“Falling

I’m falling

Is this how it ends for me?

Without saving anyone?”)

These were Apollo’s thoughts when he got knocked off the mountain,

The drop wasn’t incredibly long but to him it felt like that,

Hurting both physically and mentally, and now he had to wait to die?

Why couldn’t it at least be instant?

Splash!

His body finally crashes down…

But instead of becoming a stain on the ground below, to Apollo’s surprise he lands in water,

Jet black water, but water nonetheless,

It was ice cold a normal person might’ve passed out from the sudden jolt of hypothermic coldness,

But Apollo…

The cold only numbing his wounds and jump starting his brain,

(“It’s not over yet”!) thinks Apollo as he begins to swim, leaving his heavy sword behind,

With powerful, determined breaststrokes, Apollo makes his way through the lifeless void of a water……

****

(Just like that♪)

“Is Lyra okay?

What happened to you?

Why are you dressed like that?

How did you survive?

Where are we?”

(Just like that♪)

“One question at a time Kage,” Apollo breathes

(Just like that♪)

“I’ll tell you when we get back to the beach,

Well we’re almost there anyways,”

“The beach?”…….

After our unexpected reunion, Apollo quickly ushered me up into the jet he came,

The other officers did not question his actions bringing me, who was found on a pirate ship,

(Just like that♪)

(I wonder what kind of authority Apollo has here)

(Just like that♪)

“See how quick that was, we’ve already arrived, come on, we’ll walk and talk,” Apollo gestures me out of the craft,

I feel like child being shown into their new school for the first time,

“Don’t forget to report to your supervisor Apollo,” An officer signals to Apollo, he gives me a slightly unpleasant glance before walking to the other officers,

(Just like that♪)

The police jet had landed us on a strip filled with many other flying craft,

Stepping out, the now familiar cool wind brushes past my face,

(We’re still at sea?)

(Just like that♪) The revolution will be televised♪

“I still don’t get all the ‘sciencey ’ stuff,

Where we are now is on what they call, a moving artificial island, it is apparently as large as a small city and serves as the main base of operations of the both the International Police Federation as well as the United Country Alliance, army, or UCA for short,” explains Apollo

(UC Government, that was the label I saw on the box I found my bow in

Are these connected?)

(Just like that♪) An’ the pollution from the ocean, now with devotion♪

“This sea carrier is called the ‘Plastic beach,”

“As you can see,” Apollo points to the shiny grey ground, I can feel the buoyancy from the ocean below us,

(Just like that♪) Push peace and keep it in motion♪

“It is made entirely of this plastic material as well as umm,

Actually I don’t know, I still am at a loss for all of this science business,” I can tell Apollo is having hard time explaining what he barely understands himself

(The Plastic Beach huh)

(Just like that♪) Kids gather ‘round, yeah, I need your focus♪

“What about you Apollo, how did you get here?

I thought you died.”

“I thought you and Lyra died as well,” Apollo replies solemnly

“Lyra is alive too?”

“When we found her, she froze herself in a solid ice cocoon to survive the void sea,

After we thawed her, I found out that she was paralyzed, her backbone was shattered,

Luckily the science here had a fix for such injuries, but Lyra couldn’t get the procedure yet because of how sick she was,

She had been floating around for months, starved, alone and close to death, surgery at that time would almost certainly kill her,”

“Is she ok now?” I query

(Just like that♪) I know it seems like the world is so hopeless♪

“Physically yes that was a while ago, she can walk again now,

She doesn’t want to hear any mention of you though, so that’s why I assumed you died.

What happened back there Kage, after I got knocked off, how did you survive?”

“………

I don’t know the last thing I remember was Karina dying,”

“……

Well, it’s been a year since that”

“A year!?”

“Mhmm,

When I ‘fell’ off that mountain I landed in the void sea,

You must have swum through it to get here too, right?

Although I hear it is impossible to survive in the bone chilling waters due to the sun not reaching there, it is in complete cold darkness, so you never know where you’re swimming,

I followed my gut that’s how I made it through to this ring,

The Second Ring,”

(Just like that♪) It’s like wonderland♪

(Is that what here is?)

“I was immediately picked up by the military they have guards watching the convergence point

They brought me here as a suspect at first,” Apollo continues

“And now you work for them?” I tug on his uniform sleeve,

“Well, that is another story,

You can say this is how I paid for Lyra’s treatment,

But it isn’t a bad job, I’m helping people,

And because I am one of four people who can use magic here, I am both valued and feared,

Depending on who you talk to, I am given a lot of liberties actually,”

……..

“Easy on the ego there sparky,” a woman whistles as we approach the main entrance,

She leans in between the sliding doors stopping them from closing,

(Just like that♪) Now fascinate me, picture and animate me, 'cause I'm rollin'♪

—“Since when do we bring criminals in?” she raises her thin, curved eyebrows, high into her brunette bangs, looking at me through her commanding brown eyes,

“This is Kage, and he is not a criminal,

Kage this is Himari she is my supervisor,” introduces Apollo nervously

(She seems ‘nice’)

I nod to her cordially

“Hnn!” she grunts at me,

“Kage was with me that day we fought your defenders atop the mountain,”

“Those mechanoids?

These are the people who created it?” I gasp astonishedly

(Just like that♪) Deep holin', click clackin', crack-a-lackin', full packin' (Hey!), mo' stackin'♪

“Those are self-replicating mechanoids that we sent to the third ring over ten years ago, that was done out of paranoia after some people came from your ring….” Himari sounds like she wants to say more but ends it at that,

“I was put off by that information at first too…” Apollo also stops even though its clear he had more to say,

“Umm, so I was trying to explain ‘the beach’ to Kage just now, but you know my knowledge is limited on these things,

Can you give him the rundown?” Apollo nudges the woman

Himari twirls a loose strand of hair that had fallen from her unkept bun,

Pushing it back up,

She looks at me mistrustingly…

“We’re holding up the entrance, and you still haven’t made a report yet after that mission Apollo, let’s go,” she walks beckoning us to follow,

……

(Just like that♪)Actin' a fool when I teach♪

“This is the plastic beach; it is called that because it is made partly of plastic and a new kind of element invented by our science department

I won’t be getting in to that with you however…

This beach was first created to solve the ring’s pollution problem,

As we move along the ocean all plastic gets sucked up and absorbed into the mass of the carrier, which is powered using foundation energy,

You get all that?” finishes Himari quickly

(No)

“For the most part,” I reply scratching the back of my head

“Good now answer my questions and bear in mind that you are in a government facility,

If you try to run you will immediately be detained,”

“Run?”

(Why does she sound aggressive all of a sudden?)

(Just like that♪)

“I had time to search your face from Apollo’s helmet camera when he first saw you on that pirate craft,

Records show that you indeed are not from this ring, no birth dates no family, nothing,”

“You did that so quickly?” Apollo asks in awe of his superior

“That is my job,

Now Kage, you are called,

Your face has spotted multiple times on multiple occasions working with those pirates,

You we’re clearly not a hostage on that ship,

Does that wound even bother you, or is it fake?” she points at dried blood near the stab wound by my left rib

(I forgot about that

Wait,

Why did forget?

What is she getting at?)

“Kage, is that true?” Apollo stands back giving me a disapproving look

“My last memory was Karina dying, I don’t know anything about what she is talking about,” I dispute

“You are indeed lying,” Himari takes off a pair of glasses

(When did she put those on?)

(Just like that♪) Welcome to the world of the plastic beach, yeah♪

“You have to be detained for questioning, along with you crewmates, Kage the pirate”

“Wait!—”

Punch!

Before I could react Himari lands a near perfect jab to my temple,

The room begins to spin as I find myself slipping out of consciousness,

“Sorry Kage,” Apollo looks at me hesitantly

“Just comply with what they have to say, and until then Kage s—……”

Welcome to the world of the plastic beach♪