I should probably give these chapters names. But, I'm lazy, just like you
non-reviewers, so I'm just gonna keep calling them by their number names.
Yes. Because I jump around too much, or will in later chapters.
Oh yeah, the fic. Here's chapter two. It's longer than the first one.
Whoot!
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Vin leaned more heavily on the computer, as he waited, minutes ticking by. His job was done for the day. Another day, he had managed to divert disaster. But he felt no more proud than any other day.
Finally, a small watch on his right hand emitted two bleeping noises, signaling the wearer that the work day was over. He turned his body to the computer, and hands did one final dance across the keyboard, and the machine's lights dimmed to darkness. The only light source came now from the navy blue sphere in the middle of the room, its surface speckled with little white dots. It was a map of the stars, another curiosity of Vin's. He enjoyed studying stellar constellations almost as much as trying to fulfill his dream of being like Mar.
The other light was a small one, but vital, attached to the side of one of the screens. It now radiated an eerie green glow around the laboratory, and the scientist hoped it always would. If that light turned red, all was lost.
That would mean the shield walls had collapsed, throwing the city into the claws of the metal heads. Vin gave one last look towards the green beacon, before turning and walking towards the iron-plated door to his lab, opposite the Warp Gate.
Despite Daxter's quips, Vin did not sleep in his lab. He, like any other employed under the powerful Baron Praxis, was given quarters to live in. It was one of the very scarce privileges of working for Praxis. Probably the only one. He punched in a long series of numbers into a panel by the door. It had a code of pressing about twenty different little red buttons. A little much, yes, but he didn't want anyone in his laboratory unsupervised. If they disrupted the Eco Grid...he shuddered at the thought.
At last, the metal doors slid open with a hiss, and the scientist stepped out onto the dark runway. The time was only about ten o' clock, so many citizens of Haven still walked, undaunted, through the dimly lit streets. A few men and a woman brushed past the man as though he wasn't there.
Vin heard the tell-tale click as his lab was shut off from the rest of the world; for tonight at least. He began to walk down the runway nervously, cautious of everyone around him. He carried nothing with him, as the only thing he needed for his daily work was his mind. And maybe a few inductor wires, but those didn't count. He stepped off the runway as he walked quickly into the street, watching everyone out of the corner of his eye.
The citizens didn't worry him, one of the few things that didn't. It was the Krimzon Guards. Maybe this was the day that the Baron had found out about his meddling with the Underground. Maybe a few nasty Krimzon thugs were waiting around the corner of the next building, ready to shoot him in the head for treachery.
At this particularly morbid thought, Vin walked a little faster. As his soft shoes stepped over one last rickety wooden walkway, the night's atmosphere changed drastically. Fore one, the air became thicker, clotted by what seemed almost a poisonous brown air. The pavement was dirtier, grime edged the building bottoms, and broken glass littered the alleyways. The sadly sagging buildings saw the light of day no more, broken windows boarded up by rotting hunks of plywood. The slums.
Almost one fourth of the wretched city lived in the vile conditions, though none complained. Those who did were shot. Vin's pace quickened to a near jog. He much preferred his safe laboratory to his living place. With its comforting beeping and glowing lights, it was always a most welcome sight. But the grease-stained walls of the slums certainly were not.
He reached his building, padding silently up to it. It had the same drooping appearance as all the rest of the slum's sad construction, except for a minor detail—a large KG, written in Precursor, was stamped to the sagging doorway, telling all to stay clear. The Baron purchased these buildings for Krimzon Guard grunts, lackey who didn't deserve the luxuries that the commanders and lieutenants received.
The frail, nervous man looked rather out of place in front of the formidable sign. Nonetheless, Vin pushed the door open gently with his hand, and peered into the darkness. It seemed as though the white-haired man was alone, a blessing. He took a step forward, as a large hand grabbed him roughly by the shoulder.
"Halt!" came a deep voice, slightly muffled. On contact, Vin whipped around with a yelp, arms spread apart as though to steady himself. His breath slowed a little as his eyes adjusted to the light. He could see the shine of the Guard's armor from the bare light bulb above them.
He was relieved, but only slightly. It wasn't a metal head, but a soldier of Praxis, the thing he feared second most. And, though second, the fear was pretty strong. Those gun blasts could be just as deadly as any creature's teeth or claws. He swallowed, watching the guard. The guard was still in his plated uniform, a sign he had just gotten off duty. He kept his gun by his side, Vin thankfully noted.
"Do you have authority for this building?" he asked in the usual brisk, commanding tone used by all Krimzon Guards. He eyed the smaller man suspiciously from under his red helm. He had been told that rebel fighters could look very unsuspecting, and to interrogate everyone.
Vin nodded quickly, and reached into his baggy canvas pants' pocket. He fumbled with a small square piece of paper on a thin chain.
"Y-Yes!" he gasped, lifting up the paper, "I have it h-here, it's my pass to—"
The Guard snatched the paper from Vin's hand, and he immediately stopped talking. The guard turned it over and over, as though inspecting its validity. The guard was really just another grunt who dwelled there, a bored on at that. Perhaps he hadn't had enough fun harassing people on the streets. He sneered at the pass, before tossing it at Vin, who caught it clumsily.
"Get out of my sight," he said darkly, pushing the scientist out of the way, almost sending him sprawling. But Vin caught his footing, and stood up fully, sliding the security pass back into his pocket. His nerves were on high right now, but the panic slowly ebbed into exhaustion. He walked slowly down the hall, turning right to face a slightly cracked door.
He opened it, slid in, and shut it quickly behind him. No need for any more run-ins with Krimzon Guards tonight. He turned to face his living quarters, dull as they were. It was cement from floor to ceiling. Cheap, and sturdy enough. A slightly termite-eaten table occupied on corner of the room, adorned with a chipped ceramic lamp. It was missing a shade, so the bare bulb blared brightly into his eyes. The only other piece of furniture in the dismal room was a bad, cover undone, and a spring threatened to poke through the cotton.
Vin sighed out of exhaustion, not depressed by the sight of the sad little room. It was a sight the man greeted whole-heartedly. Beside the bed was a footlocker, which contained a large pile of Vin's only clothing. He shuffled over to the bed, not bothering to undress. He flopped himself down on the lumpy bed, pausing only to remove the glasses from his face.
Usually, Vin had trouble sleeping, the night bringing vision of bloodthirsty metal heads. But his hard day's work, combined with the ordeal with the Krimzon Guard wiped that all from his panic-prone mind, for the moment. A weary hand groped for the light switch, and, finding it, plunged the room into complete darkness. As soon as the light blinked out, his hand drooped over the bedside, he was out cold. Even his neighbor's grunted shouts of who could use the shower first couldn't wake him from the dreamless slumber that enveloped him.
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I love reviews. A lot. Pretty please? Yes, I know it's VERY boring so far. And it'll probably stay that way. I was never really meaning to put this on ff.net in the first place. It was just some elaborate venting. Well here it is, if you like, review, if you don't, review. Thanks! Third chapter will be up VERY soon. Like tomorrow. Spelling error? Tell me, please.
Vin leaned more heavily on the computer, as he waited, minutes ticking by. His job was done for the day. Another day, he had managed to divert disaster. But he felt no more proud than any other day.
Finally, a small watch on his right hand emitted two bleeping noises, signaling the wearer that the work day was over. He turned his body to the computer, and hands did one final dance across the keyboard, and the machine's lights dimmed to darkness. The only light source came now from the navy blue sphere in the middle of the room, its surface speckled with little white dots. It was a map of the stars, another curiosity of Vin's. He enjoyed studying stellar constellations almost as much as trying to fulfill his dream of being like Mar.
The other light was a small one, but vital, attached to the side of one of the screens. It now radiated an eerie green glow around the laboratory, and the scientist hoped it always would. If that light turned red, all was lost.
That would mean the shield walls had collapsed, throwing the city into the claws of the metal heads. Vin gave one last look towards the green beacon, before turning and walking towards the iron-plated door to his lab, opposite the Warp Gate.
Despite Daxter's quips, Vin did not sleep in his lab. He, like any other employed under the powerful Baron Praxis, was given quarters to live in. It was one of the very scarce privileges of working for Praxis. Probably the only one. He punched in a long series of numbers into a panel by the door. It had a code of pressing about twenty different little red buttons. A little much, yes, but he didn't want anyone in his laboratory unsupervised. If they disrupted the Eco Grid...he shuddered at the thought.
At last, the metal doors slid open with a hiss, and the scientist stepped out onto the dark runway. The time was only about ten o' clock, so many citizens of Haven still walked, undaunted, through the dimly lit streets. A few men and a woman brushed past the man as though he wasn't there.
Vin heard the tell-tale click as his lab was shut off from the rest of the world; for tonight at least. He began to walk down the runway nervously, cautious of everyone around him. He carried nothing with him, as the only thing he needed for his daily work was his mind. And maybe a few inductor wires, but those didn't count. He stepped off the runway as he walked quickly into the street, watching everyone out of the corner of his eye.
The citizens didn't worry him, one of the few things that didn't. It was the Krimzon Guards. Maybe this was the day that the Baron had found out about his meddling with the Underground. Maybe a few nasty Krimzon thugs were waiting around the corner of the next building, ready to shoot him in the head for treachery.
At this particularly morbid thought, Vin walked a little faster. As his soft shoes stepped over one last rickety wooden walkway, the night's atmosphere changed drastically. Fore one, the air became thicker, clotted by what seemed almost a poisonous brown air. The pavement was dirtier, grime edged the building bottoms, and broken glass littered the alleyways. The sadly sagging buildings saw the light of day no more, broken windows boarded up by rotting hunks of plywood. The slums.
Almost one fourth of the wretched city lived in the vile conditions, though none complained. Those who did were shot. Vin's pace quickened to a near jog. He much preferred his safe laboratory to his living place. With its comforting beeping and glowing lights, it was always a most welcome sight. But the grease-stained walls of the slums certainly were not.
He reached his building, padding silently up to it. It had the same drooping appearance as all the rest of the slum's sad construction, except for a minor detail—a large KG, written in Precursor, was stamped to the sagging doorway, telling all to stay clear. The Baron purchased these buildings for Krimzon Guard grunts, lackey who didn't deserve the luxuries that the commanders and lieutenants received.
The frail, nervous man looked rather out of place in front of the formidable sign. Nonetheless, Vin pushed the door open gently with his hand, and peered into the darkness. It seemed as though the white-haired man was alone, a blessing. He took a step forward, as a large hand grabbed him roughly by the shoulder.
"Halt!" came a deep voice, slightly muffled. On contact, Vin whipped around with a yelp, arms spread apart as though to steady himself. His breath slowed a little as his eyes adjusted to the light. He could see the shine of the Guard's armor from the bare light bulb above them.
He was relieved, but only slightly. It wasn't a metal head, but a soldier of Praxis, the thing he feared second most. And, though second, the fear was pretty strong. Those gun blasts could be just as deadly as any creature's teeth or claws. He swallowed, watching the guard. The guard was still in his plated uniform, a sign he had just gotten off duty. He kept his gun by his side, Vin thankfully noted.
"Do you have authority for this building?" he asked in the usual brisk, commanding tone used by all Krimzon Guards. He eyed the smaller man suspiciously from under his red helm. He had been told that rebel fighters could look very unsuspecting, and to interrogate everyone.
Vin nodded quickly, and reached into his baggy canvas pants' pocket. He fumbled with a small square piece of paper on a thin chain.
"Y-Yes!" he gasped, lifting up the paper, "I have it h-here, it's my pass to—"
The Guard snatched the paper from Vin's hand, and he immediately stopped talking. The guard turned it over and over, as though inspecting its validity. The guard was really just another grunt who dwelled there, a bored on at that. Perhaps he hadn't had enough fun harassing people on the streets. He sneered at the pass, before tossing it at Vin, who caught it clumsily.
"Get out of my sight," he said darkly, pushing the scientist out of the way, almost sending him sprawling. But Vin caught his footing, and stood up fully, sliding the security pass back into his pocket. His nerves were on high right now, but the panic slowly ebbed into exhaustion. He walked slowly down the hall, turning right to face a slightly cracked door.
He opened it, slid in, and shut it quickly behind him. No need for any more run-ins with Krimzon Guards tonight. He turned to face his living quarters, dull as they were. It was cement from floor to ceiling. Cheap, and sturdy enough. A slightly termite-eaten table occupied on corner of the room, adorned with a chipped ceramic lamp. It was missing a shade, so the bare bulb blared brightly into his eyes. The only other piece of furniture in the dismal room was a bad, cover undone, and a spring threatened to poke through the cotton.
Vin sighed out of exhaustion, not depressed by the sight of the sad little room. It was a sight the man greeted whole-heartedly. Beside the bed was a footlocker, which contained a large pile of Vin's only clothing. He shuffled over to the bed, not bothering to undress. He flopped himself down on the lumpy bed, pausing only to remove the glasses from his face.
Usually, Vin had trouble sleeping, the night bringing vision of bloodthirsty metal heads. But his hard day's work, combined with the ordeal with the Krimzon Guard wiped that all from his panic-prone mind, for the moment. A weary hand groped for the light switch, and, finding it, plunged the room into complete darkness. As soon as the light blinked out, his hand drooped over the bedside, he was out cold. Even his neighbor's grunted shouts of who could use the shower first couldn't wake him from the dreamless slumber that enveloped him.
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I love reviews. A lot. Pretty please? Yes, I know it's VERY boring so far. And it'll probably stay that way. I was never really meaning to put this on ff.net in the first place. It was just some elaborate venting. Well here it is, if you like, review, if you don't, review. Thanks! Third chapter will be up VERY soon. Like tomorrow. Spelling error? Tell me, please.