a scroll. Instead of paper, however, in between the two halves there was a glowing green screen.
“A map,” Fai said, staring at it intently and pressing at a couple small squares along the screen. The map changed and adjusted depending on where he touched. “It looks like whatever information Edras Agra was able to get about Little Brother, it should be in here. So!” He whirled back to face Kurogane, and Kurogane could hear the smile. “Does Kuro-rin want to be the driver or the navigator?”
Kurogane looked over at the cycle, then back at Fai. He sighed.
“Come on, idiot. I’m driving.”
—
The first thing Kurogane noticed as he carefully dragged the bike out into the open air was that the sky had gotten slightly lighter. The red scar seemed to be almost glowing and far in the distance the sky had grown a sickly red-orange.
“The fires from Centerpoint,” Fai said, coming up behind him. He was looking down at the map again. “It’s burning faster than expected.”
“Can we make it to that citadel or whatever in time?” Kurogane asked grimly.
“We’ll have to move fast,” Fai said. “No sleeping tonight, Kuro-rin. We’d better leave now.”
“Right.” Kurogane threw one leg over the side of the cycle, glaring down at the myriad buttons and glowing dials as if doing so might scare them into making sense. Fai’s hands slid unexpectedly around him as the magician leaned over his shoulder, dangling the white dog-faced mask in one hand.
“Mask, Kuro-tan.”
“I told you, I’m not wearing that stupid--” Kurogane was cut off as Fai pressed on finger against his lips.
“No arguing this time, Kuro-puu,” Fai said sharply in tones that demanded nothing less than absolute obedience. “You can’t let anything see your face out there.”
Kurogane stared at him for a long moment, suddenly overcome with the desire to rip the mask off Fai’s own face just to see what sort of expression Fai was making under it. He gave a disgusted sigh instead and took the mask from the magician’s hands, securing it over his own face. To his surprise, he was able to breath normally even without there being any hole for his mouth and his vision seemed to be minimally effected.
“Now, if Kuro-tan will just start the cycle…” Fai said, leaning back into the seat behind Kurogane.
“And vroom!” Mokona added from its spot securely tucked inside Kurogane’s cloak.
“Vroom!” Fai agreed happily. Kurogane rolled his eyes and carefully pressed a button on the underside of one of the handlebars.
The motorcycle flew off like a shot, so unexpectedly that he nearly lost his grip and sent the whole thing flying into the side of a building. It took Kurogane a moment to get the stupid thing under control and then they were finally flying easily along the ruined streets.
“Daddy’s such a good driver!” Fai cooed as he pressed himself against Kurogane’s back, one arm snaking around Kurogane’s waist.
“Shut up,” Kurogane growled. “So? Which way?”
“Give me a minute.” Fai pulled out the map again, holding onto it with one hand while the other remained securely fastened around Kurogane’s waist.
“Why the hell are you holding onto me?” Kurogane muttered. “You didn’t do that on the cycle before.”
“You don’t want me to fall off, do you, Kuro-rin?” Fai said, voice filled with exaggerated concern. “The other people in this country are used to these cycles and don’t like it when passengers hold onto them. But I was sure Kuro-tan wouldn’t mind at all, right?”
Kurogane snorted in reply and Fai laughed.
“I knew you’d understand, Kuro-rin.” Fai held the map up to his face. “We need to make a left at the next streetlight. It’s a little roundabout, but Edras Agra’s tried to give us a route that makes us less likely to run into reapers. There’s a reason they call this stretch of territory the Graveyard, after all.”
They rode on in silence, save for Fai’s occasional directions. The deeper they went into the city the more destruction they came across and more than once Kurogane found himself forced to take a wide detour around a completely collapsed building or circling to avoid a yawning sinkhole. The pavement grew increasingly more cracked and broken, and it was difficult to keep the cycle upright.
“Kuro-sama is doing a very good job driving,” Fai said encouragingly as Kurogane just managed to navigate a tight turn and avoid a giant chunk of fallen building.
“This is a mess,” Kurogane muttered. He suddenly began to slow the cycle.
“Kuro-tan?”
“Shut up,” Kurogane said sharply. “I hear something.”
The motorcycle slowed to a stop in the center of what looked to have once been a town square. Twisted streetlights encircled them like bent and broken trees.
“Mokona doesn’t hear anything,” Mokona said quietly.
“There’s something here,” Kurogane said in low tones. “All these stupid machines don’t have any presence, but there’s definitely something here.”
There was the sudden sound of something scrambling away in the darkness and Kurogane’s hand reached down for the light sword at his belt.
“Wait…” Fai grabbed his wrist. “We should try to outrun it first. I do hate to deprive Kuro-sama of violence, but we don’t have time to waste fighting something that might let us go if we get past it fast enough.”
With some reluctance Kurogane lowered his hand and revved the cycle back to life. Fai pulled out the map again.
“There’s an entrance to more subway tunnels not far from here,” he said. “If we can at least reach that, we should be safe for a bit. Turn left from here, Kuro-rin.”
“Turn where?” Kurogane replied. “There’s nothing that way but some kind of building.”
“It was some sort of shopping center, I think,” Fai said. “We should be able to use it as a shortcut. Go through the entryway, over there.”
Kurogane glanced back dubiously but even so he carefully maneuvered the motorcycle through the entrance Fai had indicated. The building they were in seemed to be in fairly decent shape compared to most of the ones they had passed — the walls were still mostly intact and the tiled floor even in the majority of places. The building was made all of wide hallways with shuttered and empty storefronts lining the walls, the doorways boarded up haphazardly or simply blocked by caved-in entryways. The halls themselves were wide enough for the cycle to cruise easily through them.
They were just beginning to reach a decent speed again when the ground beneath them started to shake.
“Damn it, what now?” Kurogane growled, speeding up. All of a sudden one of the walls ahead seemed to split apart, pieces of smooth steel changing and pulling apart like the yawning of a giant mouth.
An enormous blue eye made all of rusted sheet metal stared straight at them, and then the ground exploded.
--Part Three--