Chapter Six: Methuselah and Hades

Disclaimer: I own nothing, sadly. Every character and every concept here belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya, Phillip K. Dick and Ridley Scott. 8D;


Rain battered the rusty windows of the large building, the deep drumming sound echoing throughout each floor as the slightly radioactive and admittedly acidic precipitation met with the glass. As the rain fell a woman, appearing no older than twenty-one, walked down the main hallway of the third floor. She followed the sound of static crackles and electric buzzing noises from the third floor down a spiralling staircase to the second and, eventually, the ground floor. The woman walked closer to where the electronic noises – as well as soft cussing – could be heard.

Opening the door to the room in question, the woman peered in to find an elderly-looking man hunched over a small electronic device, hissing as sparks flew from the mysterious object. She cleared her throat, nervously twirling her wavy brown hair in her fingers.

"Ve, what are you doing, Roderich?"

A gasp of surprise met her question.

"Don't do that! You scared me, Feliciana!"

Smiling coyly and biting her lip, Feliciana shrugged, choosing to look around the room. It was certainly a very dilapidated and old building, Feliciana was sure that it was once something quite grand. She looked at the other end of the room, seeing a dusty and abandoned grand piano. It seemed so old – at least two hundred years old, maybe more. Now it was covered in dirt and grime, the rich mahogany buckling under the weight of the various items of survival – both food and otherwise – that seemed to cover the entire building. Not that it was haphazard, by any means; each item was neatly stacked and labelled alphabetically.

There was just so much.

Roderich sat at a large work table, no longer bent over the small electronic device – now revealed to be the faulty eye that he had bought the day before. He looked at Feliciana with a soft smile. His left hand free, he gestured that she should sit next to him, which she did with a small ve. His right hand still held a sensor probe, which he had – up until now – been using with deft efficiency, despite his frustration at the eye. The one microchip, which sat directly underneath the optic disc, still sparked and flickered without Roderich's touch. He flipped up the magnetically-attached magnifier up from his glasses and away from his face, then back down again.

The microchip in question was no larger than a millimetre in diameter, though magnified with the lens Roderich had used it appeared to be an aerial view of a city. Returning to his work, he moved the needle-like sensor probe carefully over the contours of the configuration of the machine, testing the bonds.

A violently blue flash erupted from one of the junctures.

"Oh!" Feliciana gasped, instinctively moving back.

Roderich scowled.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! It was all my fault, wasn't it, ve?"

Roderich sighed, the scowl leaving his face to be replaced by an exasperated expression.

"No, Feliciana. Please, try to be quiet. I am trying to work."

"Uh-huh, ve." She mumbled.

It was at that moment Roderich realised that Feliciana had changed her clothing and make up for something slightly older and more appropriate. Unlike before, her face did not bear thick likes of mascara and eyeliner, marring her face like tarry tear tracks. No longer was she wearing a short, poorly made smock with a ripped hemline, shreds of ripped black lining hanging off its fraying edges. She now wore what looked like standard offshore colonist clothes – a mismatched outfit consisting of various tie-dye patterns.

"You look better now." He said quietly, a smile on his wrinkled face.

"Just better?" Feliciana said with a pout.

"You look beautiful, Feli."

She blushed.

"Grazie, ve."

"I made some food while you were sleeping. It's still in the oven if you're hungry."

"Oh! Thank you!"

She ran off towards the kitchen on the same floor. A shrill squawk of delight could be heard, even by Roderich's aging ears, as Feliciana positively bolted back with a bowl of pasta and the look of a child who had been told that Christmas would last until March. She thanked Roderich endlessly, walking around the room and eating the pasta with her bare hands.

"There are forks, you know." Roderich said, still trying to repair the microchip.

"I couldn't find any." Feliciana said with a frown. Roderich shrugged; there probably weren't that many anyway. It was a wonder he himself found some for when he ate.

"Oh." He responded, uncertain of what was to be said. An awkward silence, broken by the frequent and jarring noises of electronic sparks, followed.

"So, do you live in this building all by yourself?" Feliciana asked suddenly. Roderich took off his glasses, giving up on the bionic eye.

"Yes, I live alone right now. Well, at least there isn't a space shortage when it's just me, huh? There's plenty of room." Roderich said, feigning a lightness that he knew even Feliciana could detect was not truly there. Feliciana sat down on a relatively empty couch, looking back at Roderich with a pitying expression. So he's completely alone, she thought, saddened by the man's predicament.

After observing Roderich for a few moments, she realised something.

Something about Roderich's hair. Roderich's hair wasn't grey, as one would expect from a man Roderich's age. It was dark brown.

"How old are you, Roderich?" She asked innocently. Surely this couldn't be him, she thought; I'm just not lucky enough for it to be––

"Uh, I'm twenty. Well, I'm twenty one in a month." Roderich said nervously.

So he was.

"Then why do you, you know," Feliciana balked; "Ve, Roderich. Why do you look, well, a lot older than that?"

Roderich frowned. The topic of his apparent and actual age was never an easy topic for him to talk about – it never had been. It was one of the few topics Roderich could be asked to talk about that gave him a significant amount of emotional pain. What he did know, however, was that not telling Feliciana about the reason for his aged appearance would inevitably lead to her pestering him about it for hours on end. Deciding to cut to the chase and save himself the trouble of dealing with Feliciana, he gave in and told the young woman.

"I have Methuselah Syndrome." He whispered, avoiding Feliciana's curious gaze.

"W-what's that, ve?" She asked somewhat timidly.

"Well, it's my glands. They cause me to age faster. It's all one of the effects of the irradiated atmosphere on human genetics." He said, biting his lower lip.

"Is that why you're here on Earth and not in the colonies, Roderich?"

"Y-yes. Essentially. I couldn't pass the medical test that would allow me to go. I wouldn't be able to survive the flight to any colony, even to the Väinämöinen-Oxenstierna colony on Mars. Half a week without adequate gravity is too long for my aging bones. I would lose far too much bone density, and as a result my immune system would deteriorate even further. I could die." He said sorrowfully.

Feliciana frowned, placing her empty bowl on the small table in front of her and walking over to Roderich. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a tight hug.

"Well, it doesn't matter. Ve, I like you just the way you are." She whispered. Roderich shuddered slightly at her warm breath near his ear.

"Er, did you ever contact that friend of yours? What was their name again?"

"Oh! Luddy! Yes, I did, ve! Luddy said that everyone was really busy last night and today, but they will try to come and find me as soon as they could. Luddy said sometime tomorrow, if that's alright with you." She said, blushing lightly. It took a moment for the implications of her statement to catch up with him.

"Oh, well you can stay another night if you want to, Feliciana. You know where everything is, after all."

Feliciana jumped up and down, hugging Roderich again.

"Grazie! Grazie! Thank you so much, Mr Edelstein!"


The grey sky seemed to be almost bursting to pour out rain, lightning and thunder as it had the previous day onto the city below it. Roderich had already been awake for an hour and Feliciana hadn't been awake for much longer than that. The former was at the newly cleaned kitchen counter, attempting to beat half a dozen artificially made chickens' eggs in a cheap, plastic mixing bowl. The latter sat on the couch, still half asleep and trying to get the hang of this dull Thursday.

Feliciana never got the hang of Thursdays.

Despite the exhaustion of the young woman on the couch, it was a peaceful moment in the apartment. The only noise beyond Roderich's egg-beating was that of – ironically enough – a chicken-like robot on the windowsill breaking the silence. It was too peaceful a scene to last for long, they both knew. As if to prove this point to them, the doorbell rang.

"That should be Luddy, ve." Feliciana said with a wide smile and a large yawn, standing up and stretching for a moment. The doorbell rang again.

Feliciana moved towards the door, Roderich hearing the distinct click of the latch unlocking. He smiled, turning back to the eggs. It was a slow process for a man who was genetically in his seventies but he didn't mind, so long as his new friend was happy. He turned as he heard Feliciana approaching the kitchen. When he saw who was standing next to Feliciana, he dropped the mixing bowl out of fear and shock.

Thankfully, Feliciana reached out and caught the bowl, muttering a quiet 'whoops' and placing it back on the counter. She stood back up, a grin on her face.

"This is my friend Luddy– er, Ludwig!" She said happily.

"Luddy, this is my saviour for the past two nights – Mr Edelstein!"

Fear flickered in Roderich's eyes as he stood; he felt as though he were a mere molecule in comparison to the hulking mass that stood before him. To Roderich, Ludwig seemed to stand at three metres tall, made of almost pure muscle. He looked as though he were the type of man who could pick Roderich up with one hand – crushing him with a single finger. Despite this intimidating appearance however, the man smiled and nodded politely, extending a hand towards Roderich in a friendly gesture.

"My name is Ludwig Beilschmidt. It is a pleasure to meet you, ah," he said in a lightly accented voice, trailing off.

"R-Roderich Edelstein." He stammered in response, gingerly reaching out and shaking Ludwig's hand. Ludwig looked down at Roderich, concerned.

"I can't thank you enough for saving my Feli from a night in the city streets. It was awfully kind of you, Mr Edelstein." Ludwig said with a sincere smile.

Feliciana made another ve noise, leaning her head on Ludwig's shoulder and smiling softly. Ludwig and Roderich – both clearly finding the situation awkward – looked away from each other. The latter, however, could not help but notice that Ludwig's cheeks were suspiciously pink. Wishing wholeheartedly to alleviate the awkwardness of the situation, Roderich cleared his throat and took the first step – initiating a conversation with Ludwig.

"Well, uh, where are you two from?"

Ludwig and Feliciana frowned.

"Well, let it suffice to say that we're not used to the big city. Where we come from it's, well, not so easy to get lost." Ludwig answered politely, gently placing an arm around Feliciana. She leant into him even further, shivering slightly. Oddly, he was cold to the touch - far too cold for Feliciana's liking. She looked up at him, perplexed. Ludwig wasn't usually this cold, and even if it was cold outside he should be able to retain his body heat better than most, she thought.

"This is a nice place, Mr Edelstein. It is all very neat, very well stocked." Ludwig said, impressed.

Roderich smiled slightly, muttering a small 'thanks' in reply. He wasn't sure how to react - he had never been complimented on his home before.

"Roderich doesn't like to go out much, Lud." Feliciana whispered.

"T-that's true. I keep a lot of provisions right here, so I don't have to go anywhere." He said somewhat sheepishly, looking down at the tiled floor and splaying his palms out at his sides as if admitting guilt.

"I like a man who can stay put," Ludwig said with a reassuring smile, adding, "I think it's admirable to be able to stay in one place and be able to sustain yourself in these times. You live here all by yourself, do you?"

Roderich nodded in response. Somehow, he felt it would be embarrassing to tell a man like Ludwig about his many mechanical 'friends'.

"We haven't found life here very easy, Mr Edelstein. You're lucky you have a place like this, you know." Ludwig said, drifting off as he sensed the awkward atmosphere that radiated from the scene. Feliciana frowned, for once also sensing the mood of the scene and - surprising as it was for Ludwig - actually refraining from speaking.

"Well, uh, why don't I make breakfast?" Roderich offered.

"I was just going to make some, anyway."

"Oh, we wouldn't want to be too much of an intrusion or overstay our welcome, Mr Edelstein. Isn't that right, Feli?" He said, staring pointedly at the small brunette. Feliciana looked up at Ludwig with a pouting expression. She was hungry, damn it! Couldn't Ludwig see that? She narrowed her eyes at Ludwig, scowling at him. After a moment under his unwavering and intense gaze she conceded, nodding.

Roderich shrugged.

"It's no intrusion, Mr Beilschmidt. It's nice to have company, if only every once in a while."

Ludwig's eyes widened as he smiled again, a hungry expression suddenly appearing on his face.

"Well, if it isn't an intrusion, then I'm famished. What about you, Feli? Did you have anything to eat?"

Feliciana nodded.

"Roderich made me pasta, ve! But that was last night, so I'm very hungry now." She said, a low growl in her stomach confirming this. Ludwig leant down slightly, lips hovering next to Feliciana's left ear.

"At least you had something to eat last night, liebe." Ludwig said softly, moving away and sitting down at the dusty wooden breakfast table in the next room. Taking a moment to realise the implications of saying what he had said – as well as who he had said them to, and what the most likely reaction from Feliciana would be – Ludwig suddenly hoped that he has whispered too quietly or too quickly for her to hear him. His hopes were, sad as it is, crushed in the seconds that followed.

There was a moment of silence in the kitchen broken by a startled gasp. This gasp was followed by the sound of someone sprinting, as well as the distinct sound of Ludwig's palm hitting the centre of his forehead. As he looked up, he saw that Feliciana was standing over him with the most genuinely horrified expression she could muster.

"What? You didn't have anything to eat last night, Luddy?" Feliciana said, shocked by the very thought of not getting regular meals. Sometimes she was so damned motherly it disturbed Ludwig.

"Ve, Lud, why didn't you come here last night, then? I don't think Roderich would have minded, ve, and I could have made you something! Luddy, are you okay? Luddy? I can't believe you didn't eat! We need to get some food into you right now, ve! This is serious, Ludwig!" Feliciana said, running around and collecting food to add to the already large breakfast that Roderich had been slowly making.

Ludwig sighed, rolling his eyes. He closed them for a moment, leaning forward and resting his head on the table. As Feliciana panicked and ran around the two adjoining rooms, calling out and grabbing food, Ludwig slowly lifted and lowered his head an inch up and down, gently banging his head on the table as Roderich looked on. After several minutes of food grabbing and loud yelling, Feliciana slowly began to listen as Roderich quietly explained that Ludwig seemed fine, and that she should really stop throwing food around and just sit down while he made the meal.

She nodded weakly, sitting down next to Ludwig and looking into his wide eyes. She looked at the dark circles around them, the greenish black hue a sharp contrast to the almost grey blue irises of his eyes. Thanking whatever higher being there may be, Feliciana noted that his eye shine was not visible in this greyish light – even if he had obviously not gotten any food or sleep the previous night. She sighed, reaching out and holding his large, coarse and calloused hands in her small, delicate ones.

"You didn't get any sleep." She stated, her statement neither an accusation or a question. Ludwig nodded.

"Luddy, tell me what happened. Why didn't you sleep? Why didn't you eat?"

He sighed, helpless against her puppy dog eyes.

"Feli, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I-I don't know how to say it. I'm sorry."

"What happened, amore mio?"

"I-I tried," Ludwig said, sniffing slightly, "I didn't know what to do. There's only the three of us left – probably only you and I, really. I'm so sorry."

"Ludwig, what are you saying?" Feliciana said, her throat feeling tight.

"T-Toris. He was working when one of the bastards got him. Shot him in the chest. Twice."

Feliciana started to tear up, her shoulders shaking as she tried to stifle the tears before they could come. Ludwig, looking sorrowful and remorseful, held Feliciana. Giving in to his embrace, Feliciana sobbed in earnest. She clung to the material in his shirt, tears running down her face as she mourned the loss of a friend. Trying to comfort her, Ludwig rubbed small circles on her small back. Somehow this only seemed to make her cry harder.

"W-We're stupid and we're going to d-die, Ludwig," She said between sobs.

"I can feel it. I can feel it in my heart – we're not going to make it out of this alive." She said, choking down a particularly large sob.

"Not if we do what we planned to do, and we do it correctly." Ludwig whispered into her soft, brown hair. He looked up, noticing Roderich staring at the two with a childlike curiosity. When Roderich registered that he was being a nuisance he turned around, intent on paying closer attention to the eggs and avoiding Ludwig's cold glare.

Ludwig's face softened as Roderich looked away. He lifted Feliciana's face, gently cupping her cheeks and kissing her forehead. He lowered one hand to Feliciana's, holding it as he cleared his throat.

"How have things been while I've been out?" He asked quietly, jerking his head in Roderich's general direction.

"I don't really trust him, ve." Feliciana confided in a bare whisper.

A bell sounded in the kitchen.

"He knows what he's doing, liebling." Ludwig responded, giving Feliciana a reassuring smile. She frowned.

"What if he doesn't cooperate?" She fretted.

"From what I've observed, Feli, Herr Edelstein is a host who wants to be appreciated." He said, clearing his throat again and looking directly into Feliciana's eyes.

"We'll appreciate him, and he'll cooperate."


Author's Note: So yes, it was Liechtenstein.

*waves fist*

I would've been faster, but with my computer totaled I do have to retype and rewrite a lot. ;w;

Thank you to my readers and subscribers, and a special thanks to everyone who has either this fic or me listed under 'Favourite Story' or 'Favourite Author'. Thankyouu~

There's no change in the character list, and if any terms need to be defined you can all PM me~!

Oh, and happy five monthaversary, Lividlillies!

You should all go read her fics. They are quite amazing. Have a look if you haven't already.

:D