“GUUUUUHHHhhhh!!!”

Seth opened his eyes to another world of darkness, but one inescapable filled in by a sucking chest wound filling his lungs the wrong way. His body was a lead weight, his hands struggling in desperation to lift and fill a gap they could only assume was there, but couldn’t even articulate let alone move. The life had been bled out of him, his heartbeat splattering what little it had left. The bottomless pit in his stomach leached into the open air bubbling out of what was left of his sternum. Everything was cold, empty, numbed down to nothing yet callously tearing at phantom senses. He couldn’t heave against the pit etching its way up, he could barely fight the suffocating hollow gurgling every shallow breath. And yet… the oncoming death he’d suffered was survived. He wasn’t dead yet.

He could remember the flashes, his life flowing in reverse and giving more than he’d lived with. Returning what he’d forgotten of the life he was denied. He remembered coming back to this world, the abyss releasing its hold and leaving him to drown in this unmitigated agony, life draining away and a sword stabbed through his chest just to make sure he was dead. But he couldn’t understand what had happened before, why all of this happened. Or why he was still here. He closed his eyes in hope that it was a figment of his dying mind again, just a cruel aspect of being locked in death forever. But all he got was more darkness… and the soft feeling of tears running down his form.

His body was numb in absolute, everything was dead or about to be. But he could still feel a gentle streak trace down from his desperately shut eyes. It was probably a saving grace that everything was numb. The true pain of all this would have probably turned what little peace he had left in death to-

“ffffaahhhhh!!” ‘WHAT THE HELL!?!’

His heart beat and a splitting dagger shot into his veins. It wasn’t content to just shake his numb form and kill itself in silence, now it had to remember how it feels to beat while it’s bisected.

“…aaahhhHHHH!!”

Another beat… but now it was spreading. The bittersweet warmth of splattered blood was absolutely eclipsed by the massive gaping hole down his chest. Every screaming edge, every phantom piece demanding attention. He could feel it all again. And fucking hell it hurt!

His hands found their energy again, spreading feeling carrying every ounce of adrenaline still available. His left scrapped along the ground and flopped atop him, hand pressed to the screaming gurgling hole as tight as he could muster. The rough scraping feeling of his skin reminding him he took a tank shell to the face. And that fucking abyss left him to suffer it!

His hand clawed at the wound, like it had been burned clean to bone. Hard edges tearing at his scared and charred skin, pulling it closed but nearly sliced through it itself. The pain was amplifying, nerves booting back up deeper and deeper in. Now he could feel the contours of that staunching hole, that bottomless pit. But this time there was nothing forcing it upon him, no swallowing abyss to lock it across his psyche and gorge to its malicious hearts content. Now he was back in control, and he could use it himself.

His eyes shot open, back to the darkness surrounding him, the slight stain of vision returning only revealing that the dark surrounding him was natural. There were vague shapes he could make out, orientation to realign to. His head lying to the side seeing ahead of him. Arched ceilings, block walls, deep distances. His burned and rough skin tingled as the material world around him found definition. Cold solid concrete beneath, wet air and cooled puddles tracing his outline, and a gradient chill crawling up to his feet. He tried fighting back the heave building in his throat, just to catch a full breath as he held down his wound. But his nose regretted taking in the rancid cold air as that heave received reinforcement. He was definitely in the sewers, no doubt about that. The feeling of warm bubbles and the sputtering stabs at his back told him his breathe still wasn’t holding well, the loose ribs only adding to the stabs as he flinched up in rebudding reflex.

‘Just hrgh had to get fffff-fucking impaled didn’t I!’

He released his tortuous breath, seething it through his gritted teeth. A smile a little too wide for his sense of vanity.

‘I guhhh-uess lips don’t take too kindly to getting burned off!!’

He could taste his warm blood come up and spray his thankfully safeguarded tongue.

‘Was it rgh always this metallic… ghhh fuck…’

His nose betrayed its partner as the rancid air found more definition. And that heave still tried to pull that pit up.

‘Yup… “hrmph…” definitely the sewers.’

A ringing filled the void around him as the final round of mundane senses booted up. But it fell back to dense stagnant silence, only broken by the ripple of his pain on the pool beneath him and the ragged shorted breaths he whimpered out.

The world was back to him, a shitty part of it, but a part none-the-less. But he needed more definition, one final sense to end this damn incessant stabbing in his chest. He focused as best he could, reached out from himself, out from the pain cutting into everything. Looked for the repetitive tinge, the constant oscillation back and forth, up and down. The flow of energy from one atom to another, driven by forces invisible to all. The darkness grew darker as the bright lines of a city wide cable network grew in luminosity, but not in power transfer

‘grrr Too many data lines… Where’s the damn-‘

His trained extra sense expanded down the man made cave to the brightest spot it could see. Fat wires spidering out in neat arrangements, a godsend of proper cable management packed tight into a neat square. A junction box for the city's power grid.

‘Thank god for the… ‘Kadia Lightning Wranglers’? Why does “ehhhh…” everything have to have a fucking stupid title?’

But he couldn’t complain about their due diligence, only hope they were more likely to scold him for borrowing some power rather than break his legs for stealing. His quarry was in sight at least, so he reached out to it, a still fairly over weighted right shakily pulling out in front of him. Coming into his view, outlined in burned through threading, single electrons altered from their standard laws and braided into controllable and controlling cords. The framework that made up his body and his power. But all of it dimmed, run thin, stretched in those altered laws to nearly their breaking point. Regardless he reached out, his extra sight focused on that over bright box at the end of the tunnel. But… nothing moved. The flow never abated, ionizing electrons were not freed of their charge to light up this dank smelly hell and heal Seth’s- “reh” fucking persistent heart! He was too weak, his focus too stifled by this damnable pain in his chest. And the box too far away. He needed to get closer.

Another sputtering breathe, bloody foam stabbed his back again, loose ribs pinched their formerly covering muscles. Another bare releasing grit, and a self-affirmation that this was going to hurt. That extended dim outline of a hand flowed to the ground, cold wet concrete against rough yet feeling char. It felt thin at least, burn split skin only crisscrossed the surface, added grip to his arduous motion. The arm tensed and pulled against weight that could do little to fight against gravity. Seth fell over onto his clawed closed chest, the smell of the puddles surrounding him a little too close for comfort. He just hoped to all hell it was his own blood, that was a preferable alternative to the abhorrent possibility. The extended hand pulled back in and pressed down with all the might he could muster through it, used and abused body lifting slowly and shakily from its dank tomb floor. His knees scratched against the concrete, but weirdly protective char stopped him from scraping them to sloughed free bone. The weight on his legs nearly buckled themselves as they pushed. He couldn’t feel his feet, but felt similar hard edge scrap against concrete. His digits didn’t feel complete, like they were naked like his teeth. A numb weight nagged at his spine, but he couldn’t let gravity and whatever hellish wounds he’d suffered distract him from- “GRRhh” fixing this stupid fucking hole in his chest!

One last almighty push, a scraping of bony feet, and at last he had something under him that was meant to be there. A rattling attempt at bringing the other foot up left him unbalanced, so his freed hand shot out. The thankfully not slimy sewer wall close enough to lean on. Bony fingers raked the sealed concrete, desperate for grip. But the weight of the world can suck it-

‘I’m standing the fuck up!!’

Knees nearly knocked together as his legs pushed with everything they had, the dark outlined world growing smaller and smaller. A natural stance finally found stability despite the half dead weight of its bearer. But it still felt… weird. Seth could only feel the ground on the front on his foot, cold puddles tingling exposed bone and rougher than normal sole. He only just now realized he was naked himself, connector suit not rated to survive the fires of military ordinance, leaving him exposed to the cold chill of-

“ghRRRRRHH!!!” ‘Fuck the stupid world!! I need that damn power!!’

The leaning arm clawed ahead as a foot rose wobbly to get a fucking move on! Uneasy step after torturous step grew the supernaturally brightened junction box, the impossible to see world blurred by pain and stubborn determination. Closer and close, the T junction ahead opening into a lateral path, the supporting wall giving way to a gap that- *splash*

“Ahh!!”

*crack*

“FFFFUUU!!!”

*thud*

Gave space for a drainage channel. Seth’s blind steps slipped and slammed his knee into the opposite edge of the channel, thankfully tossing him over at the base of the box on the other side. But fuck that hurt! His legs… and the numb weight behind him, were immersed in the cold clear drainage this tunnel conveyed.

“grrrhhuhhh…” ‘Thank fuck this is just a storm drain.’

But the chill of the non-effluent water did not freeze his already cold wobbly bones. It… actually felt… nostalgic… comforting. But that didn’t matter right now. The bright lines and enticing symmetry of the junction box were in reach. That free hand pulled up, Seth focusing hard, the dim lattice of his arm flared as best it could but…

“rrrrrrRRRRHHHH!!”

The cables were too deep, too far, too- *splash* *shrrr* Seth pulled out of the water hard, clawed his way forward. Hand nearly skewering the wall beside the box, he pulled himself up. That same hand slamming into the casing, stabbing into the metal and wrenched hard. The warning signage rattling to the floor as the luminous cables drove Seth on, drove him to tell his hellish agony to eat shit! He clawed through the box, wrapping around the fattest main line he could see, pulling it free of its meticulous brackets. An urge too known and yet too powerful drove him like a hunger. He needed this pain to fucking stop, needed his power back, needed back his goddamn fingers!! The sheath on the line still denied his pull, he was so damn close. Too! Damn!! CLOSE!!!

“RRRRRRAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!”

Exposed teeth tore through the thick rubber casing, blind feeling melting away self-awareness. And a single spark illuminated the world true at last. The barest of moments, the slightest of visions, but none seen with any permanent record. Because the power came flooding in as a tidal wave upon a bathtub. The dark tunnel blasted away as the expanse of Seth’s senses exploded out to the city proper. Down every line, across every subdivided grid, through to every outlet and application. The lights, the motors, the pumps and screens, the coffee makers, the stoves, the TVs, the dialysis machines, the elevators, the god damn pointless LEDs in your fucking desktops!! All of it! He could feel all of it… and he needed… All of it!!!

And so he pulled.

A tinge of elation, masked and folded behind layers of concern and duty, but elation all the same. Her hope was fulfilled, Seth was alive. Somehow, someway, he’d survived. Or at least made it away. But Aegis knew that he was going to answer for what he’d done, and hopefully be saved from whatever he’d become. Buster, of course, was seeing it differently.

“FUCK!!!”

Trained and meaty hands tried their damnedest to rev the oscillator buried deep in her sword. Muscle bound arms pulled hard as a foot pressed awkwardly against the back of the discarded shell of her escaped opponent. What was left of the heavy lift cart beneath both echoed the soft drone of the metal hearted sword each time it was brought to life. But it meant diddly squat as that oversized slab refused to move at its master’s behest.

“GODS FUCKING DAMN IT!!!”

*CRAKkhkh*

The fused full body death mask was swung overhead and smashed down on already cratered asphalt. Buster was not as conflicted about this situation as Aegis was. Techno stood back a step next to her, letting Buster voice her frustrations as responses were ordered and planned out. And a few side numbers were crunched.

“Commander Jackson and Captain McMathews have already started setting up, they’ll find him. Now stop throwing your toys around so I can work on-“

“LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE YOU’VE DONE!!!”

Buster charged him with the malicious fervor of a struck batter.

“I’m not waiting another MINUTE for you to do jack shit and say we just don’t have an answer!! THIS FUCKER KILL ZIYOU!!! I’M NOT LETTING HIM GET AWAY!!!”

That buried tinge of elation in Aegis was battered by reality, what Seth had done wasn’t about to be forgiven, and hunting him was going to exacerbate this reality above whatever truth she wished she could glean. Buster’s forceful return to bat shook her back to the world.

“I don’t care if I have to beat him to death with his own fucking suit!! HE WILL NOT GET AWA-!!!”

*BWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooo*

The cloudy morning suddenly ruffled, an incorporeal shockwave resounding through it with anomalous intent. No rumble or kick, just static cling followed ionizing aurora… and sequential overload. The newly replaced streetlights shattered over their workers, along with their every fixture inbetween. The surviving building facades flashed and popped in kind. Slow to move military were ground to a halt. The screeching of bollard walls loosed from their electric motors accented the cacophony of the sidewalks cracking in set lines, underground wiring melting down and flaring their deaths. And then the sky voiced its displeasure. The growing cold dour that hovered over the city flashed in brilliant wake, thunder rolling out as the already quiet din fell silent.

Techno shot down at his wrist pad, shaking in a rising frustration compounding with recent history. The screen was dark, dead, drained of power and filled with fearful possibilities as to the status of his newly entered data. But his deepening trance was broken by- *blip* a drop splashing against the screen. The sudden common quiet was slowly filled as the dour clouds above released their contents over this suddenly siphoned city. Aegis’ head turned out above the slowly drenching road ahead. Buster, lost of her fury, watched as well. This was a level they hadn’t witnessed, more power feeding into an already ponderous black hole. Too much power. Buster’s grip loosening on her quad length handle. She had fought this, won at narrow cost and had been denied despite it all. But her resolve found footing as her grip retightened, the hum her sword’s heart carrying under the growing rain. But instead of bursting ahead… she turned away. Her fused trophy dragged behind her as she snarled toward the now delayed construction grumbling behind them. The look of rebuke fueled malice in her eyes.

“Fine then… I’ll just make him come to me.”

Aegis watched her pass, but could not look away for long, as the rain shimmered in brilliant colors. The city darkening with the cloud cover yet brighter than ever, lines of glowing particles dissipating through the rain, between buildings and through clouds. Ionized aurora running down streets, following paths with no clear end point, power pulled too fast to take everything all at once. The thunder above pushing the shimmer along as the rain washed it away. It was beautiful, fleeting… but ominous. Because she didn’t know where all that power had gone, but knew exactly who was behind it.

The last torrential arcs raked the sewer tunnels, churned and boiled the steadily flowing drainage, cracked concrete and stone in defining lines, and all flowed toward its new master. His form hunched over the melting junction box as the arcs died down to a trickle. Darkness taking everything back, but feeling and control returning with the last of the stray strands of electricity. Heat rousing him from a restorative stupor, a little too much heat.

“ah h- hot HOT!!”

Smooth palms padded down his face and arms, singed skin demanding attention and allowing him a brief revel in relief. The rough char, or whatever had covered his skin, was gone. No existentially grotesque weight trailed behind him, no exposed bone adding edges to his fingers. A cursory pat of his jaw found his teeth covered back up by bare skin. And no more hole ripping through his chest. A cheerful lung full of air spreading that relife about.

He really didn’t want to think about how he looked before, internally thanking this damp darkness for shielding him from a few more phantom scars. His thankfulness was short lived though as that damp darkness nipped at a few things that he’d rather not get nipped. He was still naked in a sewer, a new rush of cold air flowing down with a returning water level and sapped away heat. Those smooth hands wrapped around him, what body hair he’d had was gone. Understandable given the burned state he was left in, but it wasn’t helping.

‘Can’t say I’ll miss it, but still regretting this.’

His thoughts went unresponded. Poor taste maybe, he’d over done things yet again. But repairing an entire body needed a lot of power he guessed. Too much maybe. The multiple proceeding near death experiences were also probably not helping the mood. How the hell he survived all of…

‘Fuck, I still don’t know what the fuck happened.’

He remembered losing graduation by the barest inch, falling unconscious and seeing Aegis… saying something. He rubbed his head trying to think, but the cold wind on his bare ass was not helping him focus. An involuntary shiver broke it down completely. But under the rattling of his teeth came distant echoes. He snapped to attention, holding tight and listening. Metal ringing, footsteps, shouts. Someone was coming down looking for him…

‘Wait… why looking for me?’

A welling of subconscious guilt forced the issue, he was being hunted, he needed to get out of here.

“…grr…Fuck.”

Seth ran down a silent tunnel, avoiding puddles and the drainage canal as best he could. He extended out his senses, tried to find a line to follow out of here, but the once spidery cables were dim and drained. He felt about with his own power, focusing it out and throwing it into the wall to catch one of the buried cables. Three lit up, but soon terminated short. Melted sections segmented the lines at even, known, intervals.

‘Crap.’

He threw and threw, lighting up segments as they came up, just so he could tell if there was a corner ahead or more wall. A line suddenly shot up as it accepted his charge, hands grasping at the wall beside it, banging franticly into metal bars neatly fixed to the wall. A ladder. He traced them up and grabbed the highest rung, cold metal stinging his bare feet as they slipped onto the lower set. The sounds of his pursuers echoing through the tunnels below as he climbed, blind to the- *cack* lid above. He gritted his teeth and held his grip as the pain passed, a hand releasing to press the lid up. But it didn’t budge. Hands and feet magnetized, locked in place as he pressed harder, twisting and testing the stubborn topper. But nothing budged, it was sealed up. The echoes grew a step louder below.

‘Crap!’

A quick flick of his hand and an arc of electricity was burning through the seal, flashes illuminating the dark tunnel below. An equally quick turn, and the lid was ringed by glowing metal, no time for safe practices. A hand remagnitized to the lid and forced it up, barely time for it to screech like its brethren. A momentous clamber up and out saw the lid flipped back round and put back glowing side up, just short of clanging its return as he softly set it down. Seth demagnetized his hand and sat back, winded a little from the mild excitement. Soft, slightly melted, plastic carpet prickled him indecently as he took in his new surroundings.

Shadows congregated around him, vaguely human but thin and stilted. A few more human but posed and unmoving. A smell like stinging faux lilac and mothballs. He’d snuck into a department store, and… wasn’t really complaining. He pulled himself off the dimpling plastic rug and made out the setting proper. The store was empty, shuttered. The lights were out, but the metal latticed glass façade let in dim light from the rainy sky outside. Soft patter resounding through the cloth filled silence.

‘Well… it’s a lucky break at least.’

A browse of the nearby clothes showed he’d come up in the men’s section as well, tight fancy shirts and overpriced slacks. A cursory search found him underwear ‘Thank god’ and cargo pants that were more his style. Slipping them on, he couldn’t help feel a pleasant tingle up his bare leg.

‘Maybe I should burn all the hair off my legs more often, it’s kind of nice.’

Again though his thoughts went unresponded to. Joining humor or disappointed cringe. The Garkah were silent… and Seth was starting to fear he’d been shut out. But that had to wait, he had to get out of here. And that meant more clothing.

A simple grey t-shirt to go with the brown cargo pants, socks and… moderately cheap sneakers to match. But the cold outside needed a little more, plus he needed to hide. A sensible trench coat didn’t seem out of the ordinary, a few brave passersby of the store said as much. A square cap to stuff his unsinged white hair into.

‘Definitely need to hide that… but.’

A look in a dim mirror showed he still had it all, despite or in spite of losing all the rest.

‘Maybe that’s why it never fucking changed back. Damn stuffs invincible.’

As he turned away though, a draped red form caught his eye. Stylistically frayed edges on both ends and cut short to get more product per yard. But… it was the same vibrant red color. He also might have to hide his face a little, so he respectfully scooped up the half price scarf, wrapping it around his neck and holding it close. There was still a lot he could remember that he somewhat wished he could forget. But the fleeting feeling of his mother’s warm scarf around him still brought back the pleasant memories. Even if its replacement was a little dusty.

Set for a stealth mission, or at least a rainy city day, Seth snuck out the side emergency exit. The city seemed a little dry despite the weather, so he didn’t need to worry about the alarm. But the- *BOOooooooom* ruckus thunder above kept his head down, as well as everyone else’s. Quite a few people seemed to be hitting the streets despite the rain though. A lot of stopped and dead cars filling the road, exacerbated commuters abandoning them and walking to wherever they intended to go. People crowding lobbies, way too many voicing their complaints without bothering to see the wider situation, others just happy to be out of the rain. And just overs looking lost and confused as to what just happened. A regretful weight keeping that head lower still.

Seth eyed around low under his stolen hat, but no one seemed to pay attention. Too many other things to worry about already. A few colorful suits stuck out among the dreary atmosphere and common warm clothing, supers patrolling and trying to help out however they could. Mostly tertiaries though, no one with real power. He noticed some he almost embarrassingly knew, MaveRick and SpeedySister. Speedy running through the streets, combing about through the dead cars for any injured. Power steering and breaks not helping them avoid crashing. Mave was flying over in lookout, so about the only thing he could do. Neither drew attention, just a usual boring day to see them about. Their powers too woefully limited to even get into the C teams and-

‘Uggh… Why the fuck am I agreeing with goddamn Para right n-’

His inward thoughts finally found a response, but only from himself. Flashes of memory, of the crowded foyer, of a word dropping him out of himself. Seth’s steps slowed, couldn’t stop seeing flashes of what he’d done. Dodging an umbrella he saw himself crack Para’s face open. Avoiding a huddled family he felt Para’s barely conscious body get slammed about. He stopped dead, a new pain in his chest materialized, followed by-

“JUST FUCKING DIE YOU UNDESERVING BASTARD!!!”

A drained car on the other side of the street blared its alarm, surviving streetlights and interiors flashed. Power flaring out unconsciously as he gripped at that phantom hole in his chest. He shut his eyes as tight as he could, focused. The lights died, the alarm eerily trailed off, and the hole filled in he took in heavy breath after breath. A rising fear tried to well up and drive him to run. Bu…t he felt no eyes on him, no odd extra sensory warning him of real danger. He pulled himself up and looked around, but his position was blind to the surprised crowds. And most everyone’s heads were turning up to the rising drone filling in for that echo.

A League VTOL slowly hovered along above the high roofs, scanning the streets and relaying the state of the city no doubt. To Seth it was more hunters seeking to bring him in for what he’d done. But to everyone else it was a sign. If they survived the siphon, then the Hill must still have power. A few heads turned back down and headed off downtown, desperate for news, or safety, just answers. Seth dodged the less considerate among them and continued on, he had to get out of the city before it was locked completely down. But a nagging feeling kept his senses high.

‘This… this was more than Para. What the hell did I do?’

His inner monologue went unanswered again. Deafeningly so. He was alone with this blind guilt. And from the scared and angry faces he passed, he was the only one who didn’t know.

Traveling along, the faces headed toward him trailed off, and a solid herd was headed in the same direction he was. The main bridge over the Terrace River loomed ahead, people looking to cross funneled to it from the other streets, but were met by concrete slabs and soldiers. A checkpoint. Not as stringent as an id scan, they didn’t have any working scanners anyway, but they were checking faces. And lifting hats. The three thick line to cross queued to bursting the right sidewalk, while only a trickle of people came over from the other side. The rain was slowing down, but the world was still wet, and the sky still perturbed in its demeanor. And a crashed car had jammed itself into a signpost opposite. A dystopia in all but action.

Seth allowed himself to be subsumed into line, it was too late to change directions anyway, too many eyes scanning the hats and umbrellas that inched forward. At least he matched most of the flock. It can get cold and wet in Kadia quickly this time of year, so most prefer to keep warm clothes at the ready. A nonchalant face buried in a scarf was far from unexpected. As the line trudged along though, it was clear the disguise was not long for this world. The three wide turned to one, each man of a certain age told to show their face and remove any headwear. Begrudgement slowed the line down, but collective pressure forced the issue. It gave Seth time to think and focus though.

He felt out, the lights were all busted, wires melted, and buildings dark. The soldiers had some hardened radios so they were prime targets, but would only distract a few and not completely. The only thing left then was the car. Anomalous electrical phenomena would definitely draw some-

“Hats off!! Scarves down!! Umbrellas up!!”

The checkpoint was already on him, only a few people ahead, no time to focus, he had to do something. Something a little too drastic. Three ahead of him, he felt out for the car’s radio, circuits were fried and there was no stations online. Two, the battery was melted down to the oil pan already. One,

‘damnit damnit DAMNIT!!’

The person ahead drew eyes away, hat turned up and face clear as day. Seth drew his hand out of his pocket, pointed across himself at the car, and hopped for the best. Power focused and a connection trailed as the man ahead walked away, soldiers turning back to the line to Seth left with no other options. As the sky voiced its agitation.

“Hats O-!!”

*CRACKABOOOOOM*

A bolt of lightning split the air down onto the abandoned car, windows shattering and partially filled gas tank igniting as its energy spread through. The crowd screamed and rippled, heads turned away in cover and back toward in surprise. With one head disappearing from the line. Soldiers ducked and reeled and scrambled back up, tried to keep what little peace they could. But the sounds of that short sudden fear died down as Seth rolled over the lip above the bridge maintenance catwalk. Feet rattling the hollowed out walkway as the first yells came over the terrified screams, desperate for calm and order. He hugged the wall, a few heavy breaths trying to calm his own nerves. Hiding in plain sight was one thing, and active sneaking was a new thing for him. But really…

‘Please don’t let anyone be hurt, PLEEAASE don’t let anyone be hurt!’

His own trepidation locked him down, but a short calm second got him moving again. The river below was far from this though. Once out of the mountains it turned rather choppy close to the banks, boring a deep wide rut that no one dared swim in. And it was always very cold no matter the season. Seth walked the platforms above quickly, but stuck to as many walls and shadows as he could. It may be a treacherous river, but it still needed to be patrolled. But all eyes seemed distracted, a little close call with some lightning certainly drew the will to help out of people, and made a great distraction. A final rusty ladder climb and quick low slip over the lip gave him freedom. No checkpoint on this end, no need. And far fewer eyes to follow him along.

The spattering of rain died down at last as Seth climbed into the foothills, the north side of Kadia decaying in its development swiftly once away from the river. The forested hills surrounding the city rose like a spotty three sided bowl, tall trees rising in line with the skyscrapers below. Very few cars traveled down this road, freight and lucky commuters coming in, even less flowed out with unfortunate reason. But despite the free reign, Seth’s own fortune slowed his pace. He was freed of his pursuit, but not of his guilt. He stopped short of the tree line, uneasy breaths the only outward tell of his state. He turned back, the dark city flickered in partial restoration as the clouds overhead began to stay their gloom. The Hill shining bright over everything.

Another life was lost to him without knowing the full reason why, though he could scarcely say it was not his fault. This subconscious guilt was higher, eating away at him, demanding restitution for something it wouldn’t reveal. Kept him looking back at what he’d done. He shut his eyes again, tried for the first time to force that guilt away, shut it out. He had more pressing issues… like where he was going to live. Home wouldn’t be safe, his application had his address, though Para had stymied his official records so maybe they didn’t know. But he still thought better of risking it. Besides, he was already on the road to the one place he felt he belonged. For that same unfortunate reason. He was on his way to the true black spot among Kadia’s sprawl. And the dumping ground for too many of its failed heroes.

It was known as Eagleville, an off shoot neighborhood huddling close to the northern city limits. Seth could see the new sprawl spread out ahead of him between the grand privacy fence that was this forested ridgeline. From a distance it seemed little more than row after row of block houses and low scale tenements. But as the distance shortened, the true picture came into being. Dilapidation, degradation, not mismanagement but no management. An arguably abandoned sector left to its own devices and allowed to wallow in the filth it produced. A product of slapdash policy and desperate squalor, kept afloat by simple stubbornness and low priced housing. Very low priced housing.

Before descending into this urban decay, Seth came upon a last vestige of modern convenience. A gas station. A few quick glances, and liberal redirecting of the outside cameras, and he was nonchalantly huddling in out of the clouded cold. The clerk paid little mind, but Seth nodded what slight hello felt warranted to keep the ruse. Because he was going to be needing a lot from him. Or more specifically his store’s ATM. After another video signal was redirected and ‘lost’, and maybe a small dose of casual bank fraud. He had access to his old account, but didn’t know how long it was going to stay that way, and he definitely didn’t want a trail leading this direction. So spoofing and deleting the records was pretty necessary. His account was still fairly stacked, stock options, an in demand position, and some ridiculously low price accommodations certainly left him with plenty of savings. And he was certainly going to need the cash now.

The machine ran its mint fresh bills out with way more chalance than he wanted, but a few well-placed low count bills should hide the fact that he just emptied the machine of all of its hundreds. An inner pocket stuffed tight, a few singles spared for concessions, and his gambit was left up to chance. A small soda and cereal bowl up as conciliation for the inevitable fallout for the clerk. He hadn’t even realized he was this hungry till he scanned over the aisle, and seeing a nice pack of cinnamon frosted oat flakes definitely brought it to his attention. No time for breakfast, or even dinner, when you’re fighting for your life. A nice rest bench outside helped him take one last stock of his situation, and one last inward hope that he wasn’t permanently cut off.

Through the crunch of his first meal in three fourths of a day he focused, listened, tried to reach out to the Garkah in his head. He sought out any emotion shared between them, any conversation to listen to, any feeling transmitted amongst the collective thought he’d lived with all these years. But… all he found was silence. And distant approaching sirens. Quiet reflection wasn’t in the cards right now, and he was too close to being in the clear. No one would look for him once he was in. Not after all this place had gone through.

Seth quickly disposed of his hasty brunch and slinked off into the woods, the road ahead too straight and clear to just walk down. And thankfully these woods held less death than he’d been afraid off. Another memory he could do without but at least it was tame. A nice side street that backed into the forest allowed him easy entrance into the neighborhood, though by this point there was little worry left. Trash was strewn and desiccating across the abandoned sidewalks, grass spreading and splitting the concrete slabs. The long left abandoned homes losing their structure and livability. But then again these were here before the crisis. Once the refugees came flooding in, these people saw little reason to stay as their precious property values plummeted. The side street finally intersected the main, sign posts and street names either long forgotten or not even bothered with. Though it was clear to see that this was the main street, being the only one even populated.

Flashing neon and handmade signage, mild throngs clustering around the shops deeper in, and a general attitude of “it’s a living at least”. Just ignore that the flashing was because of poor wiring and a few of the clustered throngs were just leaching the news from the only surviving TV store. But the attitude still persisted, a mild happiness won against the surrounding decay. Rooftop gardens and built up balconies watched as the street below stretched out ahead, greying brick and molding mortar losing more and more color with distance. A large building at the end of this semi grand street the only bright spot it seemed. White, blocky, and waiting for the inevitable. A hospital, the only hospital for this… place. This last ditch accommodation, this final resting place for the down trodden and unlucky. This all too perfect hiding spot.

A long dead and cut away tree marked the entrance to an apartment block, nice big “For Rent” sign hung by the door. Not too conspicuous, but at least a good standard in comparison to the overall contemporary. At least from the outside. The owner barely looked at Seth as he accepted the counted wad of cash for the outrageous five months of upfront rent. But then again it was barely a dent in his coffers. A creaky flight of stairs later and he was turning the key to his- *snap* rusted shut apartment.

“Hgrrrh.”

Thankfully rust meant it was metal and magnetically pliable. And now only he had the key for it as well. So that was… something. But this was a new life that really didn’t need more hardship. Things just felt like they were going to get all the worse soon enough.