[PG-13] Cloudland Swing [MatrixOne and Naraness]

[MatrixOne]

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Even two hundred years after a nuclear 'disagreement', when new societies begin to emerge from underneath the ruins of their predecessors, the same mistakes are being repeated all over again.
Even then.

Especially then.

In fact, you could just look around, and you would most likely find a perfect example of the ever-unchanged human mentality.

Like a smoke trail, or a wrecked truck.

Or a smoke trail coming out of a wrecked truck's engine.

This particular truck crashed not so long ago - no longer than fifteen minutes.
You could tell by the goons that were searching it and counting their victims.

"We killed four, two more ran south. Go after them if you want the full payment"
The cold voice belonging to a leader of these freelancers directed them towards their targets.
One of the three pursuers fired his weapon.

The bullet hit a young girl, no older than eighteen. She fell face down into tall grass.
"Just one more"
The last girl had nowhere to run. The only reason she wasn't executed straight away was because the freelancers noticed something... peculiar about her, and were unsure what to do.

She appeared to be about nineteen or twenty. Her dark green eyes measured her pursuers calmly. As if she didn't care.
Her chaotic, auburn hair contrasted with the emotionless expression.
But that was not the main reason that confused the freelancers.
What was so interesting about her was an apparent lack of hands - they ended abruptly at the shoulders, leaving the empty sleeves of the girl's white shirt to flap in the wind.

The goons looked at their leader, unsure about their next course of action.
"The, uh, orders still stand" - he said, commanding one of them to finish the job.
The freelancer nodded, and aimed his weapon at the girl.


That's how humanity is. Just as it always was.
But there are exceptions.

All it takes, is one person.
One person to notice the smoke.

One person to take matters into her own hands.

[Naraness]

In a world such as this, often times, justice was found in the most unlikely places. In times like these, authorities didn’t give a damn if a few people were shot down, or if a store was robbed blind. If an innocent person was assaulted; it was just more paperwork. These ‘inconsiderable’ cases, were a nuisance. The mandatory part of the job.

That was why the 'inconsiderables', sometimes had to stand up for each other.

The woman's long ebon hair swept in waves behind her. She walked briskly to stave off the cold brought by the morning air. Her cold blue eyes watched, hidden behind dark sunglasses as she walked the old paved streets. They scanned the road, taking short notice of the potholes and deep cracks. The road was in dire need of repair, but it this part of town, nobody cared. She dismissed it with a thought. That was just how the world was nowadays. If you weren't famous or rich, nobody cared. That was just... life. Something everyone had to deal with.

Her eyes flicked up towards the sky. It was a muddy brown color, like swamp water. The woman heaved a long sigh, trying to remember if the sky was ever blue above the city. She remembered once there had been a heavy rain, and it had washed the pollution out of the sky. But that hadn't lasted more than a day.

Her eyes caught sight of something different. Below the canopy of smog, there was a thin line of grey smoke filtering up into the sky. She thought for a moment. Most likely it was just street people burning waste in a trashcan. But something about the color, something about the smell, told her otherwise. She picked up her pace, and began a steady jog towards it. Only a second later she heard a gunshot. That couldn't be good... She heard a scream, and her brain sent out a thousand warning signals to her body.

“Stay out of zis Delain.” She muttered to herself. But her limbs wouldn't listen to her words. She broke into a run, pulling her trench coat up with one hand to reach with her other for her firearm. Her fingers closed around the familiar pistol’s grip. She skid as she reached the lip of the alleyway. She listened to the voices, painting a picture in her imagination. Three armed men, one person dead, one or two about to be shot.

The firing had ceased. Had she been too late?

“The, uh, orders still stand.” She heard someone say.

Someone was still alive. She swung around, moving her feet to place herself in front of the alley. The scene wasn’t much different from the one she had imagined. There were three armed men, one was holding a gun in his hand. An auburn haired girl stood up against the wall, staring down the barrel of the weapon. Another woman had already been shot, and laid face-down in the tall grass that grew wild in the alleyway. A couple others had been shot as well.

Delain raised her gun, and decisively pulled the trigger. Her professional aim took the gun out of the shooter’s hands. “Doezn’t anyone know how to play nice around here?” She asked sarcastically as the other two drew their weapons on her. She really hated street thugs. Taking a split-second to examine them, she realized that they weren’t even holding their guns correctly. But instead tilted to the side so they weren’t even looking down the sights on the top of the barrel. She rolled her eyes.

Amateurs. She thought. With two fast shots to each they fell limp to the ground. The last, disarmed thug took off running. Delain’s hands fell to the ready. Her eyes scanned the alleyway. She looked down at the two men one their backs. After deciding that they were, in fact, dead, she holstered her gun. Taking a deep breath, and straightening her coat, she offered a small smile to the girl against the wall.

“Are you alright?” She asked in an accented voice, casting a sympathetic look towards her companion who had been killed.

[MatrixOne]

The girl looked into Delain's eyes.

Her expression was absent, as if she didn't acknowledge what was happening.
After a few seconds, she took a step forward, staring bleakly.

Something was wrong. The world felt... different.
As if it lost color, and some kind of stability. It was desaturating.
Thick fog covered the far landscapes, and brownish colors of sky and dead grass shifted to grey.
Trees were distorted, and curved into weird shapes.

And the girl's eyes were not dark green anymore.

They were pitch black.

Just like the world around her.

Just like everything.

Bleak, empty void.

Suddenly, a loud ringing noise, like shellshock after an explosion, shattered the silence, hurting Delain's ears. She flinched from the unexpected sound, closing her eyes for a brief moment.

And during that moment, it all came to a stop, as unexpectedly as it began.
The world was normal again. That same, brown sky, the same smell of smoke and blood.

But they were not where they were standing before the world went crazy.
The smoke from the crashed truck was visible half a mile away.

The girl spoke.
"You're searching for someone"
Her eyes returned to their usual, dark green color. She pierced Delain with an inquisitive gaze.
"I couldn't stay there"
She was probably referring to the truck crash site.

She shook her head, attempting to throw the memories out of her head. After taking a deep breath, she spoke, this time with a more confident voice.
"My name is Rin Tezuka. I would shake your hand, but I don't have any"
It was hard to guess whether she was joking or not.

_____________
(the weird thing was a hallucination. It happens when Rin 'accesses' your mind. But you can easily snap out of it, and it's not very strong ;q)

[Naraness]

Delain shook her head after the intrusive feeling finally left. She didn't like it. At all. She wondered briefly if she might have made a mistake by saving this girl. She had a certain aura around her that Delain didn't necessarily enjoy. And even more so the fact that she knew Delain was searching for someone was even more unnerving. It was true that Delain had spent the last four years of her life searching for her brother, Nathan. He was the only family member she had who was still alive. Her parents had died when she was only a child. And they had lost contact with any other living relatives long ago.

“Rin, huh?” Delain asked. She pronounced Rin’s name as ‘reen’, due to her odd accent. She raised an eyebrow, and acting as if she was unaffected by... whatever had happened. Though the truth had been said in her earlier wince. She got a strange feeling the noise had come from the girl. After all, she knew things she shouldn’t know, and there was something different about her. Something Delain couldn’t explain, and probably never would.

She narrowed her eyes. Not that she didn’t trust her, but… Well okay, Delain didn’t trust her. But trust wasn’t something that came easily to her.

Delain looked her up at down at her third statement. She could have sworn that she had had hands before. But now that she looked, it became quite apparent that she was not only handless, but armless as well. “Uh, zat’s okay, I’ve nezer been one for handshakes anyways.” She said, shrugging it off. She wondered briefly what had happened to her. No offense to her; but girls didn’t just sprout out of the ground without arms. Did they? Maybe she had been born that way. The possibilities were endless. Delain decided to stop thinking about it.

“I’m Delain.” She hesitated to give her last name. But decided that since Rin had, she would return the favor, and do the same. “Delain Amaterasu.” She said, her French accent particularly strong as she spoke her last name.

“Uh, if you don’t mind my azking, what was zat you just did a momen’ ago?” She asked, rubbing her temple with one finger. She could almost still hear the ringing in her head. It had been an experience she did not wish to repeat. Especially if the painful ring in her ears would return.

[MatrixOne]

Rin's eyes lowered as she was thinking of a suitable answer.
"It's like reading a book" She finally said. "You look at the cover before you open it. So that you know what to expect"
Satisfied with her own response, she looked back into Delain's eyes quizzically.
"That's what I did. I read your cover"
It was hard to imagine Rin actually reading a book. In fact, hardly anyone in this wasteland ever had time for books, let alone a girl with no hands to turn the pages.

She took a deep breath, and said:
"It was boring."
Her voice was confident, but didn't mean to be insulting. She said it like it was obvious, with the same tone that would be normal for 'It's raining' or 'I like trains'.
"You were lonely all this time."

Her eyes suddenly turned black. The odd feeling came back, filling the world with uncertainty. As if someone flicked a magic 'stability' switch to 'off'.
But then, the switch came back 'on'.
"But you're closer to finding him than you've ever been during those years"
Her expression changed, now revealing slight sadness.
"But I don't know. I can't help you. I'm kind of useless"

She sat on the ground, with her back against a wall. Staring blankly into the landscape, she released a quiet sigh.
"Now what do I do? I could just die from a bullet and it would be over and I wouldn't have to be here... It's a better end than starving to death in some abandoned building, alone and forgotten."

The sun started setting. The entire landscape was submerged in red, slowly dimming sunlight.
"Before you resume your search... Maybe you could... spare one more bullet?"
She closed her eyes.

As night slowly took over, the lightless streets were growing darker and scarier with every second. Rin's silhouette looked helpless and vulnerable. She probably wouldn't make it through the night.

[Naraness]

Her heart pounded excitedly at the discovery that she was close to finding her brother. She told herself that that was impossible, and he was most likely dead. But would her excited heart listen? No. Her practical mind argued ruthlessly. What did Rin know? She might have just coincidentally guessed that she was searching for someone. Nowadays almost everyone was looking for a long lost loved one. It wasn’t exactly a rarity.

She sighed as the sky began to darken. The red clouds of toxins tainted the light, making it shine down red. The whole city was blanketed in an eerie crimson haze. Just as it always was at this time of day.

As Rin continued talking, Delain felt an unexpected surge of sympathy for her. Even if she still held an unnerving aura... It was obvious that she was troubled. And as Rin finally requested her own death at Delain’s hands, she was already shaking her head. She stepped forward, the tall grass made quiet rustling sounds as she walked through it.

“Listen… uh, Rin, I mighten be a killer,” She said, glancing over at the two dead freelancers. “But I am not a murder.” She held a hand over her heart, which, coinsidentially was also the place her gun was secured. Her voice softened a little. “And you are far from useless.” Where these words were coming from, Delain had no idea. She didn’t know why she suddenly wanted to help her. Maybe after saving her, Delain felt it was her responsibility? “Do you ‘ave a place to call home?” She asked quietly. “If not… “

Don’t do it Delain, you’re going to regret it. Don’t you even… think about it. This is going to end badly, just do what she asked and walk away. She hesitated, then argued with herself. No, she needs my help, and you can’t convince me otherwise.

“You can come and ztay at my place for a while.” She offered quietly. “C’mon.” She would have given her a hand up, but… The obvious complication stopped her. Instead, she compromised, placing a firm hand on each of her shoulders and pulling her to her feet. The girl was relatively light, and easy to pick up. Once she was steadily standing, Delain removed her hands.

By now the sun had already darkened quite a bit more. The sky had become a dark color, like blood. Delain shivered, pulling her coat tighter around her shoulders. She made a little motion with one hand for Rin to follow her.

“Unless you have somewhere else to go.” But Delain doubted that she did.

[MatrixOne]

Rin hesitantly followed Delain.
"I don't have a home anymore. Me, and... the others you saw... We were from Project Hope. But the facility was raided. We were the lucky ones who got to the truck before..."
She paused.

So, this was it.

Project Hope.

It was popular among the radio channels lately. It brought just that - Hope.
And that's exactly what people need in this world.

It was a simple idea at first. Make a school.
That was it. People got to work, because they felt like it gave them purpose.
And a few years later, there it was. A pre-war library repurposed into a sort of college.

It was supposed to change people. And it did.

The students focused on aiding their society, and humanity as a whole. The mercs helped as guards and information gatherers. Even the raiders kept their distance.

It gave people purpose, a goal. Perspective.

What changed?

"I was an artist at Project Hope. I was a symbol of determination. My painting motivated people to overcome their limits"
Her tone switched from quiet and depressed into loud, almost angry.
"But it never helps, does it? When something big appears, there is always someone trying to get something out of it. And it wasn't about people anymore. This facility was supposed to prove we can change"

She took a deep breath.

"And now it's just a bunch of rubble."

"So why should I believe you're different?"

[Naraness]

Delain listened quietly as Rin spoke about an organization called ‘Project Hope’. She pondered over the familiarity of the name. She had heard it mentioned a few times on her old radio back at her house. But considering how much crud was on the radio stations these days… She didn’t tend to listen to it very often. However, from what Rin told her, it had been a program that a lot of people really needed in their lives. She was sure that its downfall was yet another scar in humanity’s history. And it sounded like Rin might’ve been the only survivor. Delain thought it was really too bad. She would’ve liked to see if her brother had been part of it. He had been that kind of person… The kind of person who would selflessly help another. Delain’s opposite. She sighed.

“It makes me sorry that Project Hope is no more.” She said quietly, and halfheartedly.

She scoffed as Rin asked why she should believe Delain was any different from the people who had destroyed her hope.

“You don’t have a reason not to believe zat I am exactly ze same as zose people who tried to kill you. As a matter of fact, I’d probably be counted among zem on any police report.” Delain shrugged her shoulders, looking straight ahead as she walked. “And I have no way to prove zat I am different. But I am. Not because zat I follow ze law, or play by the rules. I do neizer of these things.” She said, while looking around.

She heard sirens, and flashing lights. The authorities were ‘heroically’ rushing to the scene of the crime. Where five people laid dead by a busted truck.

She sighed. “But because I care, I am different.” She said firmly.

She heard the wailing sirens approaching at a rapid pace. Her head whipped around. A few police cars were parked just outside the alleyway where the bloody scene was laid out. Delain thought darkly that the police always seemed to arrive just after the dirty work had been completed.

“Come here.” She said in a low tone, pulling Rin into a dark corner of the street so they wouldn’t be seen. Delain and the authorities weren’t on good terms. She continued on down the street. The sun had finally disappeared, and the city was covered in darkness... The occasional lamp post flickered with light, but for the most part, the streets were dark, and empty. She heard gruff voices and the sounds of bottles breaking on tables far off. She took an extra turn to go the long way around a rough bar. She wasn’t on good terms with anyone in there either…

After about fifteen minutes of quiet travel, and silent, calculated dodging. Delain maneuvered them safely back to a small brick house squished in between two abandoned apartment complexes.

Delain stepped up to the small stone porch. She pulled a small key out of her pocket, and unlocked the door. It swung open with a groaning creak. She stepped inside, and hit a switch on. The room flickered to life. Despite the humble looks from the outside, the inside was surprisingly well cared for, and organized, as well as clean, and orderly.

A couple of comfy maroon chairs sat in front of a dead fireplace. A bookcase against the back wall probably held more books than all of the city’s combined. Newer editions were mixed in with older books that might have even have been handwritten. A family painting was hung on the wall. A smiling ebon-haired family stared out at the room. A mother, a father, a daughter, a son...

A couple of door led to other rooms. A staircase on the opposite side of the room from the fireplace led to what appeared to be the bedrooms.

“None of this is really mine; it was my parents, until... Well, I guess it’s mine now. Make yourself at home.”

[MatrixOne]

Rin's attention was immediately drawn by the family photo. It must have been taken years ago, but two of the faces were... somehow familiar to her.

Suddenly, Rin turned around, and walked up to Delain.
"I think I know..."
She was feeling this weird energy, that was tied to her psychic abilities. Her subconscious was lit up like a christmas tree, making her remember images, faces, sounds...

"So it's true. I think your brother did work for Hope"
She couldn't handle this energy. She was walking nervously around the room, with a concerned expression on her face.
"His name must have been fake... But his intentions were not"
Realizing that she told Delain the facility is destroyed, she quickly added:
"Not everyone was at the college at the time of the attack. The older, more responsible people were being sent on missions. The whole Purity department had its own facility. Some of us are still left"

She lowered her voice.
"Maybe even five, or so. Not enough to restart Hope... But enough to not give up hope of finding Hugo"

"Or whatever his real name is"

She smiled.
"I could help you find him. You did a lot for me, and I thought I was unable to do anything in return. Maybe I was wrong"
Rin stopped walking nervously, her mind set on a new objective.
"Seeing an another survivor of Hope might help me... clear some things up. Besides, chances are, they might be going after Project Purity next. So we should... We should..."

Rin didn't finish, because she realized how tired she was. The weight of her eyelids was hard to overcome.
She needed a rest, after all she's been through.

[Naraness]

“Wait, wait, wait, my brother worked for Hope?” Delain asked, an incredulous look etched on her face. “How can zat be..?” She asked quietly. When Rin mentioned Nathan's fake name, Hugo, she couldn't help but laugh. “Hugo? Oh zat's just like him...” She rolled her eyes. If her parents had survived, he would have been the tallest of them all, at 6' 4". And that was just when he was fifteen. Delain was sure he had grown since then.

Don't get involved in this Delain... She pushed the annoying voice into the back off her mind, and protested. Oh shut up, I'll decide what to do.

“So you’d really help me find him? Nathan. That’s his name.” Delain asked, her eyes searching the other girl. She looked only a little younger than herself, and with her… disability, she wouldn’t be able to do much. And yet the odd way she knew things, and the odd ‘book cover’ ability she had, were both more than enough for Delain to know that she was anything but defenseless.

Delain’s eyes drifted up to the family portrait. Her eyes lingered over her brother. The picture had been taken when Delain had been only an infant. Her brother had been two. Days later her parents had died. She tried not to think about the incident. Sometimes she would go and stand by the portrait, and try to remember them. Try to remember what it was like in that instant that the picture had been captured on film. That moment, in her mother’s arms, with her father’s strong hand nearby to always keep her safe. That millisecond with her brother, her best friend, her protector, right there next to her. Sometimes she could remember what that felt like. But it didn’t last long. Her parents were dead. She didn’t know where Nathan was. And so she learned to do without their protection, and protect herself.

She tore her gaze from the picture, and realized that Rin looked quite exhausted. “Are you alright? Oh here, zere’s a spare room upstairs, you’re welcome to it.” She gestured up the stairs, wondering if she would need any help. But she hesitated to offer help unless it was asked for.

Delain untied her coat, and shrugged it off, draping it over a hook on the wall. She also pulled her sunglasses off, and set them on the ledge over the fireplace. She knelt down, and firmly grabbed a few of the synthetic wood logs that she used as fire fuel. She sighed, only wishing that she could use real wood. But it was hard to get ahold of these days, and far too expensive to use for a fire. After a moment a soft glow filled the room as the fire took.

Delain nodded to herself, standing. “Do you need anything?” She asked Rin. Delain wondered sarcastically to herself when she had changed from a cold, heartless, street killer, into a hostess. She mentally rolled her eyes, and protested to herself that the only things that had changed were her environment, and she hadn't changed at all.