Searching for a Hero
(Chapter 2)
Ira now stood in front of the City Hall building of Kattelox Island. The large white structure was the centerpiece of the gate district, which also included the police station and bank. Looking at it now Ira was reminded of the news footage from when "he" had defended the pristine building from the pirates. It was the first time Ira had seen "him" in action, she was watching from the hospital during the broadcast despite the nurse's objections. Ira was suddenly overcome by emotion as she thought back on the event. She was only thirteen at the time but the image was still crystal clear in her mind, even then she felt a warmth inside her chest watching him battle for the safety of the island. Standing at the door with her hand to her chest for so long must have caught someone's attention because she was suddenly pulled back from her memories by the sound of someone behind her.
"Are you all right? Do you need any help?" A calm soft voice came from behind Ira.
Caught off guard by the voice behind her, Ira's face turned bright red with embarrassment as she quickly spun around to see who was behind her. Standing behind her with an impeccable standing posture was one of Kattelox's finest, fully adorned in his dark blue uniform and white helmet, his golden badge reflecting in the sun. Even with his helmet covering most of his eyes, his concern was easily conveyed by the expression on the lower half of his face. He stepped closer with his arms outreached as if to catch her in case she fell. To make matters worse a small crowd was starting to gather around Ira and the police officer. Ira's face was so red that she was sure she would start crying tears of blood any moment. All around her she could hear whispers in the crowd, people quietly asking, "what's going on" or "what's the matter". If she didn't die of embarrassment right there Ira would make sure to smack herself for letting this happen. It took all of her self-control not to run back home and lock the door; instead she closed her eyes tightly and smiled.
"Heh, um…yes officer, I'm fine…thank you for asking…I uh, think I'll go inside now…" This sad excuse of a response was all she could manage in her current state.
Ira turned around slowly and opened the heavy double doors to the City Hall building and walked casually in. Once inside she turned to the crowd, her eyes still closed and smiling wide, she waved back at them then quickly pushed the doors shut. For a moment Ira just stood there, leaning her weight against the handles of the doors, her whole body shaking with embarrassment. Again she was blind-sided by reality from behind, as a soft feminine voice called out to her.
"Um…can I help you?" The voice belonged to a pretty young woman behind the large wooden front counter of the building.
Already shaken from the events outside, Ira wasn't prepared to interact with people just yet, and she wasn't sure she ever would be again for that matter. Ira regained her posture and again closed her eyes and smiled widely, She raised her right arm and pointed up with her index finger signaling for the woman to give Ira one minute. She then walked over to left corner of the room and sat down on the floor facing the wall, there she rocked back and fourth momentarily before jumping back up and walking over to the woman at the counter. Having regained her composure enough to communicate with living people again, Ira leaned on the counter and spoke calmly to the woman.
"Yes, hello, my name is Ira, I believe I have a meeting with the mayor scheduled for eight o'clock…" Ira still had to force her words, but she was bringing herself together slowly.
The pretty young woman looked at Ira wearily, nervously playing with short dark hair as she looked down at the schedule in front of her. After a few seconds she smiled lightly and looked back up at Ira.
"Um, yes, here it is right here, "Ira at eight o'clock." The mayor is expecting you…May I see your citizens ID card please?" Perhaps still in mild shock from Ira's actions earlier, the woman extended her hand slowly towards Ira.
Ira reached into her right coat pocket to reveal her citizens card and handed it to the woman. The woman looked it over then scanned it through a machine to verify Ira's identity. Exhausted beyond any other time she could remember, Ira sighed deeply as the woman at the counter looked over the display in front of her. For the first time Ira began to notice the people in the room staring at her. A dark skinned man with glasses and an ugly tie sat behind the counter opposite of the woman who was helping Ira, and was stared at her with confusion on his face. Another man, this one standing in front of the counter a few feet away from Ira met her with a similar gaze, he shifted his yellow hat around and covered his eyes when he noticed her looking at him. What had already been a taxing day for Ira had turned out to be a disaster, and it was supposed to be one of the most important days of her life. Ira turned her attention back to the woman in front of her; a frustrated look twisted her otherwise attractive features. She was staring intently at the monitor in front of her obviously displeased with what it was showing her. She pulled a pen from the front pocket of her light purple jacket and started tapping the screen; she punched a few keys on the keyboard and then smiled widely.
"Ah yes, everything seems to be in order. I apologize for the wait, the system is new and still has a few bugs." A much happier tone graced her voice as she handed back Ira her ID card.
"That's okay, but I do have a favor to ask…" Ira eyes shifted down to the floor as said this.
"Could you…possibly not tell anyone about my crazy behavior from before?" Ira's eyes swelled as she spoke, she looked up slightly to see the woman's reaction.
"No problem dear, we all have our "moments", and it doesn't help when people start talking about them behind our backs." The woman's view shifted to the two men in the room with her last statement, she stared at them with an intense look in her eyes letting them know she meant business.
"Thank you so much!!" Ira smiled and bowed her head to the woman before making her way up the stairs to the mayor's office.
Ira felt much better about the previous situation as she made her way up the stairs. She got the feeling that the woman at the counter would keep her word about the incident, at that she'd hold the two men to the same standard. The stairs led directly to the mayor's office, and despite the fact that Ira had been here several times before for various issues, she was starting to get nervous. This was what she had worked towards for the last three years; she was finally going to be a real digger, just like "him". Ira knocked gently on the office door twice and was met a second later by the mayor's familiar voice.
"Come on in Ira." The mayor's voice carried through the door with ease as Ira turned the knob.
Ira stepped into the mayor's simple yet somehow stylish office. On the right wall a massive painting of a city hung next to an unusual sculpture in the right hand corner of the room. To the left a set of matching blue couches and a small wooden table made up a sitting area. Next to that was a modest display set up with two large, beautiful stones, one was dark, almost black and the other resembled some sort of crystal. In the center of the room against the back wall, the mayor "Amelia" sat at her huge handcrafted desk. The desk alone gave a feeling of authority to the room, it was constructed from different shades of wood that moved from dark to light as the desk went up, and was stunningly embroidered with an ornate gold pattern on it's edges. Ira was always impressed by the "feel" of the mayor's office, it didn't force it's self you, it simply played to it's strengths. Behind the desk Amelia sat at her faded blue swivel chair, she was going over a large stack of papers in front of her, occasionally stopping to write something down. As Ira made her way to the front of the desk Amelia pulled her attention what she was doing and looked up at Ira, removing her glasses as she did so.
"Hello Ira." Amelia greeted her.
"Hello mayor Amelia." Ira chimed back.
"Come now Ira, how many times have I told you that just plain "Amelia" is fine, there's no need for formalities." A pleasant smile graced Amelia's face when saying this.
"I know, it's just that I'm a little bit nervous about today, it feels almost like a dream…I just don't want to mess anything up." Ira's voice was soft as she admitted her concern about the situation.
As Ira said this Amelia's face shifted from its usually cheerful expression to a much more serious one. She shuffled the papers in front of her neatly and moved them onto the green writing mat on her desk. She looked at Ira and smiled lightly as she stretching out her fingers and then cracked her knuckles. She stood up and walked around the desk on the left side and motioned for Ira to sit with her at the couches. Confused Ira followed Amelia over to the sitting area where she now sat. Ira sat at the couch across from Amelia and watched as the mayor put her glasses in her the font pocket of her white blouse.
"I didn't know you wore glasses?" Ira decided to break the silence with a small observation.
"Hmm? Oh yes, I've only started wearing them recently, they help when I'm reading, but then perhaps my age is showing a bit?" Amelia joked.
Despite the lack of comical force the joke provided, it really was an ironic statement. In actuality Amelia was still quite young for a person of her position, she was in her early thirties at most, and strikingly beautiful. She had luxurious blonde hair that she kept up most of the time except on the few occasions where Ira had watched her reset it. Her face was defined but soft and she had large greyish green eyes that were complimented by her fashionable earrings. Of course it wasn't her hair or face that had most of the men of Kattelox swooning, her figure was generous and curvy, even hidden behind her trademark white coat and skirt. Looking at her now Ira couldn't help but feel a bit inadequate with her own appearance, her years of digging resulted in a ruff outer exterior, and kept her fashion sense in a constant mix between futuristic and tomboy. It wasn't that Ira really wanted the attention so much, but aside from the occasional ongoing stare from Osh, Ira didn't receive much notice, and as she got older it weighed on her mind more.
"But it doesn't matter, not in the face of what I have to do…" Ira thought.
Amelia stared at Ira across the table for a moment making her feel a bit uncomfortable. Ira had talked with Amelia on a few occasions before, most often because of Ira's inability to "appreciate" the island's laws about the ruins. In all past occasions Amelia had been brunt and to the point, but now she seemed conflicted and was struggling to find her words.
"Ira I've gotten to know you over the past few years, and I feel as though we've bonded if only to a small extent. Wouldn't you say so?" Amelia asked.
"Well sure, I mean after I finally got out of the hospital I had no place to go, my parents died in the accident that injured my leg, and I didn't have any other relatives, but you set me up with a place to stay. And since then you've helped me out along way when I needed you." Ira replied graciously.
A weak smile graced Amelia's face for a moment as she shifted anxiously in her seat.
"I'm not quite sure how to put this…Ira I think you should reconsider being a digger." Amelia's voice was filled with a soft sorrow that carried on her words.
"Wait…what?" Ira asked confused.
"Ira when you came to me three years ago asking about how to become a digger I told you everything I knew, all my past experiences, my years working with professor Barrel, I even gave you my old copy of the diggers manual. But, I only did so because I believed at the time that you only had a mild case of hero worship and that it would blow over in time." Amelia stood up as she continued to talk.
"But it seems that I was wrong, you pushed yourself non-stop, and with no prior experience and a past injury working against you, you proved yourself to be not only a competent digger, but one of the best on the island, and in only three years time. That's an accomplishment to say the least." Amelia explained.
"So then…what's the problem? Why don't you want me to become a digger?" Ira asked.
"Ira being a digger is difficult lifestyle, and although I have no doubt of your determination, I'm concerned about you, and I'm not the only one. You may not realize it but there are many people on this island that care for you Ira, and I'm sure that just like me there're concerned about you to." Amelia seemed hard pressed for the right words as she said this.
"Listen I'm not some dumb kid who has no idea about what she's getting into. I've read the books, I've talked to the other diggers on the island, I've explored the ruins, I know what I'm getting in to!" Ira voice raised with each word as her frustration took over.
"I'm not sure you do Ira. It's true that you've explored some of the ruins on the island, even some that you weren't supposed to…and I won't say that those experiences don't count for anything, but do you think that the ruins on this island are the worst there are? Every year Ira, dozens of diggers go missing in ruins all over the world, many who have been digging for much longer than you." Now Amelia's voice moved to match Ira's, her usual sultry tone was now elevated with concern.
"I know that Amelia, I've heard the stories and I know the risks involved. It's my choice to risk my life if I so choose, not yours or anyone else's!" Ira yelled at Amelia.
Amelia's back was turned to Ira now; she gazed at the abstract painting that hung over one of the couches before turning around to face Ira again.
"Ira, what happened to your arm?" Amelia asked but her tone suggested she already knew the answer.
Ira had hoped that no one would take any interest in her bandaged arm, after all the other items that made up her current wardrobe were a bit unusual as well. She slowly began rubbing her right arm in response to the question.
"I got hurt earlier, I was testing out one of Osh's new designs and it malfunctioned, that's all. It's not even that bad." Ira lied.
"Ira isn't it true that what you said happened while you were exploring the Cardon Forest sub-gate? Even though you're not yet qualified for entry there?" Amelia's words stabbed at Ira.
"Osh told you!?" Ira yelled out.
"Osh didn't need to tell me anything, I got several reports this morning that you were seen heading towards the Cardon Forest sub-gate. There's nothing else that far out, so I naturally assumed that's where you were heading." Amelia's voice now returned to its natural tone.
"I just wanted to get a peek inside, I didn't even go that far in!" This last statement carried less force then before, and was more of a childish admission of guilt then anything.
"Judging by the bandages on your arm, I'd say you got more then a peek." Again a stabbing blow aimed at Ira.
"My arm is fine! And the injury didn't even happen in the ruins, it happened just like I told you I just…left some stuff out…" Ira's voice trailed off.
"Ira I could suspend your license before even giving it to you based on your actions this morning. Ira I'm begging you, just think it over, maybe wait another year. I know you're eager to get out there, but maybe with a little more time…" Amelia's voice to trailed off.
"So then you won't give me my license?" Ira asked sullenly.
Amelia sighed deeply then walked back over to her desk. She stepped behind it and started looking through one of the drawers for something. After a minute of so she walked back over to Ira who was watching her intently. In her hand she held a small plastic card with a blue capitol "B" on it that read "LICENSE" across it, under that Ira's picture and information was listed. Amelia sat down quietly and handed it to Ira.
"So wait…your giving me the license anyway?! Even after what happened this morning?!" Ira voice reflected her shock.
"Ira what you hold in your hand is your very own updated class B diggers guild license. I pulled some strings with the guild master and had you approved not only for Kattelox, but also for any guild registered ruins so that you won't have to take a formal test before exploring any ruins off the island." Amelia's voice was quiet but she smiled as she talked.
"But I thought…" Ira's amazement cut short her words.
"Ira I thought long and hard about this decision, and to be honest, when I learned about your little unauthorized expedition this morning, I very seriously considered holding your license but…" Amelia stopped for a moment to think.
"But what?" Ira asked eagerly.
Amelia looked into Ira's eyes from across the table, in them Ira could see tears beginning to well up. Amelia wiped her eyes with her sleeve and smiled at Ira, then leaned forward and held Ira's hands in hers.
"But if I did that I wouldn't be doing you any good. If I had held your license from you because of what happened today, I would have been doing so for the wrong reasons, not because you broke into the ruins, but solely out of my concern for you. And although that option was appealing, it wouldn't have been fair to you." Amelia paused for second to clear her eyes again.
"Ira I wasn't lying when I said that you were one of the best diggers on the island, you've put more work into these last three years then many diggers put into there're entire careers. So even though I'm scared of what might happen to you if you go off on your own, you've easily proven yourself to be competent digger, and you deserve you're shot. I just thought that maybe if I talked to you about my concerns you would reconsider, but in truth I knew from the moment you stepped in my office that you wouldn't." Amelia's voice faltered some as she explained her reasoning to Ira, she was now trying desperately to hold back her tears.
Amelia stood up and breathed in deeply and then released it back out as she forced herself to regain her composure. She extended he her hand to Ira to help stand back up. Ira's face was a portrait of astonishment as she grabbed Amelia's hand and got to her feet. Her mind raced to find other happy moments to compare this one to, and the only memory that surpassed the happiness she was feeling now was getting to meet "him" three years earlier, nothing else came close. Ira's hands were shaking as she held the license in them, completely overwhelmed the same thought ran though her head over and over again…
"Is this really happening!!" Ira's mind screamed.
"Ira, as mayor of Kattelox Island, and with the permission of the diggers guild, here by award you a class B diggers license, with all rights and privileges bestowed, congratulations Ira." Amelia smiled with pride as she awarded Ira her license.
Ira said nothing for a moment and stood perfectly still as her gaze was focused on the license in her hand. She looked up at Amelia but still said nothing, then returned her attention to the license, then back at Amelia, then back at the license again. Stunned with awe she finally focused back on Amelia.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" Amelia asked.
"………YES!! YES YES YES!!" Ira shouted hysterically as she raised the license above her head in victory.
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you." Ira repeated over and over again as she hugged Amelia tightly.
"Ha ha ha, well you deserve it Ira, plus I knew even if I didn't give it to you that you'd find some way around it." Amelia joked as Ira squeezed her.
Ira let go of Amelia and hopped up and down with excitement, she was sure that the people on the first floor were probably very confused but she care right now.
"So this is really it right? This isn't some sort of joke or a dream is it?" Ira asked spastically.
"Heh heh, no Ira, this is the real thing, I promise you." All of the apprehension had left Amelia's voice now, and was replaced with soft happiness.
"So what are you going to do now with you're license?" Amelia asked Ira.
Ira stopped hopping and thought for a second, suddenly her face lit up when she realized what she was going to do next.
"I've got to go show Osh, he'll do a back flip when finds out." Ira had just remembered that Osh was supposed to be there with her, but he probably got caught up in something.
"After that I have to get ready to set off I guess." This realization came with less enthusiasm then the first.
"That's right, you told me the last time we talked that you planned to head out to another island when you finally got you're license. You're going to look for "him" isn't that right." A soft sadness followed Amelia's words.
"That's right, and I won't stop until I find him!" Ira declared strongly.
"So then I guess this is goodbye for a while, at least until you find "him" right?" Amelia asked.
Ira nodded her head confidently but inside she was beginning to feel the weight of her own words. She was going to set off on her mission to find the legendary blue digger, it was so long coming that now faced with the actuality of it, she found herself longing inside. Ira and Amelia exchanged farewells with a few tears between the both of them, not one for long good-byes though Ira cut her farewell short and instead just hugged Amelia again before setting off. Just as she was about to head out the door Amelia chimed behind her.
"I wish you the best of luck Ira, and don't be a stranger, always remember there are people here who care for you." Amelia's last words to Ira were full of support and love.
Ira turned around to look at Amelia as she opened the door to the office and simply replied…
"I know, and thanks." And then Ira was gone, closing the door behind her as she went.
Ira raced down the stairs at full speed, she ran out of the City Hall office and outside. With no regard to the stares she was getting from confused onlookers she made her way through town, occasionally dodging traffic along the way, and ignoring the resulting slurs of profanity from the angry drivers. Ira passed through the southern gate into downtown where Osh lived. She made her way frantically to his house but when she got there his mother informed her that Osh was back at Cardon Forest. Ira returned to her quest to find Osh, somewhat confused about what he would be doing at Cardon Forest. Suddenly it hit her, "Osh must be getting the ship ready!" realizing this made her run that much faster. She passed through apple market and said a few more good-byes as she went. In particular she had to stop by the junk shop to thank Victoria the junk shop lady and her husband for all the help they had given her when she first started digging. She stopped inside quickly and thanked the both of them and then wished them well before heading off again. Ira waved at the produce store owner and his wife who was holding their son in her arms, she laughed aloud as the small child waved back at her.
"Oh! I almost forgot!" Ira thought as she stopped in her tracks suddenly.
Ira ran back to the junk shop and barreled inside, she handed the temporary sub-gate license she found on the roof to the store owner "Tom".
"Make sure he doesn't loose it again." Ira said as she whisked off again.
Ira hoped the construction worked she had gotten in from wouldn't be mad about it's late return, but really, even though Ira had used it without his permission she had still found it for him in the first place, so hopefully that would even things out. Ira made her way out of the shopping arcade and headed for the back section of Cardon Forest, with any luck Osh would be there waiting. After a few more minutes of running Ira had finally made it to her destination, and sure enough, floating a few feet off the ground was her ship with a later up against it and the spotters van sat next to that. From the small entrance she could hear some mechanical noises followed by the occasional "Damnit!" signaling that Osh was indeed inside. Exhausted from the run Ira stopped for a few minutes to catch her breath, all the while the noise from the inside of the ship masked her arrival from Osh. When she was finally up to it she yelled up to Osh.
"HEY OSH!!" Ira yelled from the ground.
Inside the noise stopped for a moment and Osh stepped out of the cockpit. His face was covered in grease and he was mumbling angrily to himself as he made his way down the later to confront Ira. When he hit the ground he pulled a rag from his back pocket and wiped his face off with it before looking at Ira.
"So, you must have got it then?" Osh asked plainly.
"Yep, I suuuure did!!" Ira pulled out her newly acquired license and displayed it for Osh, and then proceeded to do some sort of odd victory dance.
"I'm really glad for you Ira…" This was said with less enthusiasm then Ira expected causing her to stop her dance short.
"You should be really glad for both of us, this license means that today's the day, we can head out on our adventure!" Ira was trying to get Osh into the right mood, but it didn't seem to be working.
"You mean "your" adventure, I'm not going." Osh bluntly stated.
"What do you mean your not going Osh, you're my spotter, you have to go…This isn't because of this morning is it? I know I was out of line but I…" Ira would have continued but Osh cut her short.
"It's not just that Ira, I mean, yeah, that's part of it, but it's more than that. Ira you and I have worked together for almost a year now, and during that time you've scarred me more times with you're impulsive actions then I care to remember. And if that were the only issue…I'd be okay with it. I can handle you're antics, and I've learned to cope with you're constant joking and jibes but…" Osh trailed off for a moment while he collected his thoughts.
"Ira, I know how capable you are as a digger, I've seen it first hand, so even though I get worried sometimes I always know you'll be fine when you come back up. But for almost a year now I've had to hear constantly about this epic quest you intend to go on, and I was all for it in the beginning, they way you described it made it seem possible. But as time went on and you and I got closer, I started to realize that it wasn't some big adventure you wanted to go on with "me", the whole thing was just for "him", and I know that you won't stop until you find him, but what then? What if you do find him?" Osh asked forcefully.
"What do you mean Osh? I told you from the beginning that was the point of the journey, to find "him". I never led you on Osh, I meant what I said from the first time we talked about it, I'm going to find "him" and when I do I'll show him that I've become a great digger just like I said I would." Ira threw back.
"And where do I stand in that scenario hmm? Where does Osh the loyal spotter of the great digger Ira come into play when you find him? Admit it, I'm nothing more to you then a voice in your COM, and that's what I'll continue to be if I stay with you. I'd be better off working with Jim and Bensley on restoring the Clozer Woods area, at least with them I'm not just an accessory." After his harsh words to Ira Osh started walking away.
Shocked by Osh's reaction, Ira couldn't think of anything to say, she just stared as walked off. She tried desperately to think of something, anything, to say to Osh, but maybe he was right…not about everything, but at least some it. Maybe she had taken him for granted all this time, out of the four spotters (five if you count Victoria and Tom separately) that Ira had over the last three years, Osh had stuck with her the longest. And during that time she knew of his feelings for her but said nothing, maybe she was just letting him on. Ira had to force some semblance of a response, she couldn't let it end like this.
"Osh…I just…" But Ira couldn't finish, she didn't know what to say to him to make him understand that he was wrong.
Osh stopped for a second and without turning to Ira said…
"I fixed up the ship, it was in bad shape but I got it running smooth, I filled it with all of our…your supplies, and the shield glove is inside also, it shouldn't give you anymore problems." Osh waved back without looking and then he was gone.
Ira stood alone next to her salvaged ship, she looked up at it floating in the air. Before the boat manager Wily had found it and pulled it from the water, it had belonged to the air pirates that had assaulted the island three years ago she had heard someone call it a "Dreg". Ira bought it from him cheap and tried to repair it herself but with little success, luckily Osh was a wiz with mechanics and started working on it when they first met. Osh had expanded the inside so that both he and she could fit easily, and Ira had repainted in the whole thing blue in honor of "him". It was one of her favorite things in the entire world, it symbolized her dedication to her cause, and gave form to her accomplishments. Looking at it now though, it just reminded her of her selfishness…Ira was tired of good-byes, she had enough for the day and her entire life. Ira made her way up the later and inside the ship, just like Osh said he had stacked it full of provisions, and there on the seat was her shield glove. Ira climbed back down the later and made her way over to the spotters van, she grabbed a few things from inside including her machine gun arm weapon, along with a few other odds and ends. She locked the doors and was just about to leave when she noticed a picture tapped to the dashboard. It was a picture of her and Osh on a boat together, Osh was drenched with water and Ira was laughing at him from the side. Ira pulled the picture of the dashboard and smiled before heading back to the ship. She started up the engine and lifted off, she decided not to go back home in fear of running into anyone else she might have hurt over the years. She tapped the picture of her and Osh to the control council as she started to cry…
"I'm such and idiot!" And then she sped off.