Chapter Six: Setting Off

[Yesterday, (May 12th, 2103)]

[Cicada: So like, DFW sucks right? There’s nothing to fucking do?]

[Sigerson: its just this country as a whole tbh, it’s hard to do a lot of the things that we’re used to when in this part of the continent.]

[Cicada: i just want to go to a club and find someone to spend a night with, is that so hard ;-;]

[davi: cope]

[Cicada: i will beat you up]

[davi: jokes on you i locked the bathroom door]

[Cicada: sec]

[davi: fmaofiafm she fuckin kicked me how i swear i locked it how]

[Cicada: my power isn’t entirely useless you know]

[The Conductor: Be aware, we will have a replacement Engine coming in tomorrow morning to fill our very unfortunate vacancy in the rearguard position.]

[Cicada: oooh, give us deets elisah]

[davi: dibs if it’s a twink]

[Cicada: quiet or ill hit you again]

[The Conductor: Please refrain from abusing my brother. Well, too much at least. According to Beatrice, we’ll be receiving a fresh graduate from Trinity River with the callsign of Grim.]

[Sigerson: ooh, a real newbie! this’ll be fun, brb I’m gonna look them up]

[Sigerson: wait this is fuckin’ weird. she has the power of making people fear her??? public details are pretty vague tbh]

[davi: dammit she i’m out]

[Cicada: a fear power could be kinda hot though, in a fucked up sort of way]

[davi: ew, what is with gay girls and toxic dynamics?? Id never]

[Cicada: ew, what is with gay boys and cocks?? Id never]

[davi: touche]

[The Conductor: I have been informed that I am to pick out one of the mecha from the depot for Grim, any ideas?]

[Cicada: the ones based on the evangelion mechs are pretty intimidating imo, might fit]

[davi: legit shocked you didn’t immediately jump to the psycho gundams or aerial]

[Cicada: fUCK YOURE RIGHT]

[Sigerson: Grim is a name based on a dog spirit, what if we did one of the shifter mechs]

[Cicada: Werewolf girlllll]

[davi: werewolf girllll]

[Sigerson: the gays are in unison, I think we have our answer]

[The Conductor: I suppose so.]

[ Today, (May 13th, 2103) ]

[davi: why the fuck is there a cop outside]

[Cicada: I swear I didn’t fuck anyone I shouldn’t have!]

[davi: … *squints* but you did fuck someone. who???]

[Cicada: Um]

[Cicada: You saw nothing]

[Absinthe: my head is killing me can someone send me like, the blackest coffee in the land]

[davi: omg marcus is alive!]

[Cicada: I got you buddy, one drink blacker then Bri coming up]

[Absinthe: not black enough, i need the endless unfeeling void in a cup]

[Sigerson: the fuck you mean im not black enough??]

[Absinthe: I said what I said, coffee pls]

[Cicada: sent it back just now, be there soon]

[Sigerson: im revoking your cookout invitation marcus]

[Absinthe: wait no]

[Sigerson: nope conversation over]

[Sigerson: I got the newbie all set up by the way]

[dogged: thats me]

[dogged: why the fuck is my name dogged]

[dogged: and why the fuck is there like a hundred fifty unread messages]

[Sigerson: i had absolutely nothing to do with that]

[dogged: I don’t even know who you are, but I will find you, and I will get my revenge]

[Absinthe: that’s brianna]

[Sigerson: et tu marcus]

[dogged: grr briannaaaa]

[Cicada: hehe, doggo did a growl.]

[davi: careful noob jun bites]

[Cicada: some might say my bark is worse than it though]

[Cicada: in hindsight that didn’t work sorry]

[The Conductor: Get to work Jun, we need to leave in an hour.]

[Cicada: shit i need to warm the pistons then brb]

[dogged: reading through these chat logs is a riot tbh]

[davi: wait no! bri you’ve ruined jun and my relationship with the noob from the start how could you]

[Sigerson: you two brought this fate upon yourselves for being horny on main]

[davi: *turns to dust and fucking dies*]

[The Conductor: David, I need some caffeine up front, if you would.]

[davi: *immediately comes back to fucking life to make his brother coffee*]

Rolling my eyes with a smile on my face, I stand up and move over to the little workshop that I have been graciously granted access to, opening every drawer to find all the little bits and bobs. My new coworkers are certainly… interesting to say the least. These are the first people I’ve met that are so open about their sexuality.

I… I think I got really lucky, both with this group that I’ve now become a part of and with the people that I’ve met in my life. There’s a certain part of me that screams at me that I don’t deserve what I have, that I should be suffering like the rest of the people that were in a situation like me. That my struggles can’t be true if I’m not.

My shoulders droop a bit as I sigh. Suddenly, there’s a lurch as the entire car shifts, before a slight pull tells me that the train has started to move forward. Walking over to the wall, I press a rather obvious button that causes a portion of the wall to go transparent, revealing the slowly shifting landscape outside. I move to sit at the computer again, but my eyes are firmly locked on the scene through the window.

The first thing that really catches my eye is the eclectic mix of buildings that seems to populate this little town of Saginaw. Ever since the DFW Megaplex began exploding in size a couple of decades ago, the development of more rural areas has happened without a care for the residents that were there before. In this case, zoning laws seem to have been put to the side in favor of economic boom, as older buildings clearly meant for industrial purposes are seen right beside newer strip malls and standalone shops.

Eventually though, the further out we get as we build up in speed, the buildings become more and more uniform, the urban sprawl equalizing as we get to the (somewhat) new developed areas. Well, that is before we run into another small town that was amalgamated into the megaplex of course, where the strange mix returns once again.

I sort of zone out, watching everything go by, thinking about how this is probably the first time I’m leaving the megaplex at all. Hell, I’ve never even been this far out in the city, where the skyline of downtown Fort Worth is just completely gone from the horizon. A queasy anxiety begins to build in my gut, increasing more and more the further the train seems to go.

It’s after we pass the fifth town that the landscape rapidly changes, the horizon becoming dominated by the largest body of water that I’ve ever seen in person. I gasp as I lean forward a bit, my eyes refusing to believe the sight they are taking in. A light, euphoric excitement rises in my chest for a few moments, before vanishing as the lake vanishes as quickly as it appeared. I sit back in my chair with a sigh, pinching my forehead as we once again return to the boring urban sprawl.

{“Did I come at a bad time?”}

Jerking up, I can’t help but smile at the sight of Maribelle in the corner of my monitor. “Nah, this has been boring as hell to be honest. What’s up?”

Her orb flies around the screen as Maribelle explains, “I’m watching your train through camera feeds as it travels, and I noticed you’re getting close to the edge of the city proper.”

That anxiety returns with a vengeance at that. “We’re that close already? To the Red River?”

{“Mhm.”} Maribelle is quiet for a moment. {“How are you feeling about your new job? Everything as good as you were hoping?”}

I chuckle nervously as I glance up at my Mecha. “Sort of. It’s everything I wanted and more. Even the coworkers seem to be great… But…”

Maribelle doesn’t do anything as I hem over what I feel comfortable with saying here.

“I’m about to be in a different realm from where I’ve been my entire life. One where random chance could mean nothing happens at all for days on end, or I’m stuck fighting over and over again, as the hostile wilds are drawn to us like moths to a flame.”

{“Minea. It’s okay, you’ll be fine. You’re just anxious.”}

I sniff, then nearly reel when I realize I’m on the verge of tears.

“But what if-”

Maribelle cuts me off, her orb shifting into a scolding finger. {“Nope! No what if’s here, little lady. You’ve prepared the best you can, so use that skill that you’re so proud of to protect yourself and your allies. Worst case scenario, take your new Mecha and run back to the Megaplex or the nearest sanctuary.”}

Biting my lip, I nod. “S-Sorry, I’m not sure why I’m being like this now of all times.”

{“You’ve got this, okay?”} She pauses for a moment, then bluntly states. {“I’m going to leave early, so you can start getting used to me not being here.”}

With a gulp, after a moment or two, I quietly respond. “Makes sense. Doesn’t mean I like it.”

Maribelle sighs, her voice miming a motherly tone. {“Gosh, what am I going to do with you Minea?”}

Flushing, I drop my face into my hands. “I’m never going to live this down.”

{“Nope! If it makes you feel any better though, I won’t tease you about it around anyone else. Except maybe if you get a partner.”}

With a gasp, I look at the orb in horror. “You wouldn’t!”

{“Oh, you know I would. Anyone who gets close to you will probably realize how big of a softie you actually are anyways, so…”}

I groan, but there is finally a smile on my face. “Thanks, Mari.”

She pauses for a moment, then quickly says, {“You’ll be fine sis, I promise. Talk to you when you make it to Kansas City! Byeeee!”}

Maribelle vanishes in a poof of digital noise, and unfortunately it barely takes a minute for me to find her absence to already be grating upon my nerves. Looking to distract myself, I stand up and move over to the workbench, pulling out a stack of blank printer paper that I had found earlier.

Taking out two pieces, I think for a moment to remember how it is supposed to go, before setting to work. Quickly my mind falls back into a familiar space, one where the only thing on my mind is the next crease, the next fold needed to make the final product. The chaotic, unpredictable world around me disappears, replaced with the consistency of paper, of my most practiced craft.

Then, I finish, and I look down at the messy paper rose in my hand. I frown, then crush it to toss into a nearby bin before beginning once again. Over and over again I try, each failure my rusty fingers produce getting me one step closer to perfection, to that consistent standard that I once had down perfectly.

It’s just as I finish one that barely meets my standards that a loud ding from my computer jerks me back into reality. I rush over to my seat, where I find an announcement for the conductor beneath a wall of rather jovial seeming nonsense that I should probably go back to read eventually.

[The Conductor: @guards We are nearing the Red River wall, so I would like for you to go to the first stage of alarm. Stay vigilant with the surroundings as soon as we pass the river.]

[Cicada: trusting you guys to cover us up at the front as always.]

[davi: anyone heard from the newbie in a bit? She’s been pretty quiet]

[Absinthe: I can go check on her real quick if we need to, I’m the closest to her.]

[dogged: I’m fine, I was focused on something. Guessing that I should be watching the cameras for anything approaching?]

[Sigerson: depends, how attuned is your perception?]

[dogged: I mean, normal? I don’t fuckin know?]

[Sigerson: Ah, you haven’t been out this far before. To make a long story short, you’ll probably detect if something is coming before it actually shows up visually, so if you ever have a particularly bad feeling don’t brush it off. It’s something only people in our roles need to know, don’t really talk about much since we treat it as perfectly natural. In hindsight it doesn’t come off that way when you first start, so I don’t blame you for being confused.]

[Sigerson: … God, am I getting old?]

[Absinthe: Bri the teacher, never thought I’d see the day.]

[dogged: Got it. I’ll go on watch now, I guess.]

[Absinthe: Keep us updated, and we’ll do the same for you. We’re on the same team, so don’t be a stranger.]

I sigh, then look out the window once again, my eyes going wide as the Red River Wall comes into view, snaking along the water’s edge. The megastructure came into being three decades ago, when the consistent monster raids from the northern wastes became annoying enough to prompt the corps to invest into it. It popped up in a shockingly fast amount of time after that, and has only ever been breached three times since, with the monster dying not long after if the propaganda wasn’t lying. The power of money.

The wall, a uniform amalgamation of concrete and steel, twice as tall as most train cars are long, looming over the land as a bastion of safety. Several of the periodic watchtowers are visible from our location, huge gun emplacements dotting the space between them. It occurs to me as the wall gets closer and closer that I’m at the rear end of the train, so it is probable that the rest of my team is already past the wall, while I’m still on my way there.

Nervously, I fidget with the paper rose I just folded as the gate to the wastes comes into view. Two rather huge mecha stand guard on the opposite side, visible just by their sheer height making it so that a portion of their bodies stick out above the wall. Beneath the gate ahead, there is some kind of light wall that the train seems to pass through without issue, maybe a scanner for contraband or something?

Then, like it doesn’t even matter, I pass through the wall, and am no longer in Texas for the first time.

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.