Hi!
After half an eternity, here's a new chapter! (I know it's short, the chapters of this will probably always be...)
I hope you like it!
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It was really surprising, how much it seemed as if no one had been around for at least a few decades, especially between the ruins that often obscured the more gruesome details left behind by the bombings. And it was quiet. Actually, it was that quiet that I automatically whispered when speaking.
"So, do you have any idea what we'll do when we reach the coast?" It was a sore topic between us, really. Right now, we were only walking east because we needed to reach some easily identifiable point, like the coast for example. Since the network collapsed, we had certain... navigational problems, because GWPS (*) alone wasn't precise enough on Earth. No one had ever thought about updating it.
"I still say we follow the coast south.", Sunny stated, his position unchanged.
"No, we should try finding a boat or something like it, and try our luck in what's left of Europe or Africa. The Drones can't swim or fly.", Sides disagreed automatically.
"Well, if we can find a boat, so can they.", Sunny hissed, the closest he could come to shouting without actually raising his voice. "And you forget that we can't really swim, either. We're metal, not organic!" That argument was a new one...
"The Bio-Modes can.", I interrupted, making them both focus on me immediately. "Well, what?", I added. "I've already tried more than once, unlike you."
"Thanks, 'Ria." Sides grinned, turning to face Sunny once more. "So it's two against one, we're taking a boat."
"Wait, what? I never said that!" I nearly yelled, only catching myself just in time to prevent a catastrophe. It hadn't been such a bright idea to restart this conversation, after all. No idea how I ended up playing mediator for them. Probably 'cause I still coudn't decide which idea was better... "Forget I even asked. Forget it. Just... I'm NOT dealing with this now." Okay, maybe our mood in general wasn't the best. I blamed the circumstances...
It was too late, though. They were already ignoring what I said, probably without meaning to. As they bickered on, I looked around, keeping watch so that we wouldn't run into any traps. The scenery was the same everywhere: Ruined, collapsed buildings framed the cracked street, dust and debris strewn everywhere, wrecked cars half buried under rubble, weeds shhoting upwards between the paving stones and a few remains I really didn't want to look at too closely. I'd seen enough dead bodies to last a lifetime long before we reached earth...
'I need a vantage point...', I thought to myself, casting around for a stable bit of rubble. Finally, I found what I was looking for a bit further down the street, which had the added advantage that the twins would have to catch up to me instead of the other way around. Sprinting forwards as fast as I could to avoid being seen, I reached the small mountain of concrete pieces within seconds. It took quite a bit longer to scale it, though. For all that it was stable, it was also pretty steep and had rusted metal stuck out of it at odd angles.
Once I reached the top, however, it was all forgotten. I had a perfect view down the street, which stretched on for quite some distance, but more importantly, I spotted some characteristic dark shapes in the distance, clustered between a few of the less damaged buildings.
I turned around apruptly, catching the attention of Sunny and Sides with a short, sharp whistle. Ever since the comms had broken down due to interference, we'd had to rely on other methods of communication (without shouting, as that only attracted attention).
Moments later, we stood side by side on the topmost piece of concrete.
"What happened?", Sides asked, concerned. I laughed softly, though it wasn't exactly a happy sound.
"Nothing bad.", I answered, pointing towards what I'd seen. "Look at that. I'm pretty sure that's..."
"A camp!", Sunny interjected, then added: "Well, that solves the issue of where we'll go for now." He was down the other side of the small mountain of debris faster than I could process, Sides directly behind him.
"Figures... now they agree with each other...", I sighed to myself before following them. Well, at least there was a chance that we wouldn't be alone anymore. It was faint, but it was more than we'd had for a while now...
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(*) GWPS = Galaxywide Positioning System
Please R&R!