Chapter 5- Welcome to Avedis
The door shut behind them with an audible bang, echoing throughout the long concrete hallway ahead. Shivers were sent up Gohan's spine, as the temperature quickly dropped.
"Sorry 'bout that" Suren said, "These halls are too big to heat. Especially with whatever reserves of energy we have left."
Gohan nodded as they began walking down the dimly light, gray hall, footsteps echoing.
"I suppose I should explain this further…you must be confused."
Gohan nodded again, walking next to Suren and looking up at him. Suren cleared his throat and began.
"Seventeen years ago, in your time, a madman named Dr. Gero built two androids. They were evil beings, programmed to kill your father. The thing is…Goku was killed not by the androids, but by a heart virus. Without him, the rest of the Z Fighters were easily dispatched by the androids. Every last one of them. Except for you, Gohan."
Gohan looked stunned, "Me?"
"Yes. You survived their initial assault and saved the rest of us. You helped us build a small resistance against them. A resistance consisting of you, Conrad, myself, my parents, Bulma and her son, Trunks." Suren explained further, looking forward as the pair continued walking down the long hall.
"Trunks…he's the guy with the sword and the purple hair, right?"
Suren nodded, "That's correct. The reason he was in your time was to give your father medication that would prevent the virus that killed him. He was supposed to warn you of the androids and then return to us with information regarding the situation in the past…"
Suren cleared his throat and continued revealing the future's events to Gohan, "Anyways…the members of the resistance were not the only survivors. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people are still alive thanks to you. They now live in underground cities, hidden throughout the world. Our problem is…the androids have gotten wise to our tricks. They know about the cities and are systematically finding and destroying each one. Thankfully, I was able to get you away before they could follow me."
Gohan stared at the concrete floor as he walked, overwhelmed with information. Suddenly, he looked up at Suren, sounding exited.
"Hey! The future me sounds really cool! When do I meet him?"
Suren halted. The echoes of his footsteps stopped as he stared blankly down the hall.
"You don't." Suren said, still staring down the hallway. Gohan expression changed to confusion.
"W…why not?"
Suren cocked his head and looked down at Gohan.
"Because he's dead. He died fighting them…" Suren trailed off. Gohan stared back at Suren in sadness.
"I'm sorry…"
Suren cleared his throat and continued walking, eager to change the subject.
"Anyways, as I was saying, the androids have caught on to the cities and have been destroying them recently. Only four cities remain… Lenneth, Avedis, Shade and the largest, Reach."
"Creative names." Gohan remarked. Suren chuckled and nodded as the pair trekked through the long hallway.
"Yes, they are. Now, we are currently heading south, towards the city of Avedis. To the west is Lenneth, to the east is Shade and to the north is Reach."
Gohan narrowed his eyes, squinting to make out the darkness ahead of them. He recognized a familiar shape, the shape of a door.
"If we're going to the city, where were we before?"
"Each city has its own command post, manned by three people. The post is the only way in or out of the city, save for the emergency exits, which lead to the sewers."
They approached the solid metal door and Suren turned the handle. The door creaked and wailed on its hinges as it opened. Suren stepped inside the room and Gohan cautiously followed him. They entered a large, tall room with high concrete walls. At the other end of the empty room were steel double doors. Gohan noticed they had no handles. Suren stepped towards the door and punched a number in on the keypad on the wall. Then, he spoke.
"Lieutenant Suren. Avedis command, 13497."
The keypad let out a small beep and the doors hissed, sliding open. The next room was not a room at all. Ahead of Gohan and Suren were barbed wire fences, the only way through being a rubber lined hole in the fence. Through the fence, Gohan saw the city. Gohan saw several gray buildings, none of which cleared two floors. He was too far away to make anything else out.
Two men, clad in army camouflage, stood on both sides of the entrance, armed with XM8 automatic machine guns. One was clean shaven; he looked like a man not past his 20's. The other was older looking, blackish- gray hair and a thick mustache. They nodded at Suren and glanced defensively at Gohan.
"Its ok, boys. He's with me. He was alone above ground and I'm bringing him in."
The soldiers both chuckled and the one with the mustache spoke up.
"Bringing back strays again, eh Suren?" he laughed, his voice gruff and deep. Suren chuckled, but didn't respond as he stepped through the hole in the fence. Gohan heard the buzz of electricity as he passed through the fence. They stepped into the city. Gohan saw the city more clearly now. It was unclean, to say the least. The buildings Gohan had seen looked abandoned, but he saw shadows through the windows. People sat on the street, a street on which no cars existed. The people looked dirty, almost like they were homeless, and they sat, doing nothing. People were huddled around flaming, burning trash cans for warmth. The city looked no better than West City had, except there were no androids in this one. At the end of the long street was a building, taller and cleaner than the rest. It was midnight black, rather than gray. Suren looked on at the building and spoke to Gohan.
"Welcome to Avedis."
AN: Sorry this took so long. School's been crazy. And it took forever to think of the names of the four cities. I swear I'm trying my best to write as much as possible. sweatdrop