-Hidden-
Walking by the bins, one of them had a long grey blanket, slightly tattered and hanging out from under the lid. Hmmm, I might need to cover up; all this fur might attract some attention... and the blood. I lifted the bin lid and pulled out the rest of the blanket. Holding it up, it would definitely be big enough to cover me. Ah, great! A dark blue shirt was also lying amidst the junk. Hm, are city folk really accustomed to throwing out stuff like this so easily? Well, I guess it really isn't that surprising, living in such a massive place like this, where shirts and blankets are probably the least of their worries.
I swapped my shirt, dumping the bloodied one into the bin. Seems a bit tight, a little undersized, but fitting regardless. Now, with the blanket, if I just cut a small hole, I can slip my head through it and just drape it over myself. I flapped the blanket out onto the ground, and using a claw in my paw, I made a small rip in its centre. Lifting the blanket back up again, I slid my head through the hole and let the fabric rest over me. I created a crude poncho, but a useful poncho nonetheless. It covered my body down to my paws. Arms and tail wise, so long as I kept them tucked within, they would be covered as well. Head wise, I'll just have to keep low as best as I can. I'll have all of this night to get as far as possible; sticking to the smaller spaces of the city until I hit the train system might be my best option.
As I began my way out of the alley, I could just make out in the distance some loud repeating noises, coming from where the warehouse was. I exited the alley onto a small street, and headed right along the walkway as soon as I checked that there wasn't anyone else about. For the next few minutes, I wondered the deserted streets, though it wasn't proving to be a quiet walk as the loud noises continued to grow closer. If anything, I bet that was something to do with the warehouse. It could be the city guards and hunters moving, some way of making their presence prominent as a city authority. I peered over my shoulder as the noises were starting to become deafening. Suddenly I could see red and blue lights flashing at the far end of the street where the source of the noise emanated. They were headed straight my way, and very quickly too, a vehicle! I jogged into another alley way and backed myself into the wall as I waited for the moving vehicle to pass. At least I hoped they would pass, had they already found me again?
Thankfully, no, as there was no sign of the vehicle slowing up. The lights briefly flashed the alley as it rushed past, the noises quieting down as it made distance. I peered out to check that it was out of sight before I started again on the street. They must still be looking for me; I'll have to move faster. Checking the streets again, I continued on my way, keeping note of where all the spires were in the distance, my thereabouts destination.
4 days ago – Lower City – Lower to Middle City access junction – Sometime in the night.I had been careful enough to avoid contact thus far, always moving and weaving my way through the many streets made avoiding the authorities relatively easy. Occasionally throughout the hour or so I was walking, I ran into a late night walker. They didn't seem to pay much heed to me though. Judging by the local appearances of the rag-tag neighbourhood, I seemed to fit right in. But would I be so lucky on the middle levels? I could very well stick out like a sore thumb, judging by the different classes of living which seemed to segregate this city. That just doesn't seem right to me, couldn't the city just live with one segregation?
Turning my thoughts back to my surroundings, this area I was entering seemed a bit, neater then the areas previously. Could I be getting close to the middle levels? I spotted a metal pole nearby, with metal signs posted on top pointing in various directions. So many different street names, but there was one that stood out which read, "Lower to Middle City access junction". Looking down the street where the sign was pointing, that was my way in. But slowly amidst my gaze, I could hear footsteps coming out of the darkness from somewhere. Darn it, I can't move out of here, not without being spotted. Ok, just stay calm, pretend you're a local, and just don't face the person.
I figured out that the footsteps were coming from behind me, so I turned my back and leant against the pole. The person was very close now, though I was beginning to notice that there was something, erratic about his movements, stumbling. I was tensing up a bit as the person was starting to pass by my left. Continuing to stumble, the person placed a heavy hand on the pole to balance himself.
"Ugh, shhhhity, road."
Next I heard a gurgling sound, like liquid in a bottle. The person seemed to smell of alcohol. Figures, a drunken neraei.
"Ohhh, shorry, I didn't shee you there... hic."
"Um, all good."
I continued to keep my face turned as he decided to take another scull. He toasted his bottle up into my view.
"Cheersh, have a tip."
He slipped a piece of paper out, money probably, and pinned it to my left shoulder. I took the money and pocketed it. The guy started to stumble off on his way.
"Thanks."
"Anytime... hic."
Soon, without slipping up too terribly, he disappeared from view back into the night. He must've thought I was someone homeless or something. I peered down at the tip he gave me... wait, this isn't a tip, it's got some writing on it. I moved closer to one of the street lights to get a better look. It read, "Please go down Sully Street".
From what I read on the signs, one of them pointed down a street named Sully. That's where this note wants me to go; trouble is, should I? I don't exactly feel inclined to start taking directions from a stranger while the city is against me. Though I have to wonder, why ask nicely at all? If that drunken neraei knew where I was as a city authority, then surely, they would've nabbed me on the spot? Clearly this can't be the hunters or city guards doing. So who? Wait, could this be from the smugglers, my friends, those kidnapped? I peered down Sully street; looks like there's only one way to find out who the mystery messenger is. I slowly went into the street, peering cautiously around at the alleys. In my gut, I was starting to get the building anticipation of something about to jump me. Suddenly I had a horrible thought… what if it's not anyone friendly at all, sure maybe not the city authorities, but what if it's the kidnappers themselves. I stopped on the spot. I was completely tensed up. Ears open, I tried to pinpoint any indication of movement.
"..."
Nothing. Seriously though, what was this? It still could be someone friendly; would I pass up the opportunity to reach someone else who could help? Who could need help?
Another minute or so passed by, still rooted to the spot.
"Stay calm".
That came from my right, a house? I turned slowly around.
"Just walk off the street, I'm over here."
I could make out a shadowy figure, no, two figures. They were just outside the front door of an old house.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"We'll explain, but please get off the streets; the police are still looking for you."
I still don't trust this situation, but I think its best I go along with this anyway, not exactly sure if I have a choice of running away. Still, at least they didn't shoot me on sight. I walked up to the small set of steps leading in, one of the figures pushed the door open, dim light came streaming out.
"Go right in."
The speaker wore a black cap with a gold star and some streaks of white on it. He had a dark green sweater top on and dark blue pants. He had no fur, no tail, which was the part that interested me. What city inhabitant would want to talk to me? Stepping inside, the place was slightly run down. Lamps dotted the place to provide some illumination, down the narrow hallway and rooms on either side. The size of this house, overall, reminded me of home. The cap wearing neraei quickly but quietly closed the door.
"In here," he said, gesturing to a room with some boxes and chairs around a small table. On the table were bottles of water. In one corner was some technology that seemed out of place, some metal boxes with a whole load of dials and switches. It had a metal antenna, which reminded me of Kraun's device for communicating with Akiro. Could this do the same thing? The other figure I saw earlier on, she was sitting at the table already. She wore a blue tank top with a small black jacket going down to her waist. Her hair was dreadlocked. The cap wearing neraei took a seat, I followed.
"We're lucky to have found you in time; it probably wouldn't have been long before the police got to you. If not them, then the hunters," said the capped neraei, "You thirsty?"
"I suppose I am."
"Well by all means, have a drink."
I looked at the bottle of water set in front of me for a moment but I decided to ask some pressing questions first.
"I do appreciate the company, but it would be nice to know who this company might be."
The capped neraei nodded.
"Ok straight to the point then," he said shuffling his cap, "we are an activist's group which is opposed to the segregation of furred from non-furred neraei. We call ourselves Demo's, as it is our intention to demolish the wall's function that exists to divide our species of neraei. So with any arrivals, such as yourself, we are supportive of a proper coexistence and we actively exercise this right."
At this point with my question answered, I picked up the bottle, opened it, and took a long scull before setting it down again. Refreshing, and much needed.
"So I have you to thank for the hospitality?"
He nodded.
"We've been tracking you and your group for some time, since you entered the city actually. Our local ears are usually more immediate then the police or even the hunters.
"I see."
"But understand, before we can go any further, we need to know if we can trust you. We don't support the segregation, yes, but we also don't support criminals on other levels."
At the sudden change in tone in his voice, I looked at the bottle I just drank from.
"Did you...?"
"What?"
"Put something in the bottle?"
"Oh no, no, we would never aim to steep that low, we just want to talk. It isn't our intention to go against what I just said."
He took a sip from his bottle before letting off a sigh.
"We'll have to work on our trust no doubt. Naturally, this is the same sort of doubt that led to the war, then the segregation all those decades ago. Perhaps if we learned how to use our mouths rather than our fists, we might be sitting here under different circumstances."
"I suppose so."
"So why are we here? Or more importantly, why are you here?"
I paused for a moment, rocking my bottle on its base. I turned to the female neraei who continued to remain silent. It was only now I paid attention to her brown eyes. Her pupils were in a slit shape, which meant she was a non-furred neraei on the cat side. As for the head capped neraei, his brown eyes had rounded pupils, which made him a neraei on the wolf side. But back to the impending question.
If anything, in my quest to search for help, this would be a good score, in light of these, activists, being all ears and the rest of the inhabitants thus far only being hostile. So naturally with an opportunity presenting itself like this, I started describing the details behind the kidnappings that went on over the past few months. I explained how those that did come back had their memories altered, and even through their return, they were only replaced by more kidnappings. All of the pieces of evidence I had of those events, I drew from my pockets and placed on the table; the dart, the piece of invisibility fabric, and the empty pistol magazine. So then, it would become my obligation towards Kallen, RyuKoo, and Sophia as well as towards the rest of the people kidnapped to get them back and to put a stop to this terror. I went on next about my journey into Highrell, the spills and stumbles along the way, our league in with the smugglers just to get into the city, and my narrow escape from the warehouse.
"Yes, we were watching the incident which took place at the warehouse. We are also aware of the strange happenings outside these walls with the country region's inhabitants, from what little we've been able to hear."
He pointed gestures towards the metal boxes with the metal antenna.
"Though perhaps not to the extent you've been able to describe and show for."
He picked up the pistol magazine, examining its empty interior.
"This is unacceptable, as always."
And now the magic question.
"Can you help us?"
He studied me for a moment while holding up the magazine. He slowly put it down.
"I'm afraid we are too limited in power within these walls to assist, the best we could probably do is look into the matter at a distance, see what information we can dig up. How to apply such information is another matter, one we lack the resources for."
"... I see."
"I'm sorry, but in a city like this, we don't hold all the cards. We've been struggling ourselves for quite some time, just to remain afloat without getting sunk by the segregation's bureaucracy. So we aren't exactly empowered to do much, at least for now anyway."
Hmm, talk about a segregation from the outside, seems as though there was much a strong segregation on the inside of opinion, remaining even after all the decades.
"But back to your story, you mentioned you helped the smugglers carry in bags in order for them to provide passage. What did they contain exactly?"
"I don't know, they were given to me padlocked. We were asked to acts as hands for them."
The capped neraei turned to the other member sitting at the table, she simply nodded.
"True. Yes we know of the padlocked bags being confiscated after the warehouse raid. After the officials busted off the locks, all they could find were food rations and other belongings. Some of the bags were mostly empty."
"Oh..."
"So in that respect, you aren't to blame at all. The smugglers are very much known to smuggle goods out, rather than in. After all, from countryside to a megacity, there wouldn't be much to trade in."
I breathed a sigh of relief; it was good to know that I at least couldn't be held responsible for carrying in any illegal goods or such, even though I was prepared for such an outcome. Although...
"Aren't I still in trouble for just being with the smugglers?"
He paused.
"I want to trust you, from the long story you told me of your children, from the kidnappings, from just being with the smugglers to get after those kidnapped. More so, I want to trust you from the decision you took, to do as the note asked when I passed it off to you back at the intersection, and because of how you answered my last question. In being here, it is because of the segregation that a parent such as yourself would be forced to resort to such means. No parent should have to go through that. So, in which case, you'll be our guest under our protection."
"Just don't betray our trust," the female neraei said, breaking her silence.
I nodded.
"I promise, you have my word, and thank you."
The capped neraei stood up.
"And I thank you for the honesty."
He offered out his hand for me. I shook it firmly.
"It's been a long night; we have a place for you to sleep, upstairs."
We all stood up from the table and began to file out of the room into the hallway again.
"I should be going," the female said, "they'll probably need me back."
"Alright go, contact me if anything arises."
Quickly she gave a nod and exited the house.
"Alright follow me, umm, your name?"
"LenZ."
"Right, follow me LenZ."
We started up the stairs.
"What might I call you?" I asked.
"You can call me Smith. It isn't my real name, but for a group like us, we figure it's safer not to use real names."
"So was that really you who handed that note?"
"Not a bad bit of acting huh?"
We turned left into a room at the top of the stairs. It had a mattress on the floor with a lamp by it on the floor.
"It's not much but..."
"Least it's better than the ground," I said with a smile.
"Mmm, now, should the authorities come knocking around here, you can head into a hidden cellar. I will be here for the most part, overall it'd be best for you to remain here."
"What off the kidnapped though?"
"We'll do our best to look into it."
It certainly felt good that there was someone here now willing to spare some time to help me, though I wasn't sure to what extent. Still, better than none, and still better then what I expected. I sat myself down on the mattress
"You know, over the decades we've been around, there has only been just a few dozen neraei that have dared to travel as far as you have. You've got courage."
"Ignorance I'd say."
He gave a small laugh.
"Sleep well."
I slid of my glasses, lying down to get what shut eye I could. Eventful as everything was, this would be my first night in Highrell.
1 day ago – Lower City – Demo Safe House – 4:12pmBy this time, I had spent quite a bit of time getting familiar with the city workings of Highrell. Most things, from how currencies were split between each city level, down to what mobile phones were for. There was a close call at one point with hunters doing a door to door search for me. Luckily, I already made it into the cellar when they asked to look around the house. It was tense, but at least it was for only a brief few moments. Whenever Smith was around, he'd usually be attending to the communication device, a radio as it were, to get in touch with those that may know something about the kidnappings. Though thus far, no luck came about for where the kidnapped or kidnappers were, no major leads. What the Demos did find out, was how the hunters and police found out about the warehouse we were staying in. They came as a result of an anonymous tip off at HEA's headquarters. No name or anything else; the caller only listed the location and how many of us exiles there were, and then hung up. Information, courtesy of Demos well placed sources.
I peeked out of one of the drawn curtains on the second floor, looking down onto the streets below. The police were out and about, one of their vehicles passing by. It was all well and good that I was to remain here for my own safety, but I wasn't able to do anything to find my children. Fair enough, I have the support of the Demos to do just that, but I guess I'm just impatient. If more people are involved in the search, the better. This includes me.
Now would be the time to continue once more with my venture into the city. In knowing more details of Highrell, there could be a simpler way to get to the other levels, perhaps all the way up to the upper city, using cars as they were called. It could just be a simple matter of travelling hidden within a car, with someone from the Demos, up to someone from the government to voice my plea. Although the city was looking for me, I'd be willing to take the risk. Although, I'm not sure how the Demos would react to such a request. No come on, I'm being naive if I'm thinking that such an endeavor would be so simple. If an entire city is looking for me, then surely it isn't going to be simply a drive in. Think about this first LenZ, I can't afford to tie up my feelings of urgency, into a rushed plan. Such that my suspicions were confirmed when Smith returned.
"No way, that's the last thing anyone like you should be doing," he said frowning heavily, "you're in our care, and we want to keep it that way for your sake."
"Don't get me wrong, I appreciate what you are doing, and I do understand the situation, but I should still to be taking action as well. How can I find my children if I'm hauled up here?"
"Well, I'm afraid the situation you know it, just got complicated. Reports from HEA are saying that they've set up checkpoints on all roads leading into middle city. Which means any vehicles trying to head in will be searched to try and find you. They're pretty pissed off that you're still about."
Hmmm, complicated indeed.
"But that can't be helped, I must get to someone higher up, there has to be another way in."
"I'm not helping you to get captured."
"I do appreciate your concern, but you really don't have to spare so much of it on me. I need to do this, and I don't expect you to follow me if you don't wish to.
"Listen, I'm telling you, there is no way in!"
"I made it past the wall, surely there's a way past the checkpoints."
"That's different, you didn't have any police or hunters to contend with."
"Look, just think for a second that it's possible. Could there be a way in?"
Smith's faced seemed flabbergasted at my stubbornness.
"Even if you could avoid being captured at the checkpoints, you can still get caught in the middle and upper city areas, in case you've forgotten. If that happens, then it won't be a surrender, it'll be a guaranteed execution. Especially for the upper city areas, they can lockdown the area with steel bulkheads and send automated drones to hunt you down."
"You're trying to scare me."
"Yes, if it means you'll listen to me. We've been working through the problem of the kidnappings as best as we can. Fine, we haven't got anything, yet, so we'll just have to keep working. Don't doubt me."
"I don't, but while you work away at the problem at your end, I want to do what I can myself. I'm not going to play sitting duck again. Anyway..."
I peeked outside the window again.
"The longer I stay here, the more you'll be at risk for helping me if they find me. At least with me away, you'll have one less thing to worry about, in being found out. You'll get to keep your cover."
A long pause came over Smith, as he pondered my suggestions.
"You really haven't got anything to lose huh? Enough for you to go on a suicide run?"
"I've lost RyuKoo, Kallen, and Sophia, I've lost all those who decided to accompany me. Knowing that, I do at least know that my message has still made it through. I honestly never would've guessed that I would meet a whole group of neraei that could still believe in people, without the need for a wall, even after all this time. So in a way, I have partly fulfilled what I originally wanted to do. Sure, I do believe you would be right in thinking I'm impatient. I am, for months this has gone on, but now I wish to at least try resolving this, once and for all."
