~A/N~ If you thought Act I was dark and intense, you haven't seen anything yet. With Act II comes new characters, new story lines, new places, and the meat of the full story. Enjoy!
Act II
Chapter 1: New World
Everything was a blur. Explosions. Burning flesh. Tears. Confusion. Murder. Shock. The Verge. Nothing connected, like a puzzle formed from multiple sets. Pieces stuck together until one stray fragment shattered the union of many. Square one was insurmountable, even with all the evidence standing right there in the bright, chrome elevator.
The redheaded female, Scarlett Friday of The Verge Project, turned her head just enough to see the frame of her glasses "You can speak. It seems like you want to say something. Please do."
Brick shot a venomous sneer at Duncan as the punk leaned against the walls of the mechanical lift.
Jo just looked to her feet, her head hung low like that of a corpse hanging from a noose, slightly pale and numb.
Courtney had backed herself into a corner and wouldn't come out. She stared at her wounded leg without cringing.
Noah snorted. "This is stupid."
"Excuse me?" Scarlett asked politely.
"You heard me, head bitch in charge. This whole thing, us being here, is stupid."
"Just shut your trap before I seal it shut," Duncan hissed, his eyes radiating annoyance.
"Why do you say that?" Gwen asked. "You get more from The Verge than you would in your little speck of a ship. Better than wasting away out there, right?"
"I know that, but it let me get one thing straight, honey. Before this, we were breaking the law without Chris caring. Now, we're breaking it with Chris caring, and probably out for our heads to boot. Tell me how that contains any form of common sense."
"Noah," Scarlett sighed. "The Verge is your new home. You should at least learn our ways and see for yourself how special this opportunity is before you flee to your boring, monotonous life."
"Pfft. Fuck that shit," the snarker replied.
Gwen turned to face the group. "Anyone else have any input? Anyone other than Mr. I'm Too Good For This?"
"Yeah," Jo coughed. "I do. I'd like to know what this whole thing is for. It's been thirty minutes and I haven't even gotten a clue about this place. Spill the beans!"
Scarlett turned to face Jo. Her glasses reflected the glare of lights as they passed by the elevator, creating a sort of hypnotic pattern. "The Verge Project's main goal is destruction of tyranny and the creation of freedom. Our current target is Chris McLean, though past targets have included Presidents Jones, Taballius, known as Smith to his most trusted associates before his legal change of name to avoid the discovery of ten years of trafficking, and even the late Mr. Bennett. Yes, we're that old."
"And we can help you how?" Jo asked, still reeking of suspicion. "By slaving away as some kind of protestor troop for a quick buck?"
"We do not protest," Scarlett said, smirking. "We change." Protest gets one nothing, but with a little hard work and sweat, and maybe a few bullets delivered to certain people, progress is guaranteed."
"So we're terrorists?" Noah groaned. "Wow. Some guise of freedom you got here. Thankfully, I'm not involved in this. I signed nothing, so as soon as we hit... whatever floor we're going to, I'm out."
Scarlett chuckled a creepy chortle. Noah raised an eyebrow and frowned. "What's so funny?"
"You are, Noah Hayden. You see, The Verge Project has been living under the noses of humanity for nearly 300 years. Though we weren't alive to witness it, confirmation of our existence dates back to the era of Earth, years before the planet was left uninhabitable."
"We're kind of like that Illuminati thing from way back," Duncan said with a grin. "Only we're a real deal and not some wacko superstition."
Noah rolled his eyes. "And?"
"And that means you are not allowed to leave," Scarlett finished. "We can't have any rogue agents spoiling our plans, now can we?"
"It's a prison?" Brick asked, trembling in his combat boots as a flash of fear struck his chords.
"No," Gwen sighed. "But it might seem like one for a while. You do some tests, get a directive, and work your ass off. It's hard, but you get life handed too you. Food, protection, anything you want is yours."
"Then why were you out?" Brick asked. "I thought-"
"We have trackers implanted in our skulls," Duncan snorted with glee. "We can't go anywhere without being some blip on a screen, so why bother running away?"
"It seems bad, I know," Scarlett said reassuringly. "But it's a painless procedure done under the influence of anesthetics, so you'll never know it even happened... When we reach that part of the initiation of course."
Courtney quietly gasped.
The elevator door opened and Scarlett led them out into a crowd of people, all wearing maroon jumpsuits. The people stood on a bright white floor in an open room. A ceiling of lights and chrome hung overhead like the heavens, casting a blinding glow on the four newcomers. Although the crowd was thick, it was easy to deduce that the room was circular thanks to the curved walls that lined the outside edge. The center of the chamber contained a massive cylinder surrounded by a semi-wide moat leading to more layers of chrome ceilings above and more floors below.
The people parted to let the newbies through, watching them like some kind of crowd at a sideshow watching some kind of two-headed abomination walking around in a cage.
Noah remained perfectly calm with the intent of leaving, but Brick, Jo, and Courtney were starting to become restless, their stomachs bubbling with anxiety.
Duncan and Gwen received a nod from Scarlett and fused with the crowd before the others entered another doorway that closed behind them. They looked around to find themselves in a small chamber with grey walls and LED strips running from end to end.
"That was... crowded," Brick said.
"Yes," Scarlett said. "We have over 400 followers at this station, now over 404 thanks to you. They we're just like you, waiting for life to send some luck their way. Now they're living here at The Verge, enjoying themselves to no end."
"Sounds great," Jo scoffed. "Now what's the catch. You said we had to work?"
Scarlett shrugged. "Our station isn't cheap to run. We have many directives available both on the station and off. You may be a soldier, a mechanic, a cook, a miner, or if you're unfortunate, a worker in the caves below the surface of this forgotten moon within which our base lies. No need to worry though. We'll find you all the perfect directive in just days. Then you are all part of our community. But for now, I have work to attend to in my office. I'll send an advisor to give you a tour and show you to your cabins. Tomorrow is the day you all will partake in a series of interviews and tests. These will help us determine your best placement in our community. And with that, I bid you farewell for the day, Igneous crew." Scarlett stepped out the door, leaving the quartet to listen to the rumbling of a ceiling fan and their own heavy breathing.
Topher wheeled himself to the balcony of his Ebreonite capital tower and looked at the trio of setting suns, each casting a different shade of red on the colossal cityscape. Life was good for Mr. Jacot. He was president of a whole planet, a gift from McLean himself, and while he was certainly not cut out for the job, he wasn't going to blow it on his first day.
Reaching into his desk drawer, he found most of Mildred O'Halloran's junk still inside. Makeup, key cards, more makeup, some paperwork, more makeup, you get the point. The young councilman shifted through the useless waste of space, throwing out most of the eyeliner, lipstick, and botox, though the higher quality powders were keepers for sure. If Topher had any positive qualities to his position, it was his looks. No way would he go out on camera without some form of touch up.
When Topher's hand hit paper, he pulled out a neatly folded bill from the previous delivery. The young ruler opened it up and read the codename aloud. "Project: Convex... A Plan to Develop Ebreon's First Laser Defense System... Interesting idea."
Topher stuffed the page into his drawer and continued to roll around in his chair without a care in the world.
The door opened and the four perked up. A tall man with black hair and red highlights walked inside. His ears were pierced with neon lights that blinked from top to bottom in order. His pale skin was nearly pure white and his eyes were an odd shade of bright yellow.
"Another one?" Noah whispered to Jo.
"Greetings, newcomers," the man said in a dull, monotonous voice. "I'm Ennui and I'll be your guide today."
No one said anything. Brick stood up and looked at his team, expecting them to stand as well. Courtney wobbled her way to Brick's side. Jo followed suit.
Ennui turned to Noah. "Your dark aura is desirable, but I'm getting paid for this. Please cooperate or I'll be forced to use physical force."
Noah rolled his eyes and stood up.
"Let's get this over with," Ennui said with a tired sigh... so pretty much his normal attitude.
The goth led the quartet down a long hall way. People passed by, taking a second to stare awkwardly at the bruised and bloody group of newbies. Ennui stopped at a door and put his open hand on a small scanner. The door opened vertically and the five walked inside.
The room was filled with a bright blue light emitted by the large hologram in the center. Ennui approached the fuzzy light and typed a command into the keyboard on the terminal. A map of the station popped up, and it was much larger than the group anticipated. The main body of the building was a long cylinder comprised of ten floors, each having its own detailed layout on the map model. Around the Verge were several rings connected to the station by long hallways merged to the core like threads on a spider's web. Each ring was larger than the last until the center ring, which was thick and comprised of several rooms. Those below the central ring gradually decreased in size, mirroring the top rings.
"This is the Verge," Ennui stated. "Bask in its glory."
"Done," Noah sighed. "Can I leave now?"
Ennui stared into Noah's eyes, casting a dark vibe upon him. "No."
The goth typed in more commands and a series of red dots appeared on the map. He pointed to the highest dot, situated near the very top of the station. "This is the hangar." His finger moved to the next dot, which rested on the central cylinder. "This is the core."
Courtney watched in silence. She didn't want to talk. Not yet.
Jo was slowly becoming more interested.
Brick was nodding at each of Ennui's lines.
Noah still didn't care.
"This is the mine... These are the cabins... This is the dining hall... This is the council room... This is the training facility... This is the office floor... This is the library... This is the your cabin: Level 4-2C. Got it?"
Of course, Noah was the only one who had something to say.
"Yeah, uh, can-"
"Nobody leaves," Ennui croaked, his eyes drooping. "Never."
"I was asking where the bathroom was."
Ennui sighed. "In your cabin."
Courtney finally spoke up. "Sir? Is there a doctor around here. I need to... uh..." She gestured to her wounded leg.
"We'll get you treated as soon as possible. I'll send an escort."
"Thank you," she said with a grateful smile.
"Any other questions?" Ennui asked, his lizard-like eyes scanning the group. "No? Good. Let's go. All this excitement is driving me insane."
Jo laid down on her bed and let out a happy moan. "This is the life."
Noah sneered her way. "Didn't you get all pissy about it an hour ago? What's with the shift in character?"
Jo removed her boots and massaged her sore feet. "I didn't want to show weakness around these people. I still trust them as far as I can throw their sorry asses, but if I show any sign of acceptance, they'll break me. I ain't getting broken any time soon."
"Well, I'm liking the place," Brick said as she removed his armor. "I think we've finally found our place."
Noah sat down on the tiled floor and kicked off his boots. "We had a place: my ship."
"Yeah, and it sucked," said Jo. "Now we have food, shelter, and anything we could ever want at the push of a button. All we have to do is work."
"They stole my ship, Jo," Noah argued. "If it wasn't for me, you guys would never have gotten off of Ebreon in the first place. You'd still be there, rotting in the streets like some animal."
Jo shot daggers at the snarky jerk. "Hey, I'm here for the money. If it means enduring whatever these people throw at us in exchange for life's luxuries and some credits to boot, I'm all in."
Noah let out a mix between a laugh and a snort. "I can't believe this. I thought you wanted to lead, not led."
Brick jumped in. "You just don't like to work."
"Not true," Noah snapped.
"What did you ever do on our missions?" Jo asked. "All you ever did was pilot the ship and struggle to use heavy weaponry. That last mission was the first time you went out into the field in months. Stop being bitter."
"I'm not bitter," Noah said through grit teeth. "I just don't trust Scarlett, Duncan, Gwen, Ennui, and anyone else in this place. Don't you find it suspicious that we can't leave this place? Is it not weird how comforting a secret society that exists for the sole purpose of killing leaders is being?"
"Noah, calm down," Brick said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "They just want us to feel welcome."
"And it worked on you." Noah turned to Jo. "You don't trust them! Back me up here!"
Jo growled and sat up. "Noah, I've been eating paste and rotting away that ship of yours for years. I don't like these people, but this is better than your idea of paradise and you're not ruining this for me. Got it?"
Noah narrowed his eyes. "To each their own. Now I'd you'll excuse me, I'm off to use the restroom."
Noah left, leaving Jo and Brick to shake their heads disbelief at Noah's paranoia.
A knock at the door rattled the soldiers. Courtney stepped inside with a smile on her face. This time it was genuine.
"They fixed my leg," she said. "This place is amazing and... Where's Noah?"
"Venting in the bathroom," Jo sighed, laying back down and letting her body relax for the first time in hours. "The guy is right to be suspicious, but he's making it hard for me to enjoy this place while we have it. All he's done so far is complain and ignore all the good things we have in life right now."
Courtney let out a chuckle. "Really? I mean, I don't trust anyone here, but come on! The guy is way too paranoid for his own good. Hell, the higher ups have probably put him on some watch list... and that probably means our names are on it too."
"Exactly!" Jo groaned. "He's going to get us all expelled or killed or worse with that attitude. The egghead could at least pretend to be excited and spare us the annoyance."
"We just had a great bonding moment a few hours ago," began Brick. "When we were trapped in that jail cell, I felt some weight lift off our group. Now, Noah's bringing it right back down. We shouldn't turn him into the villain though. The man's still a part of the team and we should try and understand his views."
"I understand his views," Jo said. "I agree with him, but I'm not giving up all this luxury for his stupid ship and tubes of edible paste again. If push comes to shove, we take over. If they're a cool group and we can trust them, then life is all good and we're set for it."
"Agreed," Courtney and Brick said with nods.
The camera in the corner of the ceiling silently watched from its minuscule hole, it's lenses twisting to zoom in on the conversation at hand.
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~A/N~ And the hiatus is over. I wanted to get this out sooner, but with the new TD season airing, I wanted to wait until it finished because I wanted some RR characters to appear in the story as soon as possible.
Act II will be twelve chapters long, but I have most of it planned out, so the next chapter should hopefully be done within the next month.
Foreseer... out!
