Disclaimer: All Dark Angel characters belong to James Cameron and Fox. Who else would have the courage to take them off air?
A/N: Well, I have a lot to say. First, I'd like to thank ALL my loyal fans. THANK YOU!!! Second, I've come to a very important decision. This story will soon be M/L. My other story: That was Then, This is Now, will be M/A. So if you prefer M/A over M/L, please read my other story, too. This story won't change much for a while so please stay if you have another preference…if possible, please read both. I've also edited chapter 8, if anyone cares to read it again. It's not much and doesn't affect this chapter in any way, so don't waste your time.
Special Thanks: I'd like to thank the following reviewers: Mel (for referring my story several months back), Zaz (for your continuous support in this particularly strange story), ME (for the tip and your continuous support), and last but not least, Jojo (for correcting the incorrect information that has made my story flow even better). THANK YOU ALL!!!
Final Note: If you have any suggestions, they are welcomed. I'm certainly not updating unless I get enough reviews, which at this point, my expectations are low (a mere 3 reviews). I'm hoping for more, but I guess I'll have to wait and see, won't I? Anyway, I'll let you read now. Enjoy…
Chapter 9: A Broken World
As I entered the city I had long forgotten for twenty years, I saw the poverty the city faced. Manticore had provided leisure facilities, which I now miss (only a little…). The driver I had hitched a ride with was around his mid 50s. He was strongly built and seemed a little aggressive. Not much was said. He simply offered me a ride, and I accepted. He dropped me off at a hotel not to far past the city limits. I was in Sector 3, or so he told me.
As he pulled away, I turned around to face the run down hotel that lay before me. The windows were broken and out of their hinges. The place was dark and gloomy, giving off an eerie essence. It was definitely not a first choice for a tourist. What was even more frightening was the price: $500 for one night! Can you believe that? In an old, dusty hotel, they were charging $500 for one night. I never knew the pulse had such an affect on the outside world. At Manticore, the only thing that was affected was the computers systems, which lost all the information they once had (luckily, there was a back-up system). Everything was still as usual. Scientist went about working, soldiers continued their training, instructors continued their instructing and so forth. Seattle was now a victim of crime. Everywhere one went about, gang members stood around, trying to judge whether you were worth mugging or not. It's really hard to go around being unnoticed in a science suit and with a suitcase. People tend to get suspicious, so that was the first thing I got rid of, of course.
My first night in Seattle resided in the hotel (I had no choice: it was that or the streets…and well, if I have the money, which I did, I'd rather use it than have it taken by an unworthy scum). Watching the old television provided, I saw the news on the fire at Manticore, or what they thought to be as the Veteran hospital. They blamed it on a group known as the S1W. I was just there thinking how they were SO wrong. Was everything really destroyed in the fires? Couldn't they have at least found the barracks the soldiers were kept in or something? But I'm assuming that if the government knew about this, they would find a way to keep it secret. The next day, I set off to start an adventure I never knew would come…
A/N 2: Yes, this chapter is short. If you wrote stories and were replacing a chapter with a previous chapter, you too would probably want it to be short. No one will notice this chapter unless they are actually looking for it, which I doubt anyone is doing, so I'm off to write the next chapter, which of course will be longer (and more noticeable). Thanks for all your reviews! I really appreciate them! :-D